I just polished off an Greek omelette from Mutual Street Deli. So good. Overflowing with feta, veggies and served with homefries. I even did the thing where I make a sandwich with the omelette and bread. And it was cheap.
But something’s not sitting well, it’s not that my stomach’s upset it’s just that I feel like a cheat. How I feel about eating dairy has been on my mind a lot lately because I had a big talk with someone about veganism a few weeks ago.
I should mention that when I get an idea in my head (like “maybe dairy is gross”) I find it really hard to shake off. That’s probably why once I decided to be a vegetarian it wasn’t difficult for me to turn down meat, it had been written off in my mind.
So now I’ve been thinking a lot about whether I should be eating dairy and days when the thought is really on my mind it turns my stomach (clearly today wasn’t one of those days until after lunch). Before I was satisfied with always buying free range eggs for home and drinking soy milk instead of regular milk. I told myself I was doing as much as I could on my budget while trying to remain healthy. But of course, when I eat out it’s impossible to tell the conditions the cows and chickens lived in to provide dairy products. But, I told myself I was doing everything I could.
But now I’ve been reminded that cows are artificially inseminated to keep up milk production and that rennet (an enzyme found in a calf’s stomach) is in a lot of cheeses. While supporting both of these things may strictly stay within the lines of vegetarianism, it doesn’t seem right to me.
My reasons for keeping my eating habits dairy-inclusive are mainly out of convenience. Now that I’ve been confronted with problems in the dairy industry because of that recent conversation I’m feeling conflicted. For now, I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing, which includes thinking a lot about this and aiming to try out veganism soon.
*photo courtesy of www.alanskitchen.com
