For my project i chose an experiential study. I decided to become a vegetarian for 48 hours because it is a topic i felt was discussed in the unit a lot. At first my parents were against it, in middle eastern culture meat is very popular. My parents grew up eating lamb, beef, and chicken A LOT OF CHICKEN (when i visited egypt over the summer i had chicken almost everyday, so when i told them i was gonna be a vegetarian my mother didn't understand what it meant. After explaining it to them they weren't exactly supportive of it but understood.
The first meal i had as a vegetarian was at lunch (since i do not usually eat breakfast), i went to whole foods with Abdul. I looked around the market to find it very crowded which is when i thought to myself a lot of people must like eating healthy food. I continued walking through the store and started to see cupcakes and cookies, which threw me off a bit i assumed all the food in whole foods was just vegetables and fruits and all the stuff you think of when you imagine a healthier diet. I remember asking someone who works there why they have all these sweets and cookies and other types of unhealthy foods and he responded "we have a litttle something for everyone, eating sweets doesn't always have to be a bad thing, and eating vegetables isn't always a good thing". I was surprised, the thought never came to mind, could candy and sweets be healthy as well. I continued walking until i reached the precooked buffet area, i found a box and precided to look around. What caught my eye was the vegeterian dumplings and some salmon pasta salad. I then walked over and waited in line until i came to the counter (i noticed that the lines and registers were organized in an assembly line, which was interesting), where the man weighed my food and came out to only $6 which is much less than a subway sandwhich or some chinese food.
In class we always talk about how fast food is processed and how terribly they treat the animals and the workers and all the nasty chemicals they pump into them and i understood on an intellectual level but i don't think it affected me emotionally. After class i would still go out to lunch and get General Tsao chicken, or a burger with fries and i wouldn't think twice about what it was doing to my body. Although being a vegeterian for 48 hours probably isn't going to stop whats happening to the animals and to my fellow man (and woman), i think its the first step to helping fight whats going on.
After being a vegetarian for 48 hours i conducted my own little experiment for a day and decided to compare how i felt after being a vegetarian and after being a meatatarian. I wanted to know how it would effect my mood, my behaivior, and my energy level. I discovered that after being a vegeterian i was in a lighter mood, i was more focused and controlled. I was less cranky in the morning, and when i came into class after the first day i had much more energy (maybe a little too much). after being a meatatarian my mood completely changed i was cranky all the time, i didn't feel like talking to anyone and i definelty had less energy. I wouldn't be able to stay awake after a meal and i couldnt stay focused in class at all.
After the experiment i realized how important it is to eat a healthy diet, i felt better and i acted better. When eating an unhealthy diet life seemed less exciting. I think this experience has changed my view on the world. My initial thoughts on being a vegeterian is that it would be very strict and boring but i soon discovered that it can be exciting, i learned that like everything else if you keep and open mind anything can happen (corny but true). Next time i will hopefully get more time to explore different homemade vegeterian options. This experience was wonderful, and after being a vegeterian for 48 hours i didn't want to give it up, This has become more than just an assignment it has become a life changer, i have decided to become a full vegetarian. I love the feeling of having more energy and being in a better mood all the time. Instead of living until 60 maybe ill live until 80 or 100. After explaining all of this to my parents they decided it was a good idea and support what im trying to do.
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