Hypotheticals

Ah, hypothetical questions. Those little things designed to ferret out one’s true beliefs about a subject. The most popular the last eight hundred years running seems to be the “dessert island scenario” or one of its variations. You may have been asked by someone a question like, “If you were trapped on a desert island and could have only one novel with you what would it be?” (The Lord of the Rings, duh. And in case any of you are coming up with a snappy retort, no, The Lord of the Rings is one novel published in three parts due to post-war paper shortages. It is NOT a trilogy. Can we finally put this issue to rest?)

Not all hypothetical questions are so harmless, however. Sometimes those who desire to challenge your beliefs/convictions/actions/decisions/etc. will develop convoluted scenarios in the hopes of tripping you up. The conversation might go something like this:

OTHER PERSON: I brought some barbecued pig flesh with me for lunch. Would you like some?

YOU: No thank you.

OP: Don’t you like barbecued pig flesh?

YOU: No. I’m a vegetarian.

OP: So you don’t eat any meat?

YOU: That’s right.

OP: None at all?

YOU: Correct.

OP: What about fish?

YOU: I don’t eat any animals.

OP: What if you were starving to death on a desert island? Would you eat meat then?

Uh oh. Now what? I have honestly only been asked this question once. I smiled and used my rehearsed answer: “If that ever happens I’ll let you know what I decide.”

The other hypotheticals I have faced have come a little closer to the realm of actual possibility. Would I eat meat if it was raised and slaughtered by someone I know personally and who raises and slaughters in a cruelty-free manner? Hmmm. That’s a tough one. I might think about it. My primary objections to eating meat are health and cruelty. If the cruelty issue is taken out of the equation I’m only left with health and I certainly eat unhealthy items from time to time (*cough* cookies *cough*). To be honest, though, the thought of having a mouthful of dead animal makes me want to gag.

Would I choose to eat an animal to prevent death? Probably. (See Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, a novel that would give The Lord of the Rings some competition in the aforementioned desert island reading scenario.) The great thing about being a vegetarian in 21st century America, however, is that I don’t have to make these choices. I choose not to eat meat, and I have an incredible variety of other foods from which to choose to supply the protein I need daily.

Question for you: If you are a vegetarian, under what circumstances, if any, would you eat meat? What about those of you were vegetarians, but now are eating meat again? What caused the switch?