Karma Police

My Thanksgiving dinner was not much unlike the next man's. I was surrounded by family and close friends for whom I am thankful. My taste buds enjoyed pleasant encounters with cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Regardless of how much I ate, however, there are no fat thighs in this story.

Having never eaten meat, vegetarianism, to me, is comparable to breathing. I only pay attention to it in extreme circumstances (after performing or sprinting, for example, when I am gasping for air). When it comes to being vegetarian, Thanksgiving is my marathon. It's the one day a year that I am guaranteed to be reminded of my dietary restrictions on a day which allegedly surpasses cultural and religious boundaries.

To be reminded of my dietary restriction is not to be disappointed by it. While vegetarianism was technically "forced" upon me by my parents, they handed me the chance to rebel on a silver platter...on Thanksgiving day seventeen years ago. We were at our annual gathering and my three-year-old self (stubborn and a strong believer in equality) had to have turkey. It was simply unfair that I was being starved of my right to take part in the festivities.

Victorious, I stuffed a large piece of turkey into my mouth, only to spit it back into my plate about 1 second later (I have since improved my table manners). Story of my life, a victory I thought to be mine actually belonged to my parents -- I never asked to eat meat again.

As I've grown up, I've begun to understand how vegetarianism fits into my culture. While it is not the primary reason for vegetarianism, karma is a key player. Inflicting pain on another creature will come back to bite us with suffering equal to that which we have caused either in this life or in the next (reincarnation, being reborn as an animal that will be eaten). Not to mention how the law of non-injury is an obligation to higher beings.

Other less to non-religious reasons for vegetarianism include spiritualism (meat being likened to a toxin that obstructs a body's balance) and ecology (saving the suffering planet). I really can't vouch for these two as lean proteins like fish can't do anything to "throw off the body's balance" and it's probably unfair for humans to be bounced out of the food chain party.

For the record, I don't consider non-vegetarians to be lesser people for their life decision. I never feel smaller than when I'm commended on my will-power and inner strength for dodging meat. I didn't turn vegetarian. By never having been a meat eater, I am not giving anything up to be vegetarian. It's the only thing I know. I don't know what I'm missing (unless you count the turkey debacle of 1991). I'm sure that had I started out a meat-eater, I would still be one today.

So here I am, Saturday after my twenty-first Thanksgiving. And unlike earlier ones, I accept that Thanksgiving isn't marked by the turkey but by the friends and family by whom you are surrounded. But try telling a three-year-old that Christmas isn't marked by presents or Santa Claus.

P.S. Tofurkey is an embarrassment to all vegetarians.