flirting with veganism

Yes it's true, I've been considering going vegan for a several weeks now. My small group at church has been going through a book called Living the Good Life on God's Good Earth. It's mostly about how to integrate our faith in areas of life like homes, neighborhoods, clothing, energy, work, etc. When we got to the chapter entitled The Food We Eat several weeks ago, we spent a good three or four weeks going through all sorts of food related issues. After doing a bit of my own research and reading about the problems with all sorts of animal products, I'm feeling more and more like this is something I should do. And yet, I can't seem to comprehend going all the way with this. I've been trying to eat less meat for a number of years now, and I'm currently pretty okay without it, but subtracting eggs and dairy especially would be difficult. I can easily see myself going vegan for a couple weeks at a time, but to never have a nice cheesy omelet again, or a greasy piece of cheese pizza is unimaginable.

So far here are my objections to becoming a strict vegan:

1- I don't have a problem with eating meat, eggs, or cheese as long as I know the animals were treated humanely (though that hardly ever happens).

2- I don't want to become an inconvenience to others, especially when I am a guest and am served food.

3- It's dang hard! There would be many situations in which I'm sure I'd just go hungry because there wouldn't be any vegan options. (I'm now working at a bakery that has delicious pizza's, pastries, etc. and that makes it even harder).

On the other hand, here are some striking facts that influenced me in the first place:

1- A vegan who drives a Hummer leaves a smaller carbon footprint than a meat eating bicycle rider. (some debate this point, but even if it's not quite true I'm sure its close).

2- Dairy cows are artificially inseminated, milked round the clock, and nearly all male offspring end up in veal crates. This is true even of organic dairy, and smaller scale dairy farms.

3- Industry standard in the meat and egg industry is appalling. I'd never want to go anywhere near one of these places, so how can I in good conscience eat these products? For that matter, if I couldn't kill a chicken myself, should I eat one?

More to come on this mess that is my life and conscience.