I celebrated my birthday with my host family in San Juan de la Concha (where I lived & went to Spanish school). Marina (my host mom) had invited us for the weekend because she said she was having a little family reunion and would like us there. So when we arrived at their house and Marina asked me to do an errand, getting some ingredients at the pulperia (street store), I thought nothing of it and headed off with Angelo to get some cabbage, rice, etc. Angelo practiced his English with me and I explained the meaning of the phrase “just for laughs.” We walked back in the brisa (light rain) and returned to the find the living room closed off and the lights off. All of a sudden the curtain was pulled back, lights turned on to illuminate balloons, decorations, a Feliz Cumpleaños sign and the whole family shouting “sorpresa!” I didn’t stop smiling for the rest of the evening, all the way through the big cake.
from left to right: Becky, Marina, Santiago, Fernando, Varania, Yarel, Angelo
The dinner was all the more distinctive because I ate chicken for the first time in a full 10 years! At the end of my freshman year in high school, I helped a classmate research information for a debate on vegetarianism and I found that a vegetarian diet aligned with my values in so many ways that I made a huge decision. I became a vegetarian (and soon after a vegan) in one day, cold tofurkey. Over the years my reasons for excluding meat and minimizing the amount of dairy I eat have been reinforced through the scientific studies concluding that eating meats and dairy have worse and greater effects on the Earth and climate than anything else humanely driven. I have been a vegetarian chiefly for those environmental impact reasons and further motivated by health, workers rights, animal rights, corporation disapproval and frugality. I have absolutely loved being a vegetarian and vegan. In fact, I almost never craved meat until about 5 months ago. Without quinoa, tofu, tempeh, and many vegetables I used to eat regularly, I believe I’ve been looking for more diversity in nutrients. So for now I’ll be eating fish and chicken and won’t be a vegetarian for a little while, though I continue to feel empowered by the difference I can make through the decisions of what’s on my plate.
- Becky
- Becky
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