while i think it's impossible to live completely cruelty free in the modern age, i think we can greatly reduce the amount of cruelty to others (humans and animals) in our everyday life. that is not my main motivation for changing my eating habits, but it's part of it. i thought that when i'm older, (like retirement age), i would adopt a more japanese lifestyle, since the rest of my life has been an american lifestyle. i grew up eating meat all the time but i was never too happy about it. in fact, i couldn't handle raw meat in high school without becoming disgusted. i always dreaded my mom asking me to help out with dinner because i didn't want to handle raw meat. i have always had a hard time eating meat with bones in it or any food that still resembled a living creature. i thought i might be able to become vegetarian, but i never thought i could give up cheese. due to allergies i have and what a doctor said in japan, i've considered eliminating breads, eggs, and such but never thought it possible. i disregarded veganism a long time ago because i knew i'd drive myself crazy overanalyzing everything. now that i'm trying to be vegan, i will have to be conscious of thing but not overanalyze. i can only hope that manufacturers are honest and caring enough so that by the time products hit the shelves, they still are cruelty free.

a multitude of factors that have led me to the current path i am on. eventually, i want my diet to be more akin to macrobiotics. right now i'm in a stepping down period where i am vegetarian, trying to be vegan. i avoid all known dairy-derived products but i don't scrutinize labels or harass waiters, and so forth. for non-diet areas such as clothing and household goods, i will phase out animal-tested/animal-derived products. i can't let go of all these things at once. it's just not practical for me right now. i don't have the money to rebuy everything. i did a quick look at the ingredients in some of my favorite products and they contain what may be animal-derived materials. i will have to look into this further to find out for sure. i am really picky about hygienic products (soaps, shampoos) and i just don't have the resources to experiment with several vegan products until i find one that works for me. mostly it's my own greediness--just when i think i have finalized all the products i love, i have to start from scratch. also, i know this is really bad but i just bought some leather jackets dirt cheap and haven't had a chance to wear them. other than that, i think my clothes are mostly cotton and synthetic materials so that won't be so bad, but i think i might have a pair of leather boots. the boots are ill-fitting anyway so i wouldn't mind replacing them. i've been looking at veggie stores such as those linked on PETA's site. i would love to try some things out, but again my greediness is coming into play. right now i want my funds to be saved so i can get my ass to the southern hemisphere.