I say, "Fuck labels." They promote Idealism as identity, thus the perpetual
schism between the half-assed fish/
chicken-eatin' and the
IMHO neurotic/
indignant militant vegetarians ("um...this
Worchestershire sauce contains
anchovies. I can't
believe you put it in the
tofu marinade!")
I was one of the insufferable latter for about two years in my early college career. It sucked: not only was I not stepping on any of the cracks, they kept making more cracks...I found myself nodding in sheep-like agreement with algae-eaters who railed about conspiracy behind the lack of good non-gelatin capsules. Clearly soft-headed and untenable.
So I’m more of a scavenger now: I eat vegetarian, mostly, but will eat meat for the odd celebratory meal or if it is not going to be eaten (e.g. - leftovers, catered food) and not think twice or guiltily about it. Letting the animals’ flesh go to waste is more of a crime than ordering it, in my illusionspace.
Casting off entire thought systems is tough; a couple of things I would be aware of while sitting in the steakhouse:
Eco-babble: Growing grain takes a lot of water. Fresh water is a scarce resource. (China imports grain to make up for its lack of irrigation water.) Feeding grain and water to an animal decreases the food:gallon-of-water ratio even more. It’s the moral equivalent of driving an SUV: not so bad, but if everyone did it, things would start to suck. BTW, fish is really no better now that it is mostly farm-raised: the farms pump 1000s of gallons out of the ground every day.
Health: It makes sense to eat very little meat, just like it makes sense not to smoke. Bypass surgery seems to be a rite of passage here in America.