Say a little thanks.

[Calliope]

I would care because an animal was alive, and suddenly, for the sake of my convenience and simply enjoying the taste of its flesh, it wasn't anymore.

I try to take the time to consider where all of my food comes from. I do not eat meat, but that doesn't mean the ingredients for my meals were created in a magical space vacuum, either. People go to work every day, tilling fields, harvesting crops, working in canneries, driving to and from warehouses; enduring pollution, erosion of habitat and biodiversity. When I eat, I benefit from the cumulative farming practices of generations, countless scientific discoveries, attempted recipes, days of people working in all sorts of conditions, for all sorts of pay and recognition. I am lucky.

And beyond all of that, there is the simple reason to be thankful because not everyone gets to eat anything, let alone be in a position of privilege where they get to be choosy and attempt to make ethical, healthy, expressive or economical choices about the food they put into their body.

Personally, I was really excited when this forum was unveiled, but now I'm just as tired of it as all the negativity in eoeo. It was nice to find common ground about the kinds of foods that people enjoy and to explore what different people eat in different locations and stages of life, but it really has eroded into a buffet of judgement and arguing. I'm tired of going on the internet and encountering fatshaming, foodshaming and the constant need for people to argue that their way of eating and cooking is superior to everyone else's.

You eat meat? That's nice. You forgo gluten and dairy? Good for you. You eat macaroni and cheese out of a box and down two litres of Fanta everyday? Enjoy the time and money you saved on cooking. I can disagree fiercely, but as long as you're not judging my food choices while I'm trying to eat, or forcing me to eat a steak, then that's fine.

Everyone has different tastes, ethics, habits, income brackets, priorities and beliefs. Nobody has to justify what or how they choose to eat to anyone.