Lets rewind to July 5, 2011. After spending a couple of days at the Jersey Shore stuffing my face with Midway Philly cheese steaks, I decided to make some lifestyle changes. By that, I mean I told my mom about my nutritional intake and she definitely wasn’t pleased by my poor choices. “Bari, do you even know what you’re eating when you eat meat?” she asked.
Of course, I had no idea, and I didn’t want to find out anytime soon. Unfortunately, I did not have a choice. My mom took my phone and suggested I watch a documentary called "Earthlings" if I wanted to get my phone back that night.
Now let's fast forward four years to Sept. 2015. After two attempts at becoming a vegetarian, I can happily say that I am, and have been, a vegetarian ever since I watched that documentary. I’m sure most people are thinking that four years isn’t that long, but trust me, it is. To put my struggles in perspective, imagine a life without McDonald’s chicken nuggets or Taco Bell’s Cheesy Gordita Crunches. Now you definitely understand where I’m coming from. Although I no longer crave late-night fast food, I still continue to have troubles after four years of being meat free.
While the vegetarian lifestyle has its perks, it also has its downsides. My friends and family don’t understand or approve of my diet. I often get blamed for being the reason why going out to eat is hard and I constantly have to answer the same questions. “Why did you decide to stop eating meat? Is it because of the animals?” The answer is no. My diet actually bothered my friends so much during senior year of high school that they once chased me around our prom house with a huge piece of raw steak.
I grew up being told that I was going to turn in to a chicken nugget because of how often I ate them. Now, I pride myself in being a vegetarian, not only because I did not turn in to a chicken nugget, but also because I proved to myself (and my parents) that I could commit to something. I never thought that I’d be able to say goodbye to meat and fish, but I did, and it was the best decision I have ever made. I know that no matter what happens in my future, I at least can say I accomplished one thing in life—jumping on the hipster bandwagon and living a meat and fish free life.
