PESTO NOT PESCO: I stopped eating all meat except fish about three years ago. I'd flirted with various forms of vegetarianism over the years, but nothing ever stuck. Then I read Charlie LeDuff's article on race issues within a slaughterhouse, and it wasn't the racism that bothered me the most but the slaughterhouse practices. Institutionalized cruelty, and largely invisible to me for all these years.

But now I had no excuse. I resolved to give up meat that afternoon, and I did. Given the history of heart disease in my family, I felt my no-meat decision was a big win-win. No more bad karma or bad cholesterol.

I struggled with the fish issue, though. Fish, it seemed to me, were largely allowed to live normal lives in the sea, were not confined or otherwise tormented before being killed, and seemed somehow less sympathetic to me than their farmyard cousins. Plus they were an awesome and tasty source of protein, and maybe even offered health benefits via the seemingly heart-healthy Omega-3 oils. I could live with myself as a fisheater, and so I have.

So this article today gives me pause. We've radically depleted the big-fish population through industrial fishing. This news comes just as I was about to trudge over to my favorite sushi joint. Perhaps pasta is a better choice today. Tomorrow? I'll think about it over some rotini.