Rationis Capax

 Many consider humans to be "rational animals" but Johnathan Swift said that humans are animals capable of reason.  I agree.  Because of this capability we mull over what is right and what is wrong.  For some of us this morality issue exists in what we chose to eat.  But our ability to "reason" interferes with our instincts.

Can you say that you eat instinctively?  That you just know what to eat?  I didn't think so.  Whether it's your mother, television ads, health blogs, or diet books there is something that dictates what we eat.  I've found that no matter what the influence is on an individual's consumption, guilt is constantly tied to food. 

This guilt is a consequence of reason and goes against animal instinct.  Because we are constantly fed information on which foods are good for us, what food comes from good sources, and what food is morally right to eat, we over-think.  This over-thinking results in regret and guilt.  In some cases the guilt may be justified and helpful.  If a person eats McDonald's for breakfast, Burger King for lunch, and Pizza Hut for dinner every day this guilt might help them change their habits.  On the other hand an individual who has spent time reading books, magazines, and blogs on fitness may feel the same dose of guilt for eating a frozen yogurt.

I do feel the second variety of guilt on occasion but my biggest source of guilt is based on a morality issue rather than a heath one.  I've been a vegetarian since I was 10 years old.  I am turning 21 in a month.  Lately, I've done a lot of thinking on what I want to eat, what I should eat, and what is right for me to eat.

Here's what I've come up with:
There are certain foods that certain animals are meant to eat.  Because of these divisions we have herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.  Human beings are omnivores but unlike other omnivores we have this capability to reason.  Some humans utilize this reason and come to the conclusion that meat should not be consumed by human beings because it is wrong.  What makes it wrong?  These people don't get mad at birds for eating worms. Human consumption of meat is the thing that helped us survive.  Survival cannot be wrong.

I think some people feel that humans have an unfair advantage.  We are not hunting anymore and if we do it's for sport.  I will say that I am against raising animals FOR food.  It seems cruel to harbor life for the sole purpose of death and (obviously) factory-farm torture is a bad thing.  Because of this I am strongly against consuming meat that comes from large farms.  These farms also pump their animals full of hormones and treat them poorly for the duration of their ill-purposed lives.  These actions produce unsafe environments for both the animals and the humans consuming the animals.

I think that a life made for death is wrong.  However, I do not think it is wrong to eat animals - IF the animals are taken care of, fed well, and allowed to enjoy the life they have OR caught in the wild where they lived their lives as they were meant to live.  But our reasoning shouldn't end with the consideration of where the animal was raised.  We must appreciate the animal's sustenance.  By living, consuming, dying, and providing matter for consumption the animal perpetuates the cycle.  One day every one of us will provide food for the soil that feeds the plants that feeds the animals (unless you have your ashes sent to space ;]).  We are part of the cycle and thinking that we are so special that we escape the cycle is moronic. 


A rational animal realizes that it is still an animal.  Biologically we are meant to eat meat therefore it is "right" to eat meat.  However, we have evolved into a power that believes itself to be more important than other animals.  Because of this power we no longer value where our food comes from.  As rational animals we have the ability to think about our food.  So eating meat is natural but using our power to hurt other animals is not.  It is that cruelty and ignorance that I am against.


*Braces self for onslaught of tomatoes*

Hunger and Nostalgia

Last night was rough. I woke up around 2:00 AM. I was starving. My stomach burned and ached. I was so hungry that I couldn't go back to sleep until around 5:00 AM and I got up at 6:30 AM.
This week I decided to have a different breakfast every day. (Aka, no cinnamon oats allowed.) Today's French toast was delicious but when I finished it my stomach was still screaming bloody hunger. I had a doctor's appointment so I left without anything more.

I had to go to the grocery store and by the time I got home I was still struck with hunger. I had a snack of a few pretzels and (not so) spicy hummus.
About an hour later it was lunch time. I was still starving. I made a wrap and a salad:
Half way through my meal my stomach started to hurt like I had eaten too much. I was still hungry, it was so weird but I quit eating for a while and made my brother's lunch.

About 45 minutes later I finished my meal but I was stuffed until about 4 o'clock when I got hungry again. Enter Mr. Larabar:
Finally, I felt satisfied but not stuffed full or in any pain.

Around 5:30 I started on a special dinner. "Mock-sco" cheese sticks.
What?
My high school used to serve Bosco Cheese Sticks, I'm assuming Bosco is the name brand. Sort of strange, no other menu item held a brand name. Anyhow, this is pretty much the most prized meal of all students at my school. You could say "Wanna skip today?" and I am sure you would get many "Nah, it's Bosco cheese stick day," responses. Needless to say, people like these things.

I happened to love them as well because this was actually the only vegetarian entree besides baked potatoes. Unfortunately they were served with the most disgusting brownish, briny, mushy canned green beans and fried squash (I'll admit to liking the squash, but we can do better.)

When I graduated over a year ago, I saw my last Bosco cheese stick so today I created the "Mock-sco" cheese stick!!!

You will need:
Pizza dough
String cheese
Marinara sauce
Parmesan
Green beans
Squash

Do this:
Roll out your dough and cut it into portions.
(Now, I cook for myself and two boys [Dad and Brother] The portions shown are twice that of the ones I used for myself. I cut the strips vertically once more for mine.)
Fill with string cheese stick in the center of each slice of dough. For the boys I added pepperoni as well.
(For mine I cut the string cheese sticks down the middle making two "Mock-sco" sticks per string cheese.)
Wrap 'em up and brush with butter, oil or spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake according to pizza dough directions.
Cook your veggies however you want. I steamed the beans with basil and garlic and baked the squash with salt, pepper, and sauteed onion.
OMG. Sometimes I love a flashback. I have a feeling I could easily make a bunch of these at college, freeze 'em and take them out as needed.