Becky Burke

On the first day of class I enjoyed being able to hear everyone's history with food.  We have a diverse group of people concerning the eating habbits we have.  I think that is really going to infulence the class to have more depth becuase we don't all have the same opinions on eating habbits, which is great.  Food is a very personal choice, and there are many opinions surrounding food that I look forward to discussing.  I really liked the reading that talked about vegan diplomacy.  Celerating small steps that people make is an important part of that.  Being a vegan diplomat means that you are comfortable with what you believe, but you will still hear other people's positions without compromising your beliefs.  Respecting other people's opinions while staying true to yours is going to be an important part of food becuase of all the emotional attachments that go along with the food decisions you make.  The reading on arguments is going to be useful because you need to have a sound argument in order for your opinion to be heard.  I liked that it gave you specific examples and details on how to see through the loopholes in every arguement. 

The appreciated the first reading for thursday becuase it gave a history of veganism.  It put the subject into a context that i haven't seen it before.  Some people have called veganism a "fad diet," but learning that people were consciously eating plant based diets as early at the 17th century put that opinion to rest.  The class discussion was great during class becuase there are so many different opinions on what is okay and what is not.  You have to draw your own lines and make your own decisions.  Questions like, "is killing another animal for food moral?'' were discussed, and it's important to come to your own conclusions instead of ignoring the question all together.  That is one of the aspects of the class that I am most excited for is discovering and solidifying all my opinions on the food I eat. 

The food is such an amazing part of the class.  I feel so fulfilled after the meals we have had so far.  After class is over I always have a lot of energy and I don't feel sluggish at all, and the food is sooo good!  This is part of the class I really look forward to.  On thursday we ate rice and bean burritos with veggies, which tasted incredible.  The best part was that it fits into the college students budget.  It makes the decision to be vegan more applicable to my life.  Since I have never tried to be vegan or vegetarian before, I have decided to have a plant based diet through may term.  I want to really experience it in order to understand how it makes me feel.  We'll see if I can keep it up!