Eat Me.

Today, I failed at being a vegan.  As soon as I walked into my university's cafeteria, my eyes and my stomach went straight for the cheese pizza.  However,  I still have not eaten any meat.

Speaking of meat, I had the pleasant opportunity to survey 20 people on some questions pertaining to my vegetarian project.  Seventeen of the people were males, and there were three females who participated in the survey.  I asked the following five questions.

Q1:  On average, how many servings of meat do you eat in a usual day?

The average of the responses was 2.625 servings.  When I asked this question, I was honestly wondering if the people I surveyed were telling me the truth.  Not on their personalities, it was just the fact that they ate so much less than what I used to eat.  I could easily eat five servings in a day, almost double the average.

Q2:  How many servings of meat do you think is healthy for one day?

The average of the responses was 2.55.  Unfortunately, there were no responses of zeros.  Everyone agreed that having some servings of meat is still healthy.

Q3:  Have you ever tried to become a vegetarian?

Six people replied that they have tried being a vegetarian, and fourteen people have replied that they have not tried being a vegetarian.  Out of the six who have tried, none of them are still vegetarians today.  Once again, I found this to be disappointing.  I could not figure out why they stopped.  Is meat really that tempting?  Are we living in a society where taste buds trump everything else?

Q4:  Do you think the vegetarian's diet is better than the omnivore's diet?

Six people replied that the vegetarian's diet was better than the omnivore's diet, and fourteen said that they did not believe that the vegetarian's diet was better than the omnivore's diet.  The majority would say something like people need protein.  Right, because the only source of protein comes from meat, it does not exist any other meats.  I was so frustrated at the responses I was obtaining.  When I asked people these questions, it was almost like this self-defense mechanism went off.  It was like they internally knew it was wrong, but they were defending their lifestyles in the best way they could.

Q5:  If you became/were still a vegetarian what food group would you consume from the most?

Six people said grains while two people said fats, oils, and sweets.  Four people said vegetables, and eight people responded with fruits.  I asked this question because I have found that my diet consists of a plethora of dairy products.  However, nobody said anything about dairy products.  Over 50% of people said fruits and vegetables, and I think that leads back to question three.  People have this stereotypical image of what vegetarians are which is why I think so many people leave.  Vegetarians are horrible advertisers.  When is the last time you saw an advertisement on the television or newspaper campaigning for vegetarianism?  I have learned that vegetarians must stick up for themselves because their is a world of defensive omnivores ready to consume us.