Veganism or Vegatarianism?

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Permalink Reply by (tubejay) culture over aquisition on November 9, 2008 at 8:19pm

probably. i won't go so far as to say cows were meant to be eaten, but it almost seems that way, and either way, we were meant to eat.

the cow probably never thinks of the bugs he steps on. but i still think the cow deserves mercy and respect in death and in life, for one thing because we want mercy and respect in death and in life. i think we should offer that also to plants and inert minerals, and humans, which you'd think we'd show more to, being some of them ourselves. people work very hard for minerals, as do beasts of burden, so it's good to respect not only living things but the non-living things that living people work for. and yet all these things will be consumed, eaten, and recycled.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah Atwood on September 6, 2008 at 11:51am

I wasn't clear from your post so just to make sure...Vegan is the type of vegetarian that doesn't eat by-products like cheese and eggs.

If you don't have any animal rights concerns and are just wanting to eat healthy, then avoiding red meat is what you should consider. Red meat is very high in saturated fat. This is why so many people are often put on dr.'s orders to stop eating it. Poultry and seafood are high in nutrients and low in fat, which is great for you. Stick to those and veggies and you'll be good to go!

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Permalink Reply by Jordan on September 6, 2008 at 12:02pm

No joke, sometimes I honestly think about going vegetarian.
I know it's good for the body and the environment.. and if we have souls (that's a diff discussion, though) then it is likely good for the soul as well.

The only problem, for me, is that there is no food that I can think of that tastes as good as a filet mignon cooked rare, or ribs that just fall off the bone, or 18-hour brisket, etc.

I live to experience things - and meat is quite the experience for me.


In any case, seeing as how I love meat, I can respect the difficulties and commitment involved in going vegetarian. If you do, more power to you. It's very healthy (as long as you remember your protein. Nuts, Eggs, Peanut Butter, etc.... Dried Soy Beans are an excellent source, although somewhat of an acquired taste) and environment - friendly.

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Permalink Reply by LunarEffect on September 6, 2008 at 12:24pm

You'd be amazed what you can do with Tofu/Soy. I've eaten vegan meals that tasted so much like the versions with meat in them, like vegetarian lamb curry or vegetarian spaghetti with meat balls.

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Permalink Reply by Jordan on September 6, 2008 at 12:34pm

I'm not opposed to eating them, after all it would be a new experience. I just don't think I could do it exclusively.

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Permalink Reply by MacDavid on September 6, 2008 at 12:52pm

Veganism is nice if one is zealous enough to stick it out for a good cause--but only for a period of time. From what I am lead to understand, unless you find alternative nutrient sources that would otherwise come from meat consumption (healthy, non-hormone filled,etc type meant), veganism can wreak havoc on the body.

Vegetarianism allows room for eating some meat--which frankly is needed in the human diet. I do understand that some people go the vegan or vegetarian route per their convictions--great, great, great, but both are really hardcore and I love meat. No offense. It's just that my convictions lead me to eat otherwise. Although I did do a six month strict vegetarian diet in protest of meat packing plants poor slaughter practices and processing around 2006-07 after randomly watching and reading Fast Food Nation. I learned a lot and was the healthiest I had ever been in my life. I would like to do it again, but GOSH I love chicken, burgers and pepperoni pizza. lol! Oh yeah, having been a six month vegger made me look skeletal--so skeletal that my coworkers, family and friends thought something was wrong with me. Some were skeptical as to whether it was my diet or starvation. *rolling eyes*

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Permalink Reply by excalipoor on September 7, 2008 at 5:06pm

I did live in Hong Kong when I was a kid before I moved here. There are quite an amount of buddhist in hong kong. So there are places that just cook buddhist cuisine. I remembered I had it when I was young, and they taste fine. But I guess the reason they don't have that much of a problem since they've been dealing with this for thousands of years. There are just a lot of varieties food for them.

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Permalink Reply by DeadPianoPlayer on September 8, 2008 at 9:28am

If health is what you have in mind, then veggie will do. I say this because, you never know what animal products are in your food. even when it comes to veggies, thus making it extremely hard to be vegan. Apples are kept red with the natural dies from insects, sugars are bleached using animal bones, ect. ect. there's a byzantine path our food takes from seed to stomach and it's unavoidable that it's growth and consumption is animal related in one way or another.

. . . that is unless you grow your own food organically. but who has the time for that?

here's a funny yet informative link to further illustrate my point
http://www.cracked.com/article_15982_5-horrifying-food-additives-yo...

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Permalink Reply by LunarEffect on September 8, 2008 at 10:08am

Now what does Bill Bailey have to say on this?
Watch it here...lols

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Permalink Reply by DeadPianoPlayer on September 8, 2008 at 10:56am

I never saw Bill's stand-up before. Thanks! i love him on Q.I.!

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Permalink Reply by zuw on September 9, 2008 at 12:46pm

My girlfriend and I are pescetarian (which is no meat, except fish). We both, however, eat very little fish. Many of my friends are full 'veggies'. My best friend is vegan. Everyone I know has a different reason to not eat meat. For me, I just would rather not do it. I have never been a fan of meat. It's always grossed me out. I do sympathize with the animals who are slaughtered, because it is utterly depressing to think of how horrible my life would be if I were in there shoes. No person, animal or any other living thing is meant to be caged. Everyone and everything needs to know freedom. That is my big reason.

My diet has not changed alot, but I feel alot better. I have noticed that quite a bit of the meat I was eating was from fast food joints and now that I've cut the meat out I've cut out most greasy, fried food. I still love fries and chips, though.

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Permalink Reply by (tubejay) culture over aquisition on September 10, 2008 at 8:25am

"If health is what you have in mind, then veggie will do. I say this because, you never know what animal products are in your food. even when it comes to veggies, thus making it extremely hard to be vegan. Apples are kept red with the natural dies from insects, sugars are bleached using animal bones, ect. ect."

this is relevant to the crap that the average person eats every day, but part of becoming vegan or vegetarian is learning where your food is coming from. some of the items above may come as a shock to most people, but probably less to most vegans.

it's also common knowledge among people that keep kosher. normally only jewish people keep kosher, but stricter muslim laws are similar, and the process of becoming certified organic is another familiar if different path.

for instance, if you find a hechsher (a seal common on food packages that denotes kosher certification) with a five-point-star and a k in it, or a circle with a u in it, that would reasonably prevent you from ever eating dyes made from insects (which are treife.) buying kosher meat (or halal meat, or probably even certified organic meat) would prevent most of these horrific ingredients, chemicals and processes (though the sugar filtering is very interesting.)

it's a question of whether people care about what they eat or not. most people don't, just like most people once thought it was perfectly reasonable and harmless and healthy to dump their toilets onto the street below. hopefully it won't take another plague for us to get it right.

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