Do I cut down on meat or go the whole non-hog

I love meat, particularly red meat.  I like steak so rare it almost still moves.  That aside, I am seriously thinking about cutting down on eating meat and, potentially, becoming vegetarian. 

I don't like cruelty to animals, and I don't see how I can object to the way other nations farm animals, for example the Chinese Yulin Dog Festival and yet turn a blind eye to the atrocious conditions in our own factory farms.   So after years of dithering with loving animals, whilst eating those unfortunate enough to endure a life of misery between the battery farm and the knackers yard for my meals, I am attempting to eat less meat.

I decided this after yet another tasteless ready meal in which the food didn't actually taste of food and the 'chicken' could have been anything - and probably was once several things.  I decided on the spot that I had to eat less meat.  I set myself a 10 day goal of no meat, but fish and dairy were allowed.  I will now see if I can do this until the end of February.  It hasn't been that difficult, but some things have surprised me.  For one thing, I am eating far too much bread.  Another surprise was lunch out last week - I was surrounded by cafés and restaurants, but they were all centred around meat, except two - a fish and chip shop and a sushi bar.  The farmed fish may not have had a life of fun and frolics, but that will be another month's challenge.  

I am not sure I can give up meat forever, I tried once before and ended up craving meat, but when I went to Prague, I found myself craving fruit and vegetables, so I could just be contrary.  Maybe I could just eat meat one or two days a month, or only if I know it is sourced from somewhere that the animals get to skip around in the sunshine a bit until they are sent for an untimely and potentially agonising death at the slaughterhouse.   I worry about the term 'organic', is it just an overused label, what does it actually mean?  

Then I start thinking about other animal products.  Thinking too much has always been a problem with me.  But if I don't eat animals, then surely I can't wear them either. This rules out leather shoes, jackets, belts, definitely angora (I've seen the photos on Twitter of how that is farmed) and possibly wool.  So do I think about giving it all up and heading to a life of flatulence and rayon?

As usual, I am thinking too far ahead, and yet so far I am avoiding thinking about cheese. I love cheese.  I don't drink milk (because I am convinced that it curdles in my stomach, based on no scientific evidence whatsoever, it is just what occurs to me whilst drinking it which then makes me gag), but I eat far too much cheese, cream and yogurt.  However I once worked on a dairy farm in New Zealand, I didn't get the impression that the cows led a happy life.  The other volunteer workers and I were only there for two weeks and there wasn’t a lot of happiness in our lives, so the cows forced to be there and milked twice a day by the unhinged old farmer were definitely not having any fun.  I wearily accept that there is no point saving the cows if I then abandon them to the hardships of mass production dairy farming, so if I am serious about this, I will have to cut down on cheese as well. 

I have meat in my freezer, I have non-vegan wine in the wine rack.  Having carried out essential research on the internet, I already know that most gin is vegan, I offer up a prayer of thanks to the God of small things.  I am not sure yet whether to serve the meat to guests, or just work through it gradually on occasional non-veggie days.  I am not throwing out alcohol.  It makes no difference to the animal world what I do with my stash of meat and wine - those animals cannot be saved.  Going forward I will try to be a better person.  Obviously there is no question of me trying to be a more sober one.  I want to have some of the old me left.