I never would have guessed how much traveling by bike through Latin America for over a year would make me consider my place in the global food economy. I never would have thought that riding my bike through 10 countries would open my eyes so much to every mile of land and its' uses. It was ten countries of land being used for cattle, to satisfy the demands of the global meat and dairy industries. And if it's not being used for cattle, then its monocropping... palm, coconut, fruit, you name it. Seeing 6,500 miles of land from my bike made me realize just how big Big Agriculture really is. Suddenly, things look different.
About two weeks into our trip, we were riding south out of Manzanillo, Mexico. We navigated through heavy traffic and construction, only to find some smaller side roads to take us out of town and further south down the coast. We stopped at a restaurant to refill our water bottles and take a rest. Some construction workers struck up a conversation with us, and after hearing about our travels so far (only 2 weeks in!), insisted they buy us lunch. It was arroz con pollo, the house special. We couldn't refuse, so we sat and ate with them. It ended up being the last time I ate chicken. I realized I did not need to accept food from strangers just to make a connection with them. If anything, it could provide an opportunity to teach someone about how delicious vegetarian/vegan food can be.
Over the next year + I thought a lot about my connection to the earth, to Self, to Other, to all sentient beings, as we rode through farmlands and deforested hillsides. I met cows who wanted to be pet like dogs, snuzzled up to me when they sense I respected them. We heard two pigs being slaughtered at a farm one morning in Colombia, only a few feet from where we were sleeping. A terrible sound you can never un-hear. We sat with a dog who had just been hit by a car and was dying on the side of the road when we rolled up to her. We sat with her while she left his world, comforting her. These experiences made me realize I wasn't so different from any of these animals. We all want and need love, safety and comfort. I made the connection between these encounters, and my daily choices, and the well-being of our planet. Over time I realized, as long as there are alternatives to eating meat and dairy, why not make a better choice? Not only for me, but for all of us, and our planet.