I've had to make some tough decisions in my life, as has everyone else I'm sure. Of course, we have those everyday choices, such as whether to take the elevator or the stairs, but every once in a while we get hit with a big one, like which college to attend.
While I've made some bad moves at times in my life, nothing I have done has been so amazingly crucial that it has had an extreme effect on anyone other than myself. Recently, I was faced with a decision that wasn't only huge for me, but also for hundreds of other living beings.
It all began when I decided to study abroad at the University of Limerick in Ireland this semester.
Oh yeah, this would probably be a good time for me to tell everyone: I'm studying abroad at the University of Limerick in Ireland this semester.
Anyway, it was that decision that led me to the life or death choice I struggled with for a good while afterward.
While attending a meeting for my Irish experience, someone brought up how fantastic the seafood in Ireland is. The person went on to talk about how wonderful the salmon is, and how the Irish take the fish off the boat and have it on the plate within minutes.
None of this really affected me because, well, I'm a vegetarian. I don't eat anything with a face. I used to say I don't eat anything with a head, but I got tired of "witty" people saying that lettuce comes in head-form.
The seafood conversation got the hamster in my head back on its wheel though, and I started to wonder what I would eat while I was in Ireland.
Ireland is not exactly revered for its cuisine. They are known for potatoes and beer. As enjoyable as that sounds, I don't think a whole semester of French fries and Guinness would be too good for me.
So I researched to see what other splendid treats the Emerald Isle had to offer. I quickly learned that vegetables take a back seat over there to meat, cheese and bread.
I became fearful. I am far from a health nut, but a man has to eat and my options were looking thin. It was starting to look like some animals were going to have to die to keep me alive.
Fish. What if I only ate fish? They aren't really meat. That's what all my non-vegetarian friends tell me anyway.
I tried to rationalize it to myself. It would only be a few fish. Once I was back in America, I would go back to my non-meat ways. I didn't become a vegetarian for animal rights reasons anyway. I became a vegetarian out of a twisted combination of health concerns and boredom.
I stayed up nights fighting with myself over this, but when it was all over, I just couldn't do it. I decided that no matter what the cost, I would not eat meat while in Ireland.
Sometimes, we have to make a decision that is good for someone or something other than us. For me, one of those is to remain vegetarian while in a land laden with meat.
Swim safely salmon. Swim free.
Write to Cole at cpmcgrath@bsu.edu
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