I'm not a vegan. It's not because I don't think that it's the most "ethical" way to live. I happen to believe that it is. It's just, as our beloved president would say, really hard. It really requires that you prepare your own food at home (something I rarely do) or only dine at vegan restaurants (like my favorites Zen Palate and Candle Cafe in Manhattan).

Instead I choose to be an ovo-lacto vegetarian. Many people ask if I eat fish. I don't. Well, I do in a dire pinch. It's not often, though, and I always feel incredibly guilty afterwards. I've learned to appreciate veggie sushi even though real sushi is one of the few things that I crave.

Many people also ask why I decided to become vegetarian. My pat response is "one too many PETA videos." It's an answer that isn't far from the truth and also the inspiration for this post.

I watched a new PETA video today, Chew on This. Don't click that link. I'm serious. I love and respect my carnivore friends. This is a choice I made and not one I try to force on others. That video, frankly, is awful and I'm not ashamed to admit that it made me cry. These things usually do. I don't really need a reminder of why I made this decision, but sometimes it's not a bad idea.

What I would suggest you do, if you're so inclined, is consult the Caring Consumer website from time-to-time. You're going to buy products, that's the American way. But wouldn't it be nice to buy products from companies that don't harm animals? I mean, it's really not that much work to find out the facts and change your buying habits just a little, right?