Not Strictly Vegetarian

Water, Energy, a No-Meat Diet

Well, I did take a bath even though I didn't go to the Y.  That was for Javier, with whom I spend the early morning hours of Sunday. Afterwards, we walked to West Portal to try out what I thought was a strictly vegetarian restaurant.  After all, it was called Green House. But they served chicken and tuna.  I didn't want Javier to suffer the way he did last weekend, when we drove around spewing carbon just so I could support a strictly vegetarian restaurant.  After all, he's to be my Eco-convert, and what kind of Eco-evangelist tortures the people she wants to save?  So I suggested that he eat (a vegetarian dish) while I sat and asked him questions about taking his own bag shopping.  (You can see what good company I am!)    He looked a bit chagrined when I begged him to be honest with me.  He always takes his own bag when he goes shopping in SF with me, but when I'm not looking, he goes back to his criminal ways.  But he said he would definitely take his own bag the next time he shopped in Millbrae and Fremont, and he'd sent me a message to let me know.

Later we went to a housewarming party in San Rafael (not walking) and we got into a conversation with a vegan.  We talked about all the reasons not to eat meat--to prevent the torture of animals, to be healthier, to spare the environment.  Our new vegan friend Paul enumerated the ways that meat production harms the environment, and I'm sure all the people who got to hear enjoyed this a great deal.  But seriously, messages can be picked up.  I'd like to think that someday meat-eaters will be like smokers.  Fewer, for example.  But that's not really the way it's going world-wide.  People are eating more meat, not less. 

Here's something on the carbon footprint of what we eat in terms of greenhouse emissions--4 ounces of what we eat compared to miles driven by a car!

http://www.thedailygreen.com/weird-weather/weather-categories/global-warming-pictures/carbon-footprint-of-food-0717