Leo Tolstoy on not eating meat

I’ve been a vegetarian since about 1989 when I went away to college and could control my diet for the first time in my life. When asked why, I usually reply it was a mix of health andconscience reasons, though as time goes on, I’ve realized I’ve stuck to it for more of the latter than the former.

In the novel I’m currently writing, I debated about putting in or leaving out a scene where an animal is sacrificed on an altar to an ancient Roman god. My own disgust at the practice had to contend a...