| Why Did You Go Vegetarian Contest 去年年底，美國人道對待動物組織(PETA)舉辦了一次「我為何吃素」的作文比賽，消息公佈之後，有超過1100位的素食者投稿，提出他們為何由肉食轉變成為一位素食者的心路歷程。許多人在文中表示他們無法從邏輯上一面愛著陪伴他們的動物，卻又一面吃肉，因此決定成為素食者。除此一最常被提出的原因外，也有討論到素食所帶來的健康益處以及肉、蛋與牛奶工業對環境的破壞。 絕大多數的投稿內容關注在現代化工廠型農場的殘忍行為，以及動物不是我們用來監禁與宰殺的觀念。有些人提到因為看到生產雞蛋的業者，在將小雞塞入非常小的鐵農籠子前，將牠們嘴巴燒掉的情形後，決定成為一位吃全素的素食者。也有許多人談到豬肉製造業者用來裝懷孕期母豬的籠子，在這根本無法轉身的小籠子當中，母豬被裝在裡面達五個月之久。許多人引用PETA”被擊倒的母牛”的報導內容，這是關於一隻受傷的母牛，被牛肉製作業者無情地拖著走並射殺的故事。許多人說被關在農場的動物會感覺痛，且像貓與狗一樣有感情，而且如果你還繼續吃肉的話，你不配稱為是一位”愛動物的人”。 有百分之四十的文章中討論到吃肉與心臟病，中風，結腸癌，乳房癌及前列腺癌之間關係。另有超過100個人提到，在他們選擇吃素之後，不但變得更有力量與活力，還減去了過重的體重。 其中不只80個人說對環境的關心是影響他們吃素的主要原因。一位來自北卡羅來納州的PETA會員親眼見到養豬工廠對他們所住社區的污染，從此不再吃肉。一位加州的會員談到他父親在一家製造牛奶工廠工作時，在一肥料沼澤中因為吸入有毒氣體而沿生出健康的問題。也有許多人引用雨林受破壞、水污染，以及製肉工業使用低效率能源等，作為他們斷絕吃肉的原因。 比賽最後由美國人道對待動物組織在1100多位參賽者當中，選出10位參賽者的作品，刊登在他們出版的新聞刊物上，10位作者並且可以享有一頓豐盛的素食大餐。蕃茄小屋在取得PETA同意之後，將分兩期在這裡介紹給大家，這10位獲得優勝獎的朋友，他們是因為什麼原因而吃素的。-----強力推薦
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| | | (1)堪薩斯州，David Potter
有許多原因讓我選擇吃素。在我很小的時候，我就是一位喜歡動物的人。我喜歡觀賞在我家後院遊玩的鳥兒，也喜歡到附近的公園，看鴨、鵝、松鼠及其他小動物們。對於動物的愛，在我童年成長過程中一直滋長著，然而，我還是一面吃著肉。 每當我看到電視上揭露屠宰場負面影像的錄影帶時，我總會覺得可怕，然而，長時間以來，我只是簡單的試著將這些可怕的影像與想法，從我腦海中移除，目的是為了方便繼續我”正常”(儘管是沒人性且不健康)的飲食。 接著，在我14歲時，整個變了。我逐漸了解肉類與其他動物產品應該為大多數人們的健康問題負責。除此之外，我眼中開始從過去所吃的漢堡、雞翅、與燻肉中，看得到懼怕與無依的牛、雞與豬。這些不是食物，而是有父母、有家庭、有感覺與權利的生情生命。 這些認知讓我見到餐桌上的肉時，將叉子放下。很快的，不同於大眾的認知，我發覺吃素既不困難，也不是一種對味覺的吹噓。我在我們這裡的健康食品店找到相關豐富的素食食品，包括口味很棒的仿肉食品。吃著”仿熱狗”，但卻不會對環境造成傷害或殺害其他活的動物，這種感覺真好。 幾年後，我將注意力轉到我所吃的蛋與牛奶製品上。我很高興選擇了吃素，且開始懷疑這些動物性副產品，對一個讓動物免於殘酷的生活型態是否是可以接受的。於是我決定做些研究，且很快的知道了人道對待動物組織(PETA)。 在本地一個展示會上，我拿了一份PETA的宣傳單，並驚嚇的發現這些動物副產品的製造環境。雞的嘴被烤焦，牛被榨取牛奶至死，這些都只是剛開始。在PETA的網站上，我發現更多的訊息，於是我決定吃純素，且不再回頭。 現在我21歲，不但比以前健康快樂，每天吃純素與運動，讓我具有最佳的運動員身材。我的血壓與脂肪指數均低，且比以前更有活力，每天晚上睡覺時我知道我過著在一個不再傷害地球上其他同袍的生活。畢竟我們是相繫在一起。我希望在像PETA這一類人們的幫助下，能讓我們這個星球成為它的子民(包括人類與非人類)一個更仁道、更慈悲的家。 David Potter, Kansas
I suppose there are several reasons [why] I became vegetarian. Even as a small child, I was an animal lover. I had always loved watching the birds in my backyard and enjoyed going to nearby parks to see the ducks, geese, squirrels, and my other small friends. My love for animals continued to grow throughout my childhood; however, I continued eating meat. I was always horrified when I saw undercover videos from slaughterhouses (frequently [videotaped] by our friends in PETA) in investigative reports on TV, yet for a long time I simply tried to put horrific images and thoughts such as these out of my head merely for the convenience of maintaining my “normal” (albeit inhumane and unhealthy) diet. Then, at 14, it became too much. I came to realize that meat and other animal products were to blame for the vast majority of humanity’s health concerns. On top of this, I began to see frightened, innocent cows, chickens, and pigs where I once had seen hamburgers, wings, and bacon. I realized these items were not food—they were sentient beings with parents, families, emotions, and rights. These realizations led me to put down the fork when meat was on the table. I quickly learned that, contrary to popular belief, conversion to a vegetarian diet was neither difficult nor a blow to the taste buds. I went to my local health food store and found a bountiful selection of delicious vegetarian foods, including wonderful imitation products for the meat dishes I had abandoned. It felt great to enjoy a “hot dog” without harming the environment or ingesting another living creature. A few years later, I turned my focus to another element of my diet: eggs and dairy [products]. I was very happy with my decision to go vegetarian and began to wonder if these animal byproducts were really an acceptable component to a cruelty-free lifestyle. I decided to do some research and soon learned about PETA. At a local show, I picked up a pamphlet from PETA and was horrified to learn of the conditions to which these “byproduct” animals were exposed. Chickens with their beaks seared off and cows milked to death were just the beginning. After learning more at www.peta.org, I made the decision to go vegan—and never looked back. Now, at the age of 21, I am as healthy and happy as ever. My vegan diet, along with daily exercise, has put me in the best athletic shape of my life. My blood pressure and cholesterol are low, I have more energy than ever before, and I can go to bed each night knowing that I live my life without harming my compatriots here on Earth. After all, we’re ALL in this life together. I hope with the help of people like those at PETA, we can all make our planet a more humane, compassionate home for all its residents, both human and nonhuman. |
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| | | (2)德州，Laurette Timms
多年來我在吃素的路上，進進出出，只因為我不很喜歡吃肉。後來在芝加哥市樹屋避難所(Tree House shelter)當獸醫助手照顧病貓時，我遠離了吃牛肉、豬肉、雞肉與火雞肉。我只是開始想如果貓有感覺的話，那麼，牛、豬、雞與火雞也應當有感覺，因此就不想再吃牠們了。接著，我看到一條魚在水霸上跳動，於是我想牠們也不會很舒服才是。2003年4月在德州大學聽Garyv Yourofsky(PETA)的一次演講後，我從一般素改成純素，我先生則從一位肉食者成為一位吃純素的素食者。從播放的影片上，我們真實的看到農場動物為了成為一片鮮美的肉味所遭受到的痛苦。當我們知道牛肉製品業的暴行之後，我們說，夠了，夠了，把起司拋掉，改買豆漿吧。 我們覺得我們可以與其他上百萬的素食者發表一大篇聲明，不讓一個靠動物受苦來換取利益的工業獲得任何一毛錢。市面有可口的仿肉、豆漿、蛋替代品，與便宜的合成鞋。也有不含牛奶成份的冰淇淋，所以我們有足夠的東西了。在Wal-Mart或Kroger等超市，我們可以買到許多東西。此外，我們也可以開車到Whole Foods或Central Market買東西。 素食產品比以往更普遍了，整個大肉類與奶製品工業也在關注當中。Dean Foods買下了Silk soy milk公司。ConAgra，Kraft，與Kellogg也買下了仿肉製造公司。甚至Burger King也賣起素漢堡。麥當勞正在加州測試素漢堡的銷售市場。Denny有素漢堡，Pizza Hut也在印地安納州的Ft. Wayne測試黃豆起司披薩。 錢會說話。而我們準備為動物代言。 Laurette Timms, Texas
I was a vegetarian on and off for years, because I just didn’t like meat that much. I went off beef, pork, chicken, and turkey permanently, while working with sick cats as a vet assistant at Tree House shelter in Chicago. I just started thinking that if cats had feelings, so [did] cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys, etc., and I just didn’t want to eat them anymore.Then, I saw a fish flopping around on Survivor and thought it just can’t be too comfortable for him either. I went from vegetarian to vegan, and my husband went from meat-eater to vegan, when we attended a lecture by Gary Yourofsky (PETA) at the University of Texas in March 2003. We actually saw, on film, the way farm animals suffer, just for a tasty piece of meat. When we heard about the atrocities of the dairy industry, we said enough is enough, threw out the cheese, and bought soy milk. We feel we can make a big statement, along with millions of other vegetarians, by not giving one dime to an industry that profits from animal suffering. There’s tasty fake meat, soy milk, egg replacer, and Payless synthetic shoes. There is also nondairy ice cream out there, so we’re all set. We can get a lot of stuff at Wal-Mart or Kroger. Otherwise, it’s a trip to Whole Foods or Central Market. Vegetarian products are more commonplace than ever, and the big meat and dairy corporations are actually taking notice. Dean Foods has bought Silk soy milk. ConAgra, Kraft, and Kellogg’s have bought fake meat companies. Even Burger King has a veggie burger. McDonald’s is test marketing a veggie burger in California, Denny’s has a veggie burger, and Pizza Hut is test marketing soy cheese pizza in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Money talks. And we plan on letting ours talk for animals.
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| | | (3)路易斯安那州，Jacklyn Tejada
在一次閱讀線上新聞時，我選讀了一篇關於影星帕米拉•安德森(Pamela Anderson)反肯德基炸雞的報導。文章中連結到http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/一個介紹肯德基殘酷對待雞隻的網站，這對我起了作用。從一個網站接著一個網站。在這網站上停留大約三秒之後，我就下了決定。我感到罪過的是，在我可怕又沉重的內心底，我知道我是造成這些雞隻被屠宰的原兇之一。除此之外，我對於因為不知道這些訊息，而沒去看待這件事，感到生氣。我想一般人很難理解，電視廣告上鼓勵人們喝牛奶及吃果凍的背後意義究竟是怎麼一回事。 現在我對於我自己覺得很滿意。現在的我，不但身體更健康，而且不再是造成那些動物被宰殺的禍首。對於我過去所吃的肉，你最好相信肉類與牛奶加工業已受到重創。 謝謝人道對待動物組織(PETA)，以及每一位參與這個驚人且令人開眼界的組織。 Jacklyn Tejada, Louisiana
I was reading the news online, and I clicked on the story about Pamela Anderson being against KFC. In the story was a link to KFCCruelty.com, and that did it for me!! One site led to the next and the next. It took maybe three seconds on KFCCruelty.com for me to make my decision!! The guilt that I felt, that awful heavy feeling inside of me knowing that I contributed to the slaughtering of these poor animals. ... On top of it all, I was angry at myself for not looking into this, for not knowing this information. I think it’s hard to realize what goes on when TV ads are urging people to drink milk and to eat JELL-O. I now feel so good about myself. I am in better health, and I’m happy knowing that I don’t contribute to the murdering of animals. With all the animal products I was consuming before, you’d better believe that the meat and dairy industry has taken a big hit!! Thank you, PETA, and everyone involved in this amazing, eye-opening organization!! |
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| | | (4)田納西州，Rebekah Bowen
在自小對吃肉一直有罪惡感以來，我看到一件讓我永遠停止吃肉的事情。 2003年5月一個多雲的下午，在我沿著I-24開往田納西州的Antioch路上，我發現我開在一輛龐大的卡車之後，當時車兩旁有一堆白色的東西飛飄出來，一、二秒間，看似下雪，但當我加速開到卡車旁時，我知道是怎麼回事了。 那些白白的東西不是雪，而是從上千隻活生生困在一個疊著一個的條板箱內的雞隻身上，所掉出來的羽毛。可悲的是，這些可憐的小動物即將被宰殺。牠們用可憐的眼睛看著我，彷彿試著對我說，”我們究竟做了什麼事要遭受如此得對待，你為什麼讓這樣的待遇加諸我們身上呢？” 慚愧的回到家後，我感覺自己像是個世上最可憎的人，我進入房子，然後坐在沙發上沉思，….，我是怎樣的一個人呢，我想成為一個什麼樣的人呢？我自言自語的說，我怎能支持這種殘酷對待其他生命的行為呢？我決定是我結束我罪惡行為，並且從新開始的時候。我接著上網看能否找到與素食主張相關的資訊，我發現PETA「你吃的是什麼樣的肉(Meet Your Meat)」的錄影帶。看完影片後，我哭了一整天。 從此之後，我再也不吃肉了。 Rebekah Bowen, Tennessee
After always feeling guilty about eating meat throughout my life, ever since I was a small child, I saw something that made me want to stop eating animal flesh for good. One cloudy afternoon in May 2003, I was driving down I-24 going toward Antioch, Tennessee, when I noticed that I was driving behind a giant truck with a bunch of white things flying out of the sides. For a second or two it almost looked like it was snowing, but then, when I drove up by the left side of the big truck, I figured out what was going on. The white things were feathers, and they were coming off of the few hundred, live, uncomfortable-looking chickens that were stuffed in crates on top of one another. Sadly, those poor little animals were about to be slaughtered. They all looked at me with their pitiful eyes as if they were trying to say, “What did we do to deserve this, and why are you letting this happen to us?” After driving home shamefully and feeling like the most horrible person who ever lived, I went into the house, sat down on my couch, and contemplated … what kind of person I was and what kind of person I wanted to be. I thought to myself, “How could I support this kind of cruelty toward another living creature?” I decided that it was time to end my evil ways and start over. I then got on my computer to see if I could find any useful information on vegetarianism, and I came across PETA’s “Meet Your Meat” video. After seeing that footage, I cried for the rest of the day. I haven’t eaten another animal since then and never will again. |
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| | | (5)賓西法尼亞州，Jill Linta
我已有多年沒吃紅肉了，但卻一直無法成為真正的素食者。1997年的勞工節那天，我參加位於賓州Hegins市反對射殺鴿子的活動。那是我一生當中最糟糕的一天。射殺活動中的”觀眾”是由當地居民所組成，每當一隻鴿子被射中但沒有死時，人們就會快樂的歡呼。這表示會有一位10至12歲的小孩必須跑到現場去折斷那隻鴿子的脖子。我們的工作是跑在那些小孩子前去抓起受傷的鴿子，然後將牠帶到獸醫的旅行車上治療。這些”觀眾”當中有許多人也許是喝醉了，竟威脅要傷害我與我妹妹。其中有許多人還擁有來福槍。開車回家後，我決定如果我願意冒生命的危險來救那些鴿子，但如果還繼續吃其他鳥類的肉的話，這是不合乎道理的。從此之後我成為一位真正的素食者。 Jill Linta, Pennsylvania
I hadn’t eaten red meat for years but had still not gone completely vegetarian. On Labor Day 1997, I took part in a protest against pigeon shoots in Hegins, Pennsylvania. It was one of the worst days of my life. The “audience” was made up of [locals], who cheered in delight when a bird was shot but not killed. That meant that one of the children, about 10 to 12 years old, had to run out to the field and snap its neck. Our job as protesters was to run onto the field and grab the injured birds before the little boys did and take them to a veterinary trailer to be healed. Several men, probably intoxicated, threatened to hurt me and my sister. Many had rifles. Driving home that day, I decided that if I was willing to risk my life to save pigeons, it didn’t make sense to eat any other birds. I have been a vegetarian ever since. |
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