Solidarity and a fact-finding mission

Since Seth started reading Eating Animals a couple weeks ago (and certainly since he finished it, several days ago), we've really been on the same page vis a vis our meat intake--or rather, lack thereof. While I really never anticipated Seth seriously cutting back on (let alone eliminating) meat, I've really enjoyed the feeling of household solidarity that comes with not buying, cooking, or eating meat. True, I do the buying and cooking, but Seth has not made a single comment (read: complaint) about the lack of meat in our home diet. Last night, he very sweetly said, "It's so easy to be a vegetarian when you're cooking." While I love a good compliment--especially when it comes to my cooking--I was more touched by the gesture of solidarity. Like he's good with it.

Funny, as our first in-person meeting with the Rabbi who will likely co-officiate our wedding lead to a conversation about kosher law and meat eating, which lead to a conversation about where to buy reliable kosher meat, which lead to a suggestion by Seth that we Go to There. For Seth, this has been much more about the environmental impact (first) and humane treatment/slaughter aspects (second) of factory egg/meat production. So, we've agreed to investigate. BUT (and yes, the caps are meant to show this is a big "but"), I'm not completely sold on the reliability of any meat labeled "kosher" or "halal" and not sold at all on whether kosher/halal rules satisfy my personal comfort level and various reasons for currently not eating meat. Still, the possibility of getting "better" meat (another concept I'm really not sold on) is appealing to Seth.

For dinner that same night, we went to a great Mexican restaurant where pollo and carne asada sizzled away at the table next to us and those smells filled the entire place. We shared guacamole, quesadillas con rajas, and margaritas. We laughed and talked and ate and ate. And the meat was not missed. Or maybe it was, a little, but that's okay too.