Ever since I was old enough to ask questions, I started asking my parents, "what is meat?" When my mom finally told me the truth I remember being heartbroken and totally rejecting it. She still snuck it into my diet, but she was just doing her best and meant well with the information she had at the time. She is now also vegan. Years later, I was working at a local restaurant. At the time I was about 16 years old, and had the PM shift during Thanksgiving. I did not eat meat at this age, but I did still eat cheese/dairy. I witnessed how many wasted plates/leftovers were being scraped into the trash can. It made me wonder about the scale on which this happens. I went home and learned about factory farming. Since that day I have removed myself of animal consumption practices to the best of my ability.