"BASS-ted Chicken"

BASS-ted Chicken

© 2013 Brian Hutzell

I’m not a vegetarian, and those times when I’ve thought about becoming one, the inner debate has been more over health issues than either animal ethics or environmental concerns. However, I’ve had my mind changed about what to eat for dinner more than once by passing a truck full of livestock on the highway. After seeing a semi-trailer packed with doomed pigs or chickens, I can’t bring myself to eat meat. As for health, I know I feel better when my diet contains less meat. On a trip to Portland, Oregon, I had a breakfast at Denny’s which featured a large portion of chicken-fried steak smothered in gravy. It was delicious, but afterwards I felt like The Blob. For my next meal, I discovered Blossoming Lotus, an organic vegan restaurant. After eating there, my body breathed a huge sigh of relief, and for the rest of that trip, I ate all of my meals there. Asked to choose either a plate of bacon and eggs, or a bowl of yogurt with granola, I know I’ll gravitate toward the former. Hopefully, though, I’ll take the long view and go with the latter.