The "official" vegetarian vs. meat-eater thread.
so it doesn't creep up in toilet conversations.
No flame wars please.
To be:
- all primitive cultures ate meat. some lived almost exclusively on animal products.
To not be:
- we don't actually kill animals ourselves. picking up a piece of meat in a supermarket is one thing. killing it yourself is another. i'm not sure i'd actually be able to kill one myself. i met a guy from lijiang and he said it was a rite of passage for everyone on the farm to kill a pig, i think around the age of 16.
Being willing to kill an animal yourself is the only honesty here.
Vegetarianism is probably the future - human population growth, etc. And it will be nice to relate to aniimals that have not been reduced to vegetable slave status, though they might simply all be killed off, with the exception of the dog servants, whom I like.
It does not have to be an either/or question. Like many westerners I have become a demi-tarian. I eat half (or less) the amount of meat I did before. This is better for my health and better for the planet than eating the quantities of meat I did before. It also saves money, that can be spent on other nutrients like beer.
Honesty here. You ain't going to persuade everyone to stop eating meat. It is feasible however to get most people to eat less meat. Beating people up and telling them 'meat is murder' is more likely to get people to say 'FU' rather than affecting their eating habits.
For me being a demi as well makes sense from all perspectives, health, financial, ecological and humane. I lean to the ecological reasons more though so avoid certain meats as much as possible - most forms of beef especially corn fed.
I was shocked when I lived in Malaysia. I was working for an NGO who employed lots of scientists and we were working at feeding poor people, particularly giving them more protein in their diet. Most of scientists were westerners and after going for dinner with them once, I never would again! They would order huge corn fed steaks, pork ribs, deep sea fish etc, basically in complete opposition to their work. It just amazed me the double standards they would have - during the day be exposed to poor people who didn't have enough to eat, particularly protein, then forget it all at night! This duality of what we want with what we do in the west has to change before any level of vegetarianism will have an effect on the world.
Then I came to China and saw the food waste, especially with meat. I shake my head in disbelief still...
It is entirely possible humans will simply eat ourselves out of existence the way we are going!
Not arguing with you, tigertiger, just suggesting people take responsibility for what they do.
Hello to everybody. Good that till now nobody has started to talk about vegetarians who don't have enough proteins and bullshits like these.
I'd like to try to answer to the question-topic, not scientifically. (also cause in these days i'm discussing with scientists pro ogm on a blog...I've headache..) Three years ago I searched for infos about human being' feeding (polluted water, air, mass media brain washing, and just at the end about polluted meat and fish on our tables.) - I'd avoid the topic bio-not bio veggies, also a lattuce loaf has a soul..-
I wasn't able to kill any animal anymore, at that time. I was a chef in Shanghai, and before to be more aware, I killed many fishes and shellfishes by my hand. Then, I stopped to forward this job to my staff, cause me, as chef, I couldn't do it that anymore.
I want to tell that even the big jump about a certain status with a high salary...was motivated by all infos I got...and by my curiosity to experience the big change of diet and lifestyle. Before I ate the best meat, the best wild fish, the best israeli foie grois and so on..
After one month I ate just vegetarian food..I felt much more energy for my brain and less and lees for my digestion. I'm vegetarian just by 3 years...I'm happy and still alive.
Last anecdote. On last Past New Chinese Year I was invited by a local friend ( I live in a small village)..and I couldn't say no...It was a killing pig party...I ate a lot of meat and fish to don't disappoint my friend and cause I'm not a mental fundamentalist. I felt so baaad for 4-5 days...
Question: If a meat lover have a vegetarian dinner..he will feel bad? I don't think so..
Dead animals usually go underground...plants go to the sky.
You are what you eat.
That is interesting..I have gone veg myself for a few months and personally did not feel too different. Saying that, I believe everybody is different and one persons body changes are not like another's. I used to be able to handle a massive porterhouse with all the trimmings, but now if i ate that much meat i would feel sick! hahah....I like what i am hearing about this demi thing! Recently i have been thinking about cutting my meat down to one meal everyday or every other. I am starting to think about meat the the same way i think about my other vices(herb and alcohol)...enjoy in moderation!
"I ate a lot of meat and fish to don't disappoint my friend and cause I'm not a mental fundamentalist. I felt so baaad for 4-5 days...
Question: If a meat lover have a vegetarian dinner..he will feel bad? I don't think so..
Dead animals usually go underground...plants go to the sky."
Plants grow in the ground. So not sure I buy that argument.
If you eat large quantities of meat, the stomach won't tolerate it very well.
Regarding your question, it depends on what the vegetarian dinner is. Please give me a sample vegetarian dinner and I'll tell you if I feel bad eating it. Vegetarian does not imply it's healthy.
Some of the people with the worst diets I have met have been veggie. I knew one couple who lived on pizza. Obese, borderline diabetic, and bad skin.
HAHAH..That is true! you would be surprised how much shit junk-food is vegan!
