Know Better, Do Better

Those words are part of something I heard Maya Angelou say years ago.  They are words that some follow automatically without thinking, some follow by making a conscious decision, and some never follow. I think that the quality of our own life and contribution to life as a whole requires that we apply those words.
I mentioned in my previous post that I am in the process of becoming vegetarian, again.  I, and subsequently my family as I was the cook, used to be vegetarians for about 3-4 years when living in the Southwest.  The decision was precipitated by road trips that required that we pass feed lots where many cattle were enclosed on a dry desert lot, fed corn, fattened up, and waited for death.
The smell was horrendous.  The sight was so unnatural.  Not a green plant within reach of any of them.  The space was so limited.  I decided not to support the industry.
I lived in an area where fruits and vegetables were plenty and everything was available year round I didn't think about pesticides or economics.  Almost anything could be wrapped in a tortilla.  I still used dairy and cheese and ate eggs.  We had adjusted and were doing well.
Then I moved to the Mid-west.  The cattle in the fields were so fat  The fields were so green.  The animals had so much space.  They appeared to be 'happy cows'.  Meat made its way back to the table. I made sure it was from the U.S.A. but it came back in all its forms. I had always gardened no matter where I lived but I decided to buy only produce grown in the U.S.A. other than bananas or other fruits that were not grown here. I did this for health and economic reasons.
Then I got Netflix.  Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead by Joe Cross was the first documentary.  I had already read Joel Fuhrman's book, Eat to Live and several others.  It began to look less and less like the need for animal protein was what it had been cracked up to be.  Then came documentaries such as Food Matters, Forks Over Knives, Food, Inc. and Cowspiracy.  These shows made me cry.  I could no longer be a part of the cycle.
I grew up in a rural area, We raised, killed, and I even plucked and cleaned our chickens to eat.  No problem.  Rabbits and pigs were raised and killed to put meat on the table.  No problem. Circle of life.  We were poor and really did need the protein and nutrition those animals added to the homegrown and home canned foods we lived on.  I have no problem with hunters.  If you enjoy deer meat and use the animal for food then I'm glad you can provide for yourselves and your family in this way.  Factory farming is a whole other perverted way of bringing food home.
That is why I am once again starting on this journey.  Guess what I had for dinner?  Fried Catfish!  I know, but remember, I am on a journey.  We had agreed to join another couple for this dinner almost a month ago.  I enjoyed their company and I enjoyed my fish and baked potato.  I wondered if I would get that feeling that I got the other day when I was going to take the last of the ground beef out of the freezer and make chili.  The beef is still there. I did enjoy the fish, for today anyway.