There was a very charming letter in Saturday’s Ottawa Citizen by one, Jaya Subramaniam, on the joys and benefits of vegetarianism. The letter ends:
Enjoyment of food is possible with leisure and with no commitment to aggressive achievements, military or otherwise. A peace-loving temperament and leisurely enjoyment of food thus reinforce each other. Similarly, any society, which is agricultural, develops a respect for the environment, together with a taste for vegetarian diet. Thus a vegetarian society is a peace-loving society, which enjoys good vegetarian food in addition to all the health benefits that it confers.
So, I’m thinking, “wow, there must be all sorts of hidden benefits to vegetarianism beyond all the well-publicized health, environmental, and ethical benefits.”
World and inner peace, according to Jaya Subramaniam’s theory is possible if we all embrace the joys of a plant-based diet. I think we can also add the following:
1. Economics: Meat is bloody expensive.
2. Aesthetics: Vegetarians smell and taste better.
3. Endurance: A Yale University study revealed that vegetarians have nearly twice the stamina of meat-eaters.
4. Airline Food: It’s a well-known fact that if you order a vegetarian meal on an airplane you’ll get something resembling actual food.
5. Repel Insects: Insects, like mosquitoes, seem to be more attracted to omnivores than to vegetarians
6. Tidier Kitchens: Nothing messes up the stove, oven and pans more than roasting meat.
7. Feeling Superior: You can laugh at Mad-Cow anxiety; chide omnivores for their wasteful dietary practices and smirk smugly at other people’s food-related health issues.
8. Thwarting Conspiracies: You’re not a shill for the giants of transnational agri-food conglomerates — the meat and dairy industries.
9. Element of Surprise: People assume because you’re a vegetarian you must be a weak, sensitive, pacifist pushover. You can take advantage of this gross under-estimation by kicking the shit out of them literally or metaphorically when they bug your ass.
10. Generate Conversations: Announcing your vegetarianism is a guaranteed ice-breaker at parties. People always have lots of questions, opinions and humorous/sarcastic quips to convey on the topic.
XUP 