During a busy, seven-hour shift of school each weekday, it is instinctive for students to remain contently within their comfort zone. Although such routine may be performed unintentionally, there are numerous groups of individuals in our school, whom the population generates ignorant judgments about. So I thought to myself, what would be a better idea than to shatter this perception by putting myself in someone else’s shoes for the day?

When your hunger begins to strike as loud as thunder, there is nothing more satisfying than the well-seasoned juice that seeps into every corner of your taste buds. As you continue to indulge passionately in your tender, meaty, one-lb. burger, the last thing on your mind is the helpless cow that was murdered by a butcher – at least for a meat-consumer, that is. Vegans, people who do not eat, wear or experiment on animals, or animal products, choose to oppose the cruel treatment and killing of these creatures in modern factory farms. There, not only are animals strapped or crammed into limited space, they are desensitized by methods such as thrusting a metal rod into their brains prior to their slaughter.

“I knew that I wouldn’t eat a plate of ground-up dog or cat, and I decided that I couldn’t justify eating cows or pigs just because they weren’t as cute or cuddly as other animals,” Peer Resource teacher Cristopher Pepper said.

The idea of living solely off vegetables is incredibly intriguing, being that I am a meat-lover myself. From fried hicken to smoked salmon, I would never think twice before prioritizing my desire. Not ever imagining myself on a vegan diet, I have decided to put my temptation for meat to the test for a week’s time.

During my last dinner meal with platefuls of meat products, I was preparing myself for what I though would be a drastic transformation from becoming a chicken-lover to a tofu-lover. But little did I know, days began to past naturally without me eating meat, and surprisingly, I’d be full! There are no doubts in the numerous cravings I had for meat, but I was able to control them by simply taking my mind off them or substituting one item for another.

“I miss meat, cheese, everything,” English teacher Luranne Drager said. “But I just couldn’t bear to eat it anymore; I can’t bare to kill animals because I would be just as guilty.”

There has never been a more torturous day for both my mind and stomach when my salivary glands were demanding KFC’s popcorn Chicken and Starbucks’ delicious White Chocolate Mocha. But instead, I had potato wedges from KFC and soy latte from Starbucks, and their taste was just as satisfying. When I think about it, the replacement of one food for another is not difficult; it simply takes time to adapt to.

“If you want to live in a world where animals are treated like dirt, here heart disease is the number one killer, then keep lining up at McDonald’s. If that’s not the world you want, then you’re going to have to do something to change it,” Pepper said. “And it tastes great!”