Vegetarians

[nailit]

Are there any vegetarians here?
Ive never understood the rationale behind vegetarianism.

[EcclesCake]

I know many vegetarians and not all have chosen the path. At least 3 have become vegetarian as due to health reasons they cannot digest meat.

[Sir Alec]

My sister and her partner have been strict veggies for many years. Most strict veggies are just that because they don't believe in killing animals to eat/live.

[nailit]

I once had a vegetarian girlfriend who was an avid animal rights actavist but she just couldnt see that she used animals as much as the rest of us. She drank milk even though the production of that milk was only made available by making cows calf and then having those calfs taken away from their mother.
Nature is red in tooth and claw, get over it. Life depends on taking other life to survive

[nailit]

Harvesting veg takes the lives of animals (earthworms, insects, field mice, ground dwelling birds etc) theres no such thing as a cruelty free lunch.

[Sir Alec]

I have a neighbour who is vegan. They don't take anything from any animal - plastic shoes, not leather. They don't eat eggs because of the treatment of the male chickens. They don't eat honey as it's seen as exploiting bees. They drink soya milk. Their choice, no, you don't have to kill to eat, that's your choice!

[DaisyNonna]

Sounds strange but I know someone who was asthmatic and has never had another attack since becoming vegetarian

[Maydup]

I'm a vegetarian and feel ethically opposed to eating animals. Or more to the point, opposed to farming them. I'd be happier if all animals were equal and the human race less selective about which ones they eat. Eg could you all get eating the rabbits that pester my vegetable patch for me rather than breading those poor little chickens that never see the light of day?

After 30years of vegetarianism, I have a preference for fruit, nuts and veg and find eggs and cheese less and less desirable too, but I eat them sometimes out of necessity. Occasionally I have a diary feast just like the rest of you and I promised myself that if I ever fancy a bacon sandwich I will have one. It hasn't happened.

I read that an estimated 70 percent of all diseases, including one-third of all cancers, are related to diet. Who knows what that means to us all, but I can only hope that my eating habits will do me no harm. That's all.

[andres]

Not all animals are carnivorous.

[nailit]

//Not all animals are carnivorous.//
Nobody said that they were.

[Sir Alec]

Maydup, they reckon that the average American man has around 4lb of undigested red meat in their gut. It's no wonder colon cancer is on the rise!

[Maydup]

Ps i have oat milk on cereal and soya milk in tea. I do drink a small amount of cow's milk but could live without it if I decided to.

I grow plenty of our own veg Nailit and I promise you, I put all the worms and creepy crawlies back!

[nailit]

Maydup,
//I'd be happier if all animals were equal // but they arnt and never will be. Meat eating animals will always be meat eating animals.

[nailit]

//they reckon that the average American man has around 4lb of undigested red meat in their gut.//
Urban myth.

[Retrochic]

If I could afford a personal cook I would go vegetarian -I love veggie food and am eating much less meat -red meat only once a week -but struggle to cook veggie dishes I usually end up with the usual lentil meat loaves and chick pea casseroles. When we go up to London we always visit Vanilla Black and I always go home inspired, veggie food can be both exciting and delicious.

[Maydup]

Nailit - you say you've never understood the rational behind vegetariansim and I've given you mine, albeit a pretty simplified version.

As a meat eater, would you help me to understand something? Why are most meat eaters in the UK happy to eat pigs, cows and chickens but horrified at the thought of eating rats or horses? My old grandad would have eaten anything he could lay his hand on, and he'd eat the whole animal but its less so nowadays, why is that?

[nailit]

Retro, agreed. Ive ate some awesome veggie dishes.
Maydup, Ive got no aversion to eating anything. If I was hungry Id eat a rat and id happily eat a horse (probably have).

[nailit]

just as an aside, I hate animal cruelty, but there's a difference between animal cruelty and survival.
eg, I detest fox hunting but I would happily eat a fox if I was starving. I fail to see the connection between gaining pleasure from gratuiously taking the life of a fox and taking the life of the fox for my own survival...

[woofgang]

I understand (never tried it) that you would have to be starving to eat a fox, apparently the meat is RANK

[nailit]

Rank v eatable?

[GreenDayGirl]

My uncle and my best friend are both pescatarian they don't believe in eating meat. I also don't eat any type of poultry or have battery hen eggs because they are mistreated.