About Hailey

My favorite food used to be pork chops. When I was younger, it was one of the only meals I knew how to make. To be honest, the reason I liked it so much because I enjoyed knowing how to cook it.

A few years later when I was twelve years, I still considered pork chops favorite food. One day on the recess yard with my sixth grade best friends we were joking around and talking about food. One of my friends brought up vegetarianism and how she could never be one because of her love for fish. In a joking tone I said, “if you couldn’t do it, there is no way I could.” Another friend of mine turned to me mid-laugh and said “I dare you”. Her comment took me by surprise. “You dare me what?” “I dare you to become a vegetarian,” she teased me, I could see she didn’t think I could. My twelve year old self wasn’t going to back down from this challenge. “If I become a vegetarian, you have to do it with me,” I knew she couldn’t turn down my provocation. We playfully looked each other in the eye and shook hands, cementing our bet. Little did we know, six years later she and I would still be competing. What I wasn’t expecting about that silly bet we made, was that it would become one of my deepest passions. The craziest thing is, all these years later, she and I are still happily vegetarians.

I’m thankful I made the choice to become vegetarian, even if it meant giving up pork chops. I’m thankful because being a vegetarian has taught me so much about food; how to cook it and sustainably eat it. Now not only do I now know how to cook more than pork chops, but I can cook plant-based pork chops that help better the environment. If you care about the environment, like everyone should, vegetarianism is a great way put your passion to action. And who knows, even if you’re only doing it for the environmental effect, you might fall in love with it like I did.