Vegetarianism has been around for a long time. It has roots in ancient India and Greece.
I have some friends that eat that way, but I don't think I ever could.  I really love my steak and seafood!
I don't think I could do it either, although sometimes I wish I could. I think non-consumption of the flesh of any animals is an admirable diet. 
Yes, I can see that it could be considered admirable for some people.  Does it pose any health benefits or risks?
aesthetic, economic, or personal preference. There are variations of the diet as well: an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet includes both eggs and dairy products, an ovo-vegetarian diet includes eggs but not dairy products, and a lacto-vegetarian diet includes dairy products but not eggs. A strict vegetarian diet – referred to as "vegan" – excludes all animal products, including eggs and dairy. Avoidance of animal products may require dietary supplements to prevent deficiencies such as vitamin B12 deficiency, which leads to pernicious anemia.
a photographic memory as a child. School tests were not a problem, and learning songs was easy. She got her first taste of singing solo at a fire hall, where she soaked up the crowd's appreciation. "Sometimes I think that I cheated my own family and my closest friends by giving to audiences so much of the love I might have kept for them. But that's the way I was made; I truly don't think I could help it." (p. 20) Martin's craft