The Latin word vegetarian came into our language as vegetarian. It is an adjective that refers to what is linked to vegetarianism or who is an adherent to this food doctrine.
Vegetarianism consists of not eating meat of any kind (beef, pork, chicken, fish, etc.): therefore, it limits the diet to foods of plant origin. Vegetarians also tend to protect animals in other contexts (eg, rejecting the use of hides and skins to make clothing). Historians claim that vegetarianism existed several centuries before Christ. Many people, at that time, were vegetarian, as they adhered to the postulates of philosophers and religious who condemned all types of violence, including those that cause the death of animals to transform them into objects of consumption.
After a time in which it fell out of favor, vegetarianism made a comeback in the 19th century. Currently, there are several branches of vegetarianism depending on how strict the diet is. In general, those who do not eat meat, but do eat animal products such as eggs, milk, and honey, are called vegetarians or ovolactovegetarians. Others are vegetarians but reject the consumption of eggs (they are called lacto-vegetarians), while some consume eggs but not dairy (egg vegetarians). Vegans, however, do not eat anything that comes from animals, be it meat, milk, eggs or other products. Many subjects become vegetarian for ethical reasons, considering it wrong to kill animals for consumption. Other reasons refer to health, religious or environmental reasons. The life of the vegetarian who chose not to collaborate with any type of animal exploitation is a constant contradiction between the deep pleasure of not harming anyone to feed himself and the difficulty of finding food products at prices as affordable as those of animal origin. Given the various interests of livestock, among others, strict vegetarians must strive to organize their food in such a way that it is not necessary to charge four salaries to serve it. Walking into any large supermarket chain, it’s normal to be overwhelmed by shelves full of animal products, something that is perfectly acceptable to most people, but presents a sad picture to a vegetarian: trays of leftovers. Dead animals, cut into pieces like cakes, dozens of varieties of cow’s milk, endless cheeses and types of cold cuts, not forgetting cookies and bakery products that include eggs and milk.
In other words, most of the products in a normal supermarket contain ingredients of animal origin, so vegetarians have two options: the less affluent, which is to buy the basic ingredients to prepare almost all their dishes at home; go to specialized stores and spend fortunes to buy small portions of industrial foods. It is important to note that vegetarianism is far from being a diet based on cold salads: from potato tortillas to pizzas, empanadas and cakes, it is possible to prepare a large number of hot dishes without using any animal products. Many people do not know this, since it is not in the meat industry’s interest to make them aware of the delicacies they could enjoy if they refused to continue supporting the mistreatment and violence of innocent beings. One of the most absurd questions that a vegetarian must endure, in addition to the aforementioned silent war that opposes him to the farmers, is that he is accused of being intolerant for wanting others to imitate his behavior: can someone who opposes the violence? or injustice?
