Veggie

I am seated in front of the computer trying to get some inspiration so I can write a new post. It’s hard to concentrate. Behind the computer there’s a window and I can see the terrace. It’s a beautiful day and I observe the birds coming and going, drinking and eating what my mom serve them everyday. “This is a bird’s restaurant” I use to say! I see a kind of small and brown dove we have here in Brazil called “Rolinha”… That’s it! My inspiration has arrived! I think of our cat Vladimir, the dove eater. He never was aggressive, nor felt hungry but when he was 15 years old he became a terrace hunter! In the beginning he brought dead whole birds into the house, released them in the center of our living room and waited for us to see it, posing as the king of virility with a triumphant look in his eyes. Later with our astonishment and disapproval, he went on his adventures when nobody was at home, but now he wasn’t just showing off, he started eating the innards and leaving the rest of the birds all over the place. Later, perhaps for perceiving our disgust, he started eating the whole birds leaving behind only some feathers. We didn’t know what to do. Finally the doves perceived the danger, stopped coming and, for our relief, he came back to be "a civilized" cat.
That story got me thinking about vegetarianism. The nature is cruel, us humans even more, but we are also hypocritical and we close the eyes for what we do not want to see. Many people eat one animal but not another. I know a person who does not eat lamb because it’s a cute baby, but has no problem eating veal! Another friend eats fish since she doesn’t see its head... and so on. I admire a vegetarian friend for being such a good and coherent person, even though I cannot think about becoming a vegetarian myself. But at least I have a couple of vegetarian meals a week as a way to do something good for myself and for the planet. When I plan those meals I get inspiration from the Indian cuisine. They have a lot of vegetarian recipes and they know how to use different spice mixes to make everything taste interesting and look great. When I have those meals I end up eating a bigger variety of foods and as result ingesting more vitamins. I also feel lighter, but still with a lot of energy!