Hybrid Essay

Fernandez, Adelaida

Professor Sean Pessin

English 114B

30 April 2013

Hybrid Essay

Everything has become a trend now days such as being a “vegetarian”. Now I quote the word vegetarian because it is one of those things that people know of but really have no clue as to what it is. For instance, a vegetarian does not eat meat of any kind nor food that contains meat of any kind but can in fact eat egg and other dairy products, vegetarians also do not use items made of or tested on animals. I chose to blog about vegetarianism because I can relate to it and because vegetarianism is my life. Vegetarianism is a lifestyle and I strongly believe that people do not understand what it truly means to be a vegetarian. My purpose throughout this whole blog was to simply inform and not to persuade and maybe inspire those who have wanted to always try it out. I do not mind those who eat meat, if you are healthy then good for you, but I do mind those who are ignorant towards vegetarianism and make ignorant remarks about vegetarianism as if they had some degree in nutrition or some degree in life, and this goes towards vegetarians and non-vegetarians. There are in fact many vegetarians that are not even aware of what a true vegetarian does or is; a majority of the time everyone just assumes that vegetarianism is just a diet.

For one, vegetarianism is being acknowledgeable towards an animals’ life. If you took the time to think about it, would it not be pretty hypocritical for someone to be against the killing of an animal for food yet be ok with the killing of an animal for household products? Yes, of course it would be. It would be seen as hypocritical because this person is saying they care for an animals’ life when they really do not, they are only showing care for what their corpse is being used for. In reality a vegetarian should not eat starburst, yes the candy starburst because it is in fact made of pig fat which is the exact same thing as eating bacon, but this is not what I am referring to. I am referring to vegetarians not wearing leather, leather is made of both cow and alligator skin. Vegetarians should not be using certain bar soaps or other household item because most are made with animal fat, see most vegetarians do not know that. There are in fact many brands that are vegan and it goes so far as applying it towards toothpaste, bar soap, mouthwash, deodorant, etc. because all of these items are in fact made with animals and/or animal tested which is applied in the acknowledgment of an animals’ life. Vegetarians are and should be against the testing of animals because a majority of the time these animals are harmed and often killed for our benefits when there are in fact other resources for us to get what we need. Vegetarians are against the testing of animals not only because it is harmful to them but because they are just being used, no dog is going to use Colgate Total Whitening, dogs have their own dog toothpaste that has nothing to do with Colgate what so ever. A very important characteristic that vegetarians have is that they find different resources to create what is needed and essential for living and using those resources to be able to spare an animals’ life.

A strong subtopic I discussed in this blog was stereotypes! There are obviously stereotypes for everything in life, but of course I am referring to vegetarianism stereotypes. The biggest stereotype any vegetarian can ever receive is that we as vegetarians are only trying to lose weight. I for one see this stereotype as inane. What if I were to say, “People go to fast food places to get fat”, no, people go there for many different reasons but to get fat is most definitely not one of those reasons, it is just a side effect of eating fast food. Same concept applies to vegetarianism, being thin becomes a side effect because we do not consume fat from animals, we only consume what the body needs thus we do not gain that extra weight, so in reality we are not necessarily “losing weight” we just do not gain the unnecessary weight yet of course no one ever sees that. Another stereotype would be when someone says vegetarians don’t get enough or any protein what so ever. It is as if everyone refuses to acknowledge the existence of eggs, tofu, beans, and peanuts. There are in fact two contradicting stereotypes the first being that all vegetarians are super healthy and the second is that vegetarianism is not healthy at all. I have been a vegetarian for thirteen years and I can guarantee you that I am not always “healthy”, by that I mean, I eat candy, chips and drink soda just like any regular human being people assume we are rabbits and just eat carrots, that is not true at all! Now about vegetarianism not being healthy is and is not true. It is not true because it is in fact the healthiest meal plan anyone can ever have if done right. For instance, did you know that a vegetarian is more likely to live seven years longer than non-vegetarians? Now, It is true because at often times when someone first becomes a vegetarian, they really do not know how to portion their meals or do not get all the nutrients that the body needs and can often times result in that person getting sick in which case, yes vegetarianism is not healthy.

I inserted this poem because it is someone talking graciously about a vegetarian, and it ties in with what I am trying to say. It does not try to guilt others or persuade others that vegetarianism is something that everyone should get into but it simply says that it is a good thing.

The Vegetarian by Anonymous

Her breath smells of lemon grass, rose hips,

and ferns.  She eats lilies.  She is almost a saint.

Here the absence of desire

sits on a hard chair, reads without turning pages.

Abstinence is never speculative.  For her

the salmon never swim upstream, or game birds

worry the underbrush.  She never says:

I can imagine or

This is what I want or

I hated him.

Not to need is power.

Her appetites are folded in the corner.

They are teeming and urgent

as the dreams of the Masai.

They are smooth, old scars.

They are forgotten.

Blessed are the empty.   Herbaceous darling,

you shall be the apple of God’s eye.

The eyes of God are twin, untroubled pools,

the efflorescence of stones.

            While writing this blog, I found amazing people that have done things to spread awareness such as Sir James Paul McCartney. I honestly do not like The Beatles but I have mad respect for that man and what he does with his wealth and fame such as the charities he helps and what he did with The Simpsons.

Vegetarianism to me, is my life. It honestly is. I may not preach about it and I may not try to convince others to become vegetarians but that does not change the fact that it is me. I am living proof that stereotypes are just stereotypes, I am living proof that it is in fact a lifestyle and has nothing to do with a “diet”, and most importantly I am living proof of health.

Works Cited

"The Vegetarian." Poetry and Writing. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.

Fernandez, Adelaida. "Vegetarianism." Vegetarianism. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.