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| Produce from the nearest palengke |
It took much thought and a lot of years to have arrived at a decision to transition to a lacto-ovo diet. It's both a physical and spiritual health decision. I'm not getting any younger and also, meat is expensive on many levels -- the true economic and environmental costs are high; same with the suffering of other sentient beings who are in a lot of ways, not our inferiors.
I guess it also stems from my soul searching for the past decade or so when I moved from one extreme to the other -- fundamentalism to atheism. Yes, I entertained the thought of atheism, having exhorted the Abrahamic god so many times but not received any answer. I digress, but it's somehow connected to my epiphanies. I could've turned into full-time atheism weren't it for episodes in my life when I had mystical experiences. At another time, fundamentalists would be quick to brand these as demonic but I believe otherwise. There are other things in this world that religion would just dismiss as 'demonic,' 'Satanic,' or 'diabolical." Rubbish, I say now.
Home brews
In any case, I've always had strong bonds with other sentient beings, at times, even stronger than those with other humans. I just came to a point in my life when I want to face each of my fosters and know, I do not relish in their suffering to nourish my corporal body.
It's not an easy decision to make as veggie prices are high and most fare when dining outside consist of animal products, most popular of which are chicken and pork. With a limited budget, it's easy to go into the default of pork products. But I analyzed my food patterns and figured that I can subsist on veggies when these are available but most days, I can go into a new default -- bread, cookies, noodles, dairy, and eggs. I've also made it a point to visit the nearby public market instead of relying on supermarkets so I can save, like getting eggs for P7-8 instead of the usual 10-12.
Making a change at my age is taking back even just a little of the control that corporations wrested from us like the franken-food that seems to be all over us even in far-flung provinces. I still have my treats, of course, like ice cream and chips, but on rare occasions. Adding Kombucha brewing to my life is also a step to ward a healthier direction. You'd think changing your diet is not really a game changer but food, like religion, goes deeper than we're probably acknowledging them in our lives. They're foundational, hence, one of the hardest to change. But if you're willing to make a change at any stage of your life, maybe, you'll get rewarded.
