I feel like these days, it's so much easier to choose not to eat meat. Restaurants and supermarkets have embraced us herbivores by providing a wider variety of meat-free options outside of a standard salad or pasta dish. It's even become a bit of a trend in the dieting world (although that's definitely not the reason I became a veggie) with claims that by cutting out the likes of red meat especially and replacing it with protein-filled, vegetarian-friendly choices, it can help you lose weight but maintain strength.
Now I'm not here to persuade you all to go green. I understand the lure of a decent bacon butty or a well-cooked steak; it's just not for me. When asked why I chose to cut out meat entirely, I struggle to concoct a definitive answer, so I decided to attempt to explain it here as best as I could. As a child, I never enjoyed the classic kind of meat you find on your roast dinner. Beef, turkey, lamb chops. From a very early age, I boycotted butcher-style meat for the plain and simple reason that I just didn't like it. The texture felt alien in my mouth and the flavours just weren't something I enjoyed. But of course, as a child, I had little say in my dietary requirements, and so whilst my parents eventually admitted defeat with classic cut meats, they still tried their luck with processed meats; the kind that you can't actually tell is meat to look at. I'm talking about the likes of battered chicken nuggets, sausage rolls wrapped in pastry and turkey dinosaurs baked in a layer or bread-crumbs. I can imagine how frustrating it must have been to be a parent of three and having to deal with one individual who wanted to eat something different at dinner time and so I can't blame them for testing my taste buds. Every seven years in particular, (when apparently your taste buds change - or perhaps that was a myth created by my familiar to get me to try something different) I'd be encouraged to try something different because 'I just might like it'. I never did develop a likening for meat. In fact, as the years went on, I discovered I liked all kinds of meat less and less. The defining point came in year 7 P.S.E when we were shown a documentary about a sausage factory. Now I was never naïve as to where the meat I consumed came from, but watching an entire pigs head being stuffed into a blender turned my stomach forever. For meat eaters, that image would never have digressed them from what they liked to eat, but with my temperamental relationship with meat, it was enough to put me off for good and I never looked back. Back then, it seemed so much more difficult to find a vegetarian option in a restaurant, in the supermarket or even at the local McDonald's. Perhaps I just didn't look hard enough or was unwilling to try something meat-free but different. But it seems it has only been a recent revelation, for me at least, to experiment with the likes of butternut squash, quinoa, kidney beans and other lesser-known fruit, veg and pulses. Prior to that, I had found vegetarian dishes to be extremely carb-heavy or just plain veg. In recent years, I've discovered more of a balance with my diet. I'm much more willing to try something new (unless it contains mushrooms cause, ew) and since rediscovered a love for food I never found with meat dishes. So I guess you could say that perhaps I was influenced by that year 7 video, or perhaps it was just something I knew I didn't like from the off. It's probably a combination of both. It doesn't bother me to be sat at a dinner table with someone tucking into a big juicy steak and, although I might squirm a little, I can manage to cook meat for other people. I just know it's something I don't enjoy but I don't have to dictate to other people or try to influence their diet, much like I wouldn't allow anyone to force meat upon me. It's a life choice very personal to us all and something we should be allowed to discover on our own. I'm not going to be signing any petitions to save the cows, but that doesn't mean I want to eat one. So I guess that's everything in a nut-shell (or a meat-shell, depending on your preference). I think it's important to try new things, and if you don't want to try it a second time, at least you've learnt what to avoid. (If my 2007 Mum was reading this now, she'd laugh and say it couldn't possibly be me saying this - I really was a stubborn git). And if you find you do want to try it again, you've expanded your diet and found something you can add to your weekly shop: winner winner, whatever-your-preference dinner.
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Now I must firstly state that I am no film critic and I'm certainly no expert. But I can certainly tell when a story moves me and inspires me.
The highly-rated film The Greatest Showman hit the big screens and has left an impact on so many of us, not just for the big names starring in the film (including one hugely talented Hugh Jackman - who knew he could sing?!) or even for the drama-filled plotline. For me, the thing I'll remember about this film that classic feel-good euphoria we best associate with the likes of It's A Wonderful Life or Dirty Dancing. It's about more than just feeling motivated to have the courage to play out our biggest ambitions. For me, the film's underlining theme of equality struck me as the realest. Whilst some may argue that to exploit unique characters is to make fun of minorities and segregate them from society, I can't help but admire the intentions behind Mr Barnum's actions in the film. He stands on stage as equals to the supposed outcasts of society, and by exhibiting their talents, exclaims that he wishes to teach society to love them for their quirks. It was a message that truly hit home with me and one that I live by. Being different doesn't make you weird. Having a quirk doesn't mean you are an outcast. Being unique is not something to be viewed as a negative. If you haven't yet been to see the ultimate feel-good movie of the year, I'd get yourself down to the nearest cinema for the best confidence boost and inspiring tale you're sure to fall in love with. And if that's not enough, the soundtrack is great. I'm humming along as I type. I'm not gonna lie, I don't know much about guns. I've never held one, never heard one and never had one pointing in my direction. In fact, outside of a military exhibition in a museum, I've never even seen one. Perhaps it would be a different story if I was living in America.
Much like my gun knowledge, my stats knowledge lacks too. I don't know how many people have access to them, how many crimes have been committed or the legislature surrounding them around the globe. But despite this, I have formed an opinion on the licensing of guns. I was recently left distraught by the news of a former student returning to his school in Florida to gun down students, teachers and anyone else that crossed his path. The disaster caused an uproar across the internet. Some blamed the travesty on the perpetrators mental illness whilst others stood firm in their beliefs that easy access to weaponry allowed the boy to commit his crimes. Others stated that they believed that teachers should be armed to defend themselves and their pupils against such attacks whilst the opposition claimed that doing so would do little to protect the innocent. Where do I stand on the matter? In that particular instance, I can recognise that there are mentally unstable individuals in society that have destructive urges. I can also see that there are also terrorists with a set agenda and violent nature. Male or female, stable or not, agenda or not, I believe that if we remove access to the weapons that allow these people to carry out such tragedies then we restrict the damage to the lives of innocent people. It is about mental instability, it is about terrorism, it is about destruction, but what it all comes down to is removing the MEANS that allows these people to destroy lives. I think of it like I think of nuclear warfare. All the powerful agents have this destructive tool at their disposure by means of defence, attack or otherwise. But why is it we need this weaponry? If we removed all forms of it then there would be no cause to house it and threaten our enemies with its power. The key to reducing gun crime is surely to remove the nucleus of the problem: the gun itself. Of course, we can't eliminate the individuals amongst us with the desire to damage, and it would be near-on impossible to remove all tools capable of inflicting injury. But surely if we limit what we can, restrict access to what is unnecessary in society, then we are sure to have an impact on the negative outcomes. Guns have become somewhat of a culture in certain places around the world and have become almost normalised to a number of demographics. Something so dangerous has become a part of every day lives and now, I fear there's no going back. |
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Part-time student/bar-associate |