My body and I looked our food in the eye last night

I remember the day that I realized all food comes from somewhere. To me, it feels embarrassingly late in life. And I realized that some people may never make – or may want to make – those kind of connections.

I was at a pig roast last night and the people I met kept talking about their kids reactions to seeing a pig up on the spit. “At least they didn’t see it when it was raw…” One man joked “Okay, you don’t have to eat that pig, here’s your hot dog…” It was fascinating to me that we (as a society) shy away from making those direct connections for our kids. Yes, Babe is your bacon.

And as a kid, I know I couldn’t have handled that. I would exclaimed publicly that I am a vegetarian and then snuck slices of pepperoni behind everyone’s back.

I don’t think it’s cruel to eat animals. I’ve come to terms with that. I do think it’s cruel to treat them poorly, and yet I’m hypocritical. I will eat meat from various unknown sources. I eat vegetables with pesticides and pretend I don’t know where string cheese comes from.

And, I’m getting wiser. Taking small steps to become more aware and invested in where my food comes from. I’d like to help others become more aware too.