"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet"
Albert Einstein


Sunday 2 September 2012


My whole life ive naturally been almost disinterested in meat. My mother was a great cook and although we were raised on a typical kiwi diet of meat and veg, mum was also really good at making yummy vegetarian meals that were tasty and filled us up. The absence of meat largely went unnoticed. In the kitchen the vegetable crisper was generally full and colourful and we always had a fruit bowl ,We lived in the country and enjoyed the lifestyle that went with it- Mum was always baking and we had a vegetable garden, with fruit trees. We had chickens and turkeys and raised pet sheep. We were taught (probably unknowingly) the role that meat played in our diet and we would certainly not have taken meat for granted as is now the case in modern society.

Dont get me wrong meat is delicious, mmmm mmm yummy tender lamb sliced thinly with gravey Yum! HOWEVER most of the meat in our diets is average at best. Its simply not reared, handled or cooked to its full potential because theres no value associated with it. Its just food! With factory farming now spreading like disease and the notion that we dont raise animals anymore, we simply grow them. The meat and two veg meal has become a matter of habit and neccesity rather than the care and effort of a well made sunday roast. Now days the majority simply defrost it, microwave it or order it and smother it in sauce.
Ask yourself how many times have you eaten a meat meal recently and been wowed by it, Im sure theres a few but i'll bet theres a few poor meals aswell.

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2 comments:

@miniMum said...

Hi Ben,

This is a really inspiring move!

Could you contact me at editor@vegansociety.co.nz please? We would love to do a story on your journey.

Thanks,
Jess Parsons

Kate Broughton said...

Hi Ben
Good for you for both recognising that there are more of us plant-based eaters around AND for giving it a go. As a farm-raised girl from the Waikato I know all about the transition but have to say that the last eight years of my plant-strong lifestyle have been marvellous on all levels. I recently trained with vegan chef Mark Reinfeld in Hawaii and am now running workshops up here on the Tutukaka Coast. Check us out at vegancuisine.co.nz and good luck!
Regards
Kate