I was a vegetarian for several years in college and grad school. I was a theatre major and dancer so partly it was to stay healthy and trim. Of course I was also running 3-5 miles a day...wild youth...

I also became involved in the animal rights movement around this time (as well as working for Greenpeace) and it was very interesting to see/hear different peoples' approaches to living a cruelty-free life. Some thought wearing ANY thing from animals (leather, even wool) was wrong. I had a large collection of vintage leather coats and would explain, when asked why I wore them, that I was recycling an old item, thereby encouraging this parctice and NOT supporting the current leather industry beyond buying shoes (which I still do; I do not buy nearly as many shoes as most women I know).

For some activists, there was no way to be "cruelty-free" enough...as there was always a chance your lipstick got tested on a bunny's eyes, the milk in your coffee came from a dairy farm that kept veal calves in cages, etc.

I am no longer a vegetarian, but you know what I noticed?

The meat I ate growing up, hunted by my dad or purchased from local cattle or pig farms and slaughtered to our specifications by the same folks who would cut up my dad's deer in exchange for some of the meat, TASTED a whole lot better than what I get in the supermarket now.

I try only to buy naturally-raised meats and farm-raised fish (too dangerous to eat anything caught in most of the oceans now). The natural stuff costs more, but my health is worth it and I think if we create a greater demand for these products the pirce may drop a bit and, more importantly, they will be more widely available.

It is theorized the mysterious drop in average age of an American young girl who menstruates for the first time (from 16 at the turn of the century, to 14 in the 1950s, to 12 in the 1970s, to 10 now) has a fair amount to do with the amount of hormones ingested in the American diet...

BTW I think it is inaccurate to refer to yourself as a "vegetarian" if you eat fish or poultry, ever. In most cities potential roomate ads people say things like "semi-vegetarian" which usually means they eat anything but red meat...why not just say that?

One last thought; now that my monthly rent shall be increasing from $800 to $1350, I am thinking of becoming a vegetarian again because it is way cheaper...

A simple dinner of roasted (all natural!) chicken, steamed (organic!) broccoli and baked (organic!) potato costs around $2; natural steak or lamb chop, add a dollar; natural fish, add another dollar...

The same broccoli with a bit of cheese, baked potato with some (organic!) yogurt, and a salad with raw sunflower seeds for protein, costs a lot less and is a lot healthier...one-dish meals like Spanish rice or pasta prima vera even less!

Here's to walking lightly on the earth...