From the Mailbag

Good morning professor [KBJ]

I hope all is well. I wrote to you about a year ago to inform you of my decision to stop eating meat. At the time you advised that I should do so slowly, rather than just stopping one day. At the time, I decided to continue eating fish, just to make sure that I wouldn't crave too much. It was helpful to keep me sane.

A year later, I want to say that I have been very successful. I have eaten meat 1 time in 1 year, by accident. In May, I ordered some dirty rice and ate it on reflex, only realizing what I had done about 3/4 of the way through (at which time I stopped). Since then not a piece of land-animal has gone into my mouth on purpose, and rarely by accident (I have, I am sure, eaten some by product, such as gelatin, inadvertently, though I read ingredients on everything I eat now). I have also stopped eating fish for the most part, though on occasion the craving is unbearable, likely because I have not found a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Anyhow, I just wanted to let you know as a testament—I had lived 22 years on a nearly carnivorous diet, and I can't imagine anyone less likely to do so. However, I certainly feel an air of accomplishment in altering my diet—it is fulfilling to know that I have made an ethical decision as a result of reason and not simply because it 'feels right.'

Regards,
Shelby