No Im not a vegetarian, I just dont eat meat.

Around 10 years ago I decided to stop eating meat.
I get quite a few people ask me why I became a vegetarian. Is it for health reasons? Or religious beliefs? Or am I just one of those people against animal cruelty?

Well, I could tap on about the pain and suffering inflicted during the production and slaughtering of factory farmed foods, or the ecological impact resulting from the voluminous water and land resources  required to produce meat, or proselytise the  health benefits of a meat free life ….but hey,  there are plenty of sites you can google yourself if you feel so inclined that will give you information with far greater authority and conviction that I can muster.

I have absolutely no inclination to try and convince anyone else to become vegetarian. And I doubt I could anyway.

So why don’t I eat meat?
Well, every meal I ask myself two questions:

1. Could I kill the animal that is on the menu if it was before me right now?
2. Would I want to kill that animal to feed me right now……or, would I be happy enough with any other food that is available.

There are plenty of people who enjoy their meat who will be quick to point out a multitude of complexities and hypocrisy in my reasoning. What about your leather shoes? Dont you feed your dog meat? Shouldnt you go Vegan then? Gee, you do look a little pale and pasty….not enough iron perhaps?
But for me, it is as simple as that. A pause before each meal to ask those two questions. 
And after a little reflection I make my choice….I almost never eat meat.
As I said, I’m not going to get up on a pedestal and start proclaiming the virtues of vegetarianism. I am no Vegan. I still eat chocolate (which usually contains animal product).
I often wear leather products (no, not what you’re thinking).
And I do not like to fuss about it. If I am visiting someone who doesn’t know my preferences and serves a meat or fish dish, I will eat it up without hesitation.
As Walt Whitman wrote: Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)

As a nurse, suffering and death poke my soft spots. The taking of a life to satisfy my transient desire for some particular taste satisfaction is something I feel deserves to be pondered before proceeding.
So for me, the decision not to eat meat is made on a case by case basis. Perhaps tomorrow I will eat steak. Perhaps not.
I guess that makes me a sort of serial vegetarian.