Eat the way you recycle

I’m not here to try convincing you to give up meat.

I admire and applaud people who are “perfect” vegetarians — people whose conviction is so strong they don’t even consider animals food.

I call myself a vegetarian, but technically I’m “pescatarian” because I eat seafood. I’ll be the first to admit the logic behind my eating choices is inconsistent: My reasons for not eating meat should apply to fish, too.

But I’m human. And since when are humans perfectly rational or logical?

Food is so much more than calories consumed for energy or taste enjoyed for pleasure. Food is culture. It’s community. Food is the Brunswick stew my grandfather labors over for hours as a gift of love for my family. It’s the Bojangles chicken with friends at UNC football games; it’s the turkey your dad carves on Thanksgiving.

As a vegetarian, I can tell you giving up all that sucks.

So I eat fish. My grandfather doesn’t understand why I wouldn’t want to eat his Brunswick stew, but at least I’ll eat the catfish he catches and fries after a day on the lake.

Some people would call this hypocritical. I’ve been told I’m not a “real” vegetarian. But who has the right to criticize that? Perfection shouldn’t be the standard for food choices any more than it is for recycling.

Everyone knows they should recycle. You might know more about how important recycling is based on your education level, but in general we realize it’s all about “doing your part.”

So we try. When there’s a recycling bin next to the trash bin, it’s easy. Sometimes we even make the effort to look for recycling bins. Of course there are always those few shining examples of perfection, people who not only recycle everything but also drive tiny electric cars and unplug their phone chargers when not in use. But we don’t let them discourage us; they’re simply something to aspire to.

And if you accidentally throw away your Diet Pepsi can one time instead of recycling it, do you throw up your hands in despair and give up on this whole recycling thing? No one would call you a “bad environmentalist” just because your recycling efforts aren’t perfect. We each do the best we can.

Here in Spain I’ve found vegetarianism more challenging than it was for me in N.C. I know I’m missing out on an important part of Spanish culture by refusing jamon and the rest of Spain’s meat-based traditions. So why not make an exception, the way I do for my grandfather’s catfish?

Because I’m doing the best I can. I don’t eat jamon, but I’ve eaten lots of seafood paella. And maybe that’s hypocritical. But I see it as a thoughtfully balanced stance that works for me. I’ve lately been playing with the idea of giving up seafood — because my environmental, health and moral reasons for not eating meat really should apply to fish, too. But that decision doesn’t make me any better than someone who is considering giving up red meat for the first time or someone who tries to remember to recycle. Every meal counts the way every can counts.

Perfection is unrealistic. Set yourself a high standard, and do the best you can.