Eat A Peach

Today is World Vegetarian Day.  I don't think it's widely celebrated by non-vegetarians--or vegetarians, for that matter.  But still, there it is.

It's hard to pin down the number of vegetarians in America.  Various studies suggest anywhere from 2% to 13% of the U.S. population identify as vegetarian.  Of course, identifying as one doesn't make you one. (Reminds me of how many people call themselves writers.)

A lot of people try it out but apparently most go back to eating meat.  It's understandable, since, as tasty as vegetarian and vegan food can be, nothing quite tastes like meat.  Perhaps it depends on the reason why people become vegetarians.  Some for moral reasons, some for health reasons, some for religious reasons, some, I suppose, because it's hip or because the person they live with is a vegetarian.

If you're doing it for health reasons, it'd be pretty easy to slip back and say "okay, I'll cut down, but let's not go cold turkey." And if you're doing it for certain moral reasons, you can probably get meat from animals that were treated alright.

So anyway, eat what you want today, but you might try a vegetarian dish.  And November 1 is World Vegan Day, so start thinking about that.