Vegans, and Veggies, and Carnivores...Oh My

Exactly. It is cultural. Some cultures eat Guinea Pigs. Some eat cats. Some eat horse or donkey. And some people have pet goats or pigs. I just put all of them on the taboo to eat list.

 

Completely. From a logical framework, there is nothing less edible about a dog in comparison to a cow. Both are meat.

 

I sincerely hope that you're not trying to enforce what kinds of animals are and are not acceptable to eat, because that is entirely subjective. Cows just -happen- to be acceptable as food in Western culture while dogs and cats are not.

 

I have no issues with eating any kind of animal. Probably not cat, since I'm allergic, but I've tried all sorts. I've always wondered what human tastes like...

 

Salty. The beans do complement it rather nicely, though. *Notices everyone watching him* What?

 

Pfff, I hate vegetarians who use the "it had a mother/family/intelligence/was my best friend" argument. Animals eating animals is natural. Animals who are supposed to eat other animals not eating animals based on some misguided Disney morality is unnatural.

The only instance I wouldn't eat a random animal is if it was going extinct due to man's meddling. But even still, that's not unnatural -- species wipe each other out all the time -- it's just a shame.

 

Well I do rather enjoy Beef. Not that I've tried Dog and Cat but if shoved on a plate and it smelt nice I reckon I would have a taste.

As for Human Hey once they sell tins of peter and Jessica on the shop shelves I just may have a try. Or if my mates volunteer to stuff an apple in their mouth and roast away on a spit with juices dripping away I just guess I'd have a taste. Depends on how hungry I am.

After all if starving we would eat anything if it meant life or death. And I ain't dying of starvation if I have a choice.

 

[FONT=&quot]Eaten crocodile (watered down chicken, bland as buggery really).

And i often go to decent restaurants to eat yummy Kangaroo (best meat to eat with a bottle of red if you ask me).[/FONT]

 

<nudging the thread back toward the vegetarian side>

 

I do like mash potatoes broccoli sprouts and Yorkshire puddings with my pork joint and sausages.

And I like Sprouts and new potatoes with peas with my streak and kidney pie.

 

One thing you have to be somewhat careful about on a vegetarian diet is making sure your proteins contain a good mix of all the amino acids.

 

I can't eat cow or sheep, but will happily consume any form of bird or fish, providing the fish doesn't have that seeping taste of when it's raw.

My problem is that I don't favour much toward vegetables (fruits are fine, except for tomatoes). Considering I am quite skinny, I find it hard to put on weight since I don't get enough protein or iron. Protein shakes don't work either.

 

While I don't have a problem with vegetarianism, I really don't like it when my veggie friends (ex-friends now...you'll see why) used to go off on one about my eating meat and tell me I was killing defenceless baby animals and that I was awful for doing it. Especially when they're all wearing leather shoes and belts!

I like meat, not a huge fan of lamb, sadly can't eat seafood as I'm allergic. I couldn't be a vegetarian because a bacon sandwich would undo my resolution instantly and... I just like meat.

I never understood vegeterians that gave up eating meat for the sake of the animals but kept wearing leather. That said the only vegetarians I know at the moment all gave up meat for health purposes and that makes total sense to me, they're happy and they always warn me/remind me when I throw a dinner party so there's never an awkward meat moment!

 

I've never been a vegetarian myself but I don't eat much variety of meat, only chicken and beef. Oh, I eat bacon too but don't like pork or sausage (not sure on that one). I do eat quite a lot of dairy - milk and cheese mostly, even though I do seem to find that it upsets my tummy.

My younger sister's been a "vegetarian" for a couple of years, but she does still eat some fish... My mum always used to shout at her for making meal times awkward because she had to cook seperate foods, but my sister's never done the whole thing where she tries to press not eating meat onto the rest of us.

 

From my experience - nearly twenty years as a veggie - it isn't difficult to live a full and healthy life once your diet is varied and wholesome. It takes a little bit of experience to live successfully as a vegetarian. I've seen many who suffer simply because they failled to educate themselves sufficiently regarding what necessitates a balanced diet. 'Eat your greens!' is one to be taken on board, especially where protien is concerned. Vegetables provide more than enough once the diet is balanced. I've no problem with meat-eaters. I, though, prefer to live my life otherwise. Everyone to their own.

 

The trouble I find is the smell of meat especially cooked meat just grips me and I have to indulge. But that said I also like my vegetables. But a bacon sandwich is a joyous thing to eat. The sweet smell and the taste nicely done with some brown sauce HP of course and a few onions it’s a beautiful taste. I could not pass up that luxury to my taste buds.

 

Lol, you're really driving that point, Raven

 

In terms of amino acid balance, soybeans and soy protein is about the only source of protein in a vegetarian diet that by itself contains the full complement of amino acids. I've never cared for soybeans, although I will eat tofu is adequately seasoned.

Fortunately, you can get a good amino acid balance even without sou protein, but you have to be a bit more aware of your choices. It isn't somethikng that is listed in the nutrition panels on most (any?) product packaging.

As much as I like meat in my diet, I am not at all averse to fully vegetarian meals on occasion. I'm not quite to the extreme of "If it don't got meat, it ain't a meal." Don't laugh - I do know people who actually say such things, including the guy who married my ex.

It's a nice break to sit down to a savory lentil stew, or a spicy Szechuan bean curd dish, or am Indian Palak Paneer with nan and some samosas. I just can't do that every day.

 

After 12 and a half years, the smell does not entice me. Some meat smells make me feel kinda sick to my tummy.

 

And then there is the fact that soybeans are just chuck full of estrogen analogues. Not good if you're a fellah' trying to keep that six-pack intact.

 

Too much soy isn't a good thing. And, pregnant veggies need to be careful of it. It can affect baby brain developement if you eat too much of it.

 

It's not uncommon for that to happen especially when you've not eaten Meat in such a long time. You now find it a disgusting thought. And all said and done at the end of the day there are vegetarian animals and where vegetarian dinosaurs and lizards. However that said the Human body isn't really meant to be vegetarian yet we are intelligent enough to make that choice for ourselves.

Now I really like Meat I love the smell too much especially I nicely roasting chicken and to taste those juices and cover it in its own juice. Pure magic to the taste buds. I too like the smell of some vegetables cooking. Home made Mash with beef and onion gravy and a steak and kidney pie simmering nicely some peas and broccoli with a few pork sausages nicely cooked juicy and fat. Makes my mouth water. Christmas dinner is a feast of feasts to look forwards too. I can happily say we in my house have a bloody big and fine dinner.

 

that's a start in the right direction!

for those who argue we humans are 'meant' to eat our fellow critters [despite the fact that our teeth are herbivore ones like cows and horses' and not at all akin to carnivores'], read 'the essential trinity' for the proof...

these other works on my site will demonstrate why i had to give up all that bad stuff i used to love to cook and eat:

essays

mangia, mangia!
got one!
for the meat and potatoes crowd
alternative lifestyle

philosetry

spinach has no mother

 

Just a note. The structure of a creatures teeth is not a determining factor in diet. Bears have the jaw structure of a carnivore, but they are omnivores by practice (this of course does vary depending on the food supply available too them). Pigs (wild and domestic) are well known omnivores, and in fact, cows have been known to eat meat on occasion (though only in captivity). Primates eat worms and insects (still meat, all be it I don't find it all to appitizing...). Cats and canines eat grass to obtain fiber. Not to say anything about the right/wrong of eating meat. Just that you're dental structure does not determine what your species eats.