People often make presumptions about why I'm a vegetarian. Most of the time, these fall in the realm of religious reasons or the belief that I have some sort of indomitable affinity for animals, and can't picture gobbling up Fido or Mittens. Well, I hate those types of reasons for going with vegetarianism, and it is rather saddening that those are mainstream reasons for it. Now if I were totally honest, while I'm not vegetarian for religious reasons, it would be wrong of me to say that they had no role in the matter.
The simple reason why I'm a vegetarian is the same reason most people who eat meat eat meat -- I happen to like that type of food. Now the reason I do say religion had some role in the matter is because I did grow up in a house of Hindu Brahmins, all of whom are strict vegetarians (not vegans, though. They'd be considered lacto-vegetarians formally). That meant I grew up most of my life eating no meat, no seafood, no poultry, and no eggs. Well, that's pretty much the role it played, to be honest. I'd already found my own religion to be pure idiocy of the highest order and considered myself an atheist around the age of 5. I thought science was far more magical than anything Vishnu could do (or more accurately, pretend to do, since he really only creates illusions). But having that sort of food growing up meant it colored my tastes and preferences. Those preferences still carry on to this day. That's basically it.
That's also how it is for most people. We're all most likely to have a preference for the food we grew up on. The food which is familiar to us. The food which signifies the comforts of home and childhood. We're pretty well-conditioned to like something which we've generally liked for a long time. That's perfectly fine, and at the very least, it's a reason based on food (which a lot of reasons for vegetarianism/veganism are not). If people did not seek out that which is familiar to them, there probably would not be a market for things like veggie burger patties or vegan hot dogs. It's really quite normal for a person to eat more of that which he/she likes the most. Now in all fairness, that sort of decision, when carried out to a full diet plan, is only a really complete and full decision when you've actually explored outside your normal boundaries.
The simple reason why I'm a vegetarian is the same reason most people who eat meat eat meat -- I happen to like that type of food. Now the reason I do say religion had some role in the matter is because I did grow up in a house of Hindu Brahmins, all of whom are strict vegetarians (not vegans, though. They'd be considered lacto-vegetarians formally). That meant I grew up most of my life eating no meat, no seafood, no poultry, and no eggs. Well, that's pretty much the role it played, to be honest. I'd already found my own religion to be pure idiocy of the highest order and considered myself an atheist around the age of 5. I thought science was far more magical than anything Vishnu could do (or more accurately, pretend to do, since he really only creates illusions). But having that sort of food growing up meant it colored my tastes and preferences. Those preferences still carry on to this day. That's basically it.
That's also how it is for most people. We're all most likely to have a preference for the food we grew up on. The food which is familiar to us. The food which signifies the comforts of home and childhood. We're pretty well-conditioned to like something which we've generally liked for a long time. That's perfectly fine, and at the very least, it's a reason based on food (which a lot of reasons for vegetarianism/veganism are not). If people did not seek out that which is familiar to them, there probably would not be a market for things like veggie burger patties or vegan hot dogs. It's really quite normal for a person to eat more of that which he/she likes the most. Now in all fairness, that sort of decision, when carried out to a full diet plan, is only a really complete and full decision when you've actually explored outside your normal boundaries.
