Meat or no meat: still a big question (for me)

We live in a consumer society, there's no escaping it.  Even after ten years of consciously attempting to avoid giving my money to multi-national corporations (as much as I can in this economy), I have to admit, I still get a little thrill out of buying things.  I don't imagine this will ever go away - whether it's the Mad Men and their effect on me, on the evolutionary thrill of getting something new, I am not certain.

But today our household signed up for a food box delivery from Speerville Farms (Stu Fleishaker and Nancy Cantafio and their lovely girls).  Every two weeks we will get bread, eggs, cheese, meat, and veggies delivered to our door.  The price is excellent and everything is organic.

About ten years ago, I quit eating meat.  Lots of people ask me why.  They also ask me how I get my protein, which really bugs me, but that's another story.  Here is a handy reference chart, in case you were wondering:

Food                  Amount of protein (grams)
Dried Parsley    1 cup       31
Lentils, cooked 1 cup       18
Black Beans, cooked 1 cup15
Tofu, firm 4 oz               11
Quinoa, cooked 1 cup     9
Peanut Butter 2 tbsp      8
Almonds 1/4 cup            8
Sun-dried Tomato 1 cup  8
Brown rice, cooked 1 cup 5
Broccoli, cooked 1 cup   4
Potato 1 med.               4
Lambsquarters 1 cup     4

I quit eating meat because I didn't trust where it was coming from - this is the system that gave us listeria, mad cow, swine flu and has increased antibiotic resistance.  I don't have a beef with farmers, but I didn't want to give my money to the corporations who have made it impossible for small pork farmers to make a living.  I also think ten years as a vegetarian has allowed me time to really think about killing and take responsibility for my ethical decisions.

However, in the past year I have noticed an increase in local meat offerings, and I have also noticed that soybeans - which I consume in the soymilk I drink - are driving the destruction of the Amazon rainforests.  So, although I am not ready to go hog-wild just yet, when the food box comes on Monday I will see if I am ready to take on a bit of animal protein.

So, buying feels good.  But buying something that helps a local family make a living feels better.  We live in one of the most food insecure provinces in Canada.  I think we would see a big change in our families, our schools and our economy if more people supported local food.