A call for change

Introduction:

I could probably write 100 books about why people should not eat meat, but I’m going to try to fit it all in one article.

I’ve been vegetarian for four years, and I’m planning on so many more years. My name is Asha. Before we start I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land I am writing on today, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation and pay my respects to the elders past, present and emerging.

We need your help. Become a vegetarian and save our planet.

Now, let’s get into it.

Argument One: Different options.

We eat meat because we need food, right? But there are SO MANY different types of food we can have instead. Let me name a few.

Okenemeyaki, Sushi, Spring rolls, noodles, Cacio e Pepe, Pasta, Pizza, Omlets, eggs, Cereal, Tofu, Toast, Breakfast-y things etc. Don’t they sound good? And also now people have invented plant-based meat! And made up really snazzy names for them if I do say so myself. Facon! I would have never thought of that!

And veggies are really yummy!! There are also things like grains, rice, fruit and also, news flash, there are other proteins apart from meat. Eggs! Chickpeas! Mushroom! Meat doesn't have to be the star of the dish. You can make amazing things out of veggies. With a sauce and a salad, (oh, salad, we'll get to that later) it will be amazing.

Now. Onto the salad. Some people think that salad is disgusting. Let me tell you, it’s not. It will be pretty bland if you just put spinach and rocket in it! Obviously! You need to put something like avocado, or cucumber in. Yum! And also make a nice dressing to go with it. Mustard, olive oil, something like that. Or no dressing, up to you.

Another yummy salad is watermelon and feta. You might be thinking ‘Eww! What? Watermelon? Feta?! Together!?!?’ Don’t worry, it’s really good! You can also test a few of your ideas. Like, maybe, avo, mini pickles, cheese, lettuce. Sounds okay, right? Yeah, I think so. But if you don’t like the sound of that, try something else.

Add-on recipe!!:

Cacio e pepe.

Cacio e pepe is an Italian dish. It translates to ‘cheese and pepper’. When you get it right, the dish is AMAZING.

Serves 4-5. Takes 15-20 minutes.

Ingredients:

A block of parmesan cheese

½ a cup of pepper kernels

½ a cup of salt crystals (or just SAXA salt, I don’t care.)

A packet of spaghetti

Olive oil

Boiling water

Tools:

A pot

A pan

2 wooden spoons

A cheese grater

A mortar and pestle

A drainer

A cup

A kettle

Step 1: Put the pepper kernels and salt crystals (or SAXA salt,) in your mortar and pestle. Crush them until you have a grainy powder.

Step 2: Put on the kettle three quarters full

Step 3: Put your pot on the stove and turn the heat up to medium.

Step 4: Put your pan on the stove and turn up the heat to medium.

Step 5: Pour your boiling water into the pot and put all the spaghetti in.

Step 6: Drizzle lots of olive oil onto the pan and place the salt and pepper powder in. Mix with a spoon until mostly all the salt and pepper is covered in olive oil. Take a spoonful of the spaghetti water and put it in the pan.

Step 7: Grate all the cheese

Step 8: Take a cup of spaghetti water and put it to the side. Drain spaghetti and put it in the pan with the salt, pepper and olive oil.

Step 9: Dump all the grated cheese onto and mix making sure all the spaghetti is covered in cheese and pepper. Slowly add the cup of spaghetti water in while mixing.

Step 10: Turn off heat and serve up.

Step 11: ENJOY!!

Argument 2: The animals

Onto more serious matters. The animals. When you eat meat, do you ever think about how unfair it is, that an animal's life was sacrificed for your pleasure? Or do you push that thought aside and think ‘I’m sure they were treated well,’ But the truth is, they’re mostly not. Many animals like pigs or chickens are kept in small dark spaces without even being able to turn around. And then they’re taken off to be killed in an abattoir full of fear. Shipped off for a human's pleasure. It makes me want to cry every time I go into a supermarket and see the rows after rows of meat that could have been a cow, pig or chicken etc. having its best life.

Pigs are actually just as smart as dogs and have just as many feelings. Think about how people love their dogs so much. Would you do it to your/a dog?

And even if the meat is free range, they’re still killed in an abattoir. An abattoir filled with fear. The poor animals don’t know where in the world they are, and they don’t know the fate that’s about to take them. They just want to go home. Life is a special thing and humans do not have the right to take that away.

It’s inhumane that we think that animals should be kept for us, their eggs, milk, meat or hooves etc. being eaten everyday around the world. No choice for them where they get to go. They’re just a minor part of our lives we don’t think about very often, but with your help, that will change. And yes, you read that right. I said hooves. Your favourite treats like marshmallows or gummy worms have an ingredient called gelatin in them which is the inside of hooves and other stuff like ligaments, tendons, skin and/or bones and hooves in boiling water. Do not fear! If you want to avoid this DISGUSTING ingredient, check the packet for gelatin. There are gummies and marshmallows that don’t have gelatin in them, even though they are hard to find, it’s worth it knowing that you may have saved an animal's life.

If you cannot part with fish or seafood, there is a thing called being pescatarian.

It’s where you still eat seafood, but not land animals, cows, chickens etc.

People think that you will get sick if you go vego. They think that you will lose iron and get sick. In short, you won’t if you eat the right things. Veggies, chickpeas and many more. Research about what to eat to get iron.

I don’t suggest going vego if you already have low iron.

I actually have above average iron.

Argument 3: Climate change

There is another really important reason why you should go vego. People need land for animals -cows in particular- So they clear forest for the land.

The trees clean the air by producing more oxygen into the atmosphere for the world and without the trees the air will become dirty. Local beef production in Australia is predicted to increase 4.5% during 2022. That means that more animals are being killed and more land is being cleared. More trees are being knocked down and the atmosphere is becoming dirty and is having changes in the temperature, - climate change.

Summary:

In my opinion, meat is disgusting! It’s just weird to eat animals. They’re not that different from us. They have feelings and lives to live! Even though you might say, ‘But they don’t have the same nervous system! They can’t feel pain like we do!’ How do YOU know that? Are you some kind of animal genius? (I’m sorry if you are, animal geniuses are amazing) But. My point is that animals should be treated just like humans. Their lives should not be left up to humans to decide. They should be able to live long, happy lives, and then when they die, we eat their meat. People think that an already dead animal's meat is yuck, but when you eat ‘young meat’ it’s also dead. I don’t see the difference.

And also, it would save the animal a lot of pain and fear. The meat would not go to waste and everyone would be happy.

THE END.

Thanks for reading!!