It was interesting to read about Abaries Farhad’s adventures with cruelty-free cuisine in your blog I’m a Vegetarian: Days 1 and 2 (SN 1/19), While it is admirable that she is trying something new, it was surprising that there was no mention of the many mock meat dishes that have become standard in a today’s vegetarian diet. A trip to any local grocery store (even Wal-Mart), will reveal delicious dishes like Gardenburger BBQ Riblets, veggie riblets, or Boca veggie “chicken” sandwiches, which would fool even the most ardent meat eater. Not to mention, they have all of the protein and nutrients a body needs, without the saturated fat or cholesterol of meat-based dishes.

As students become more educated about the inherent cruelty involved in raising and killing animals for food, it’s understandable why the number of vegetarian and vegan alternatives available continues to rise. People are horrified to discover that chickens on factory farms often have their beaks sliced off with hot blades, or that many pigs are skinned and dismembered while still fully conscious. If these kinds of abuses were inflicted upon cats or dogs, it would result in felony cruelty to animals charges.