I can remember it almost as if it were yesterday; the rainbow sparks trickling from the sky, the echo of the fierce boat engines, and the aroma of my dad’s barbeque filtering through the air. It was the 4th of July right after 6th grade and we were having a big get-together at our summer home on Lake Conroe. All of our family and neighbors were there to join us. My aunt was setting up games for the kids, my mom was decorating the porch with red, white, and blue streamers, and my dad and grandpa were hovered over the grill cooking up something delicious. It was no more than your average party on a holiday weekend. Well, at least that’s what I thought.

I hadn’t heard anyone mention what my dad and my grandpa actually planned on cooking for this occasion. I just assumed it was the usual ribs and chicken wings, but boy was I wrong. We were having pork. Except this wasn’t your usual pork. This was an actual store bought, frozen, face-and-all, with-an-apple-shoved-in-its-mouth, baby pig. It was perhaps the most horrid site I had ever seen. Every time I looked at it’s face I could feel a wave a sorrow overtake me. It was so cruel, so selfish. The poor pathetic thing just lying there helplessly while everyone, completely oblivious of the situation, by passed with no emotion what so ever. I could not let something like this stare me right in the face and just ignore it. If anyone were going to take a stand and say something it would be me.
“Dad! What are you doing?”
“Amanda, please don’t start. I’m cooking dinner for all these people here, okay? If you don’t wanna eat it then don’t, but this is what we’re having.”

I couldn’t say anything further. I was too devastated by the thought that a baby pig was killed and was now being roasted on a grill just for people’s own satisfaction. It just seemed so wrong. Does anyone understand that animals have feelings too? Put yourself in there shoes. How would you like to be born just so you can be used as food? I wanted to make a statement. I wanted to make people realize that you can live without taking the life of an animal. So with that, I made a decision that would affect me for the rest of my life. I decided to stop eating any animal of any kind right then. Which means I would now posses the title of a vegetarian. And I can truthfully say I have been one ever since. I’m proud of my decision cause I successfully proved that you can survive without eating meat. If only more people looked at this situation from an animal’s point of view I think they would understand that their’ lives can be just as important as ours and I respect that.