This Monday, a nationwide initiative known as "Meatless Monday" finally made an appearance at our beloved dining halls. The concept—a dinner without any meat to get students talking about the environmental impact of eating meat—actually worked.
While initially appalled by the idea that I would have to go someplace else to enjoy a dinner that included a main course, I thought back to my experience in Italy, where eating meat twice a day was an idea so foreign to my Italian roommates that they sat with mouths agape as I explained American dietary tendencies.
I decided to go to "Meatless Monday" with an open mind and a hungry stomach.
In the days leading up to "Meatless Monday," I heard arguments from both sides of the "meat" spectrum. Some of my friends, mostly male and conservative, were up in arms that Bowdoin was taking away their right to choose, infringing upon their freedom and independence in a way they thought only the Obama administration would do.
Others completely supported the campaign, noting the info sheets while explaining how we could cut down on our carbon footprint by making a not so life-changing choice of not eating meat at every meal.
While the fact sheets provided by the organizers of the event contained some misguiding information—for example, comparing the amount of water needed to produce meat vs. the amount needed for corn even though the two products do not even come close to filling the same nutritional needs—they certainly gave many of us fodder for a lively discussion, pun definitely intended.
From a personal perspective, I never really stopped to consider the environmental impact of my food choices, though I am always aware of the health benefits or detriments of what I eat.
The reason I am aware of the latter while generally oblivious to the former is simple. The nutritional value, or lack thereof, of what I consume has a direct impact on how I feel, while the environmental impact remains remote. It is human nature to care more about things that noticeably affect us than those with unseen consequences.
While some may have been shocked and outraged by how undemocratic the dinner menu was on "Meatless Monday," the fact that the organizers succeeded in making most Bowdoin students at least care is to be applauded.
Some voiced quiet protests by eating out at local restaurants or using their Polar Points at Jack Magee's, while others displayed their opposition much more openly by selling burgers outside of Thorne and grilling in sub-freezing temperatures. One girl even wore a cowsuit to dinner, though her goals resembled a social experiment more than a political statement.
While this may sound hypocritical coming from the same writer who commented on the intrinsic value of the "Bowdoin bubble" in a previous op-ed, I cannot say the occasional curveball to my routine is unwelcome, though the pang of hunger in my stomach the morning after my meatless dinner certainly was.
I remain skeptical as to whether this initiative will actually get Bowdoin students to eat less meat, but I am convinced the event raised campus awareness of an issue more than any in recent memory.
An oft-heard criticism outside of the Bowdoin community is that we, Bowdoin students, are spoiled, haughty and self-serving. Or more simply, we just do not really care.
Though hyperbolic in nature, these criticisms hold a measure of truth at a school that professes a commitment to the "common good." How many of us have actually done any sort of community service this past academic year? How many of us participated in the fundraising events for Haiti last week?
The truth is, we do not have to participate in community service or fundraising events to show we care; in fact, we do not really even have to care. We are a microcosm of our society, where people rarely do things out of sheer goodwill. We need incentives—or disincentives—as motivation for action.
The organizers of "Meatless Monday" are probably not the most popular kids on campus right now, but the impact this unique event had on Bowdoin, even for only a day, was unquestionable. Students took action, both in support of and in opposition to the event, and we all talked about it.
Now, I want to learn more about the merits of eating less meat. I want to know the health benefits and the environmental consequences.
This issue will remain a point of campus discussion for the remainder of the academic year through a series of lectures and food-related events the "Meatless Monday" initiative is sponsoring.
Maybe this discussion will change our behavior. Maybe it will not. But the fact that we are having this conversation is a credit to the group of students who worked with the Dining Service to do something we had never seen before.