I would like to thank and congratulate Chris Bickel for going vegetarian after giving it a try for a month. Chris's experiment should be a lesson to us all for a number of reasons.

First, he showed that it's easy to criticize and look down on a particular lifestyle until you have experienced it yourself. Chris concluded that he would think twice before criticizing any lifestyle choice that he knows nothing about personally.

Second, he discovered that many of the things normally attributed to vegetarians are simply misconceptions. Giving up meat doesn't mean you're forced to eat nothing but salad (personally, I don't even like salad). And with all of the meat-substitutes out there, it's easier than ever to satisfy any initial cravings for meat.

Finally, Chris proved that you don't have to be concerned about the environment or the way animals are treated on factory farms to have sufficient reason for going vegetarian. He made a point of making it clear that he was not doing this for ethical reasons; he was doing it strictly for the dietary benefits. After losing 12 pounds in about a month and feeling like he's healthier overall, it's easy to see why he wouldn't want to go back to a diet largely comprising animal flesh.

I would like to join Chris in issuing a challenge to the general population to give vegetarianism a try, even if for only a week or two. If you like it, then all the better for the environment, the animals and your health. If not, then hopefully you will at least gain some insight into the vegetarian lifestyle as Chris has.

Rusty Zufall

senior-computer science

Vegetarian Club president