Turning Vegetarian

[Laren]

While I am not a vegetarian, my diet consists mostly of fruit and vegetables. I find both far more delicious than meat.
Being a vegetarian certainly does not mean eating only broccoli and cheese.

Go get a good vegetarian cookbook and start experimenting!

As for the whole "we are meant to eat meat" argument: It may be not be ideal for one's diet to cut out meat entirely, but I would say that it is far more healthy than mostly eating fast food and candy, as many people seem to do. Seriously, who can honestly say that he is eating an ideally balanced, perfect diet?

Personally I don't think it is wrong to eat animals, but if someone chooses to be a vegetarian, I'd say that is a choice that should be respected and not looked down on. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Goliath]

Personally I don't think it is wrong to eat animals, but if someone chooses to be a vegetarian, I'd say that is a choice that should be respected and not looked down on. Just my 2 cents.

I'm perfectly willing to respect anyone who respects me.

Unfortunately, many people nowadays turn vegetarian for ideological reasons which preclude this kind of mutual respect.

I have cooked vegetarian meals for my vegetarian friends. But I stopped doing so after they were given a chance to reciprocate my respect for their lifestyle choices, and they refused. I'm not sure it even occurred to them.

As people serve me, I serve them.

 

[Mr. B]

...I'd say that is a choice that should be respected and not looked down on. Just my 2 cents.

I couldn't agree, it's just stupid. People often do it to satisfy their ego in some fashion... the people who thing they are 'making a difference' are the worst.

My best advice would be to keep this new habit to yourself. We don't want to hear about it and we don't want to cook anything special just for you either.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

We're talking about animals here, not people. And we don't even eat the most intelligent animals. What's the difference between a deer, a cow, and a fish? Intelligence? Cuteness? Where do you draw the line on the evolutionary tree of what is OK to kill and what isn't? What about a fish and a shrimp, or a worm? How about fungus, an amoeba, or even bacteria? Plants are more evolved than some of these. What would you rather kill, a 100 yr old Redwood or a weed in your backyard? Where do you draw the line, and who says who should be able to make those determinations? Do you disagree that all life is not precious? Who are you to decide what is worthy of living free of human destruction and what isn't?

Moral implications aside, the importance of eating meat is basic biology.

Oh dear lord.

Eating a tomato isn't killing the plant, now do you understand the difference.

 

[Goliath]

Oh dear lord.

Eating a tomato isn't killing the plant, now do you understand the difference.

Good luck with that all-fruit diet. I for one am curious to see how long you last.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Oh dear lord.

Eating a tomato isn't killing the plant, now do you understand the difference.

Good luck with that all-fruit diet. I for one am curious to see how long you last.

Even if I pull a potato from the ground, potatoes don't feel pain and cannot perceive anything. That's the difference between animal and plant life.

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

Oh dear lord.

Eating a tomato isn't killing the plant, now do you understand the difference.

Good luck with that all-fruit diet. I for one am curious to see how long you last.

Even if I pull a potato from the ground, potatoes don't feel pain and cannot perceive anything. That's the difference between animal and plant life.

so if there was a painless way to kill the animals, you'd be okay with that?

 

[Sledder]

Our ancestors didn't have the intelligence to work out that it is wrong, other animals aren't intelligent enough to know that it's wrong.

You heard it here first, folks: lions and tigers only eat meat because they aren't smart enough to realize that what they're doing is wrong.

Humans right now have the intelligence to realise it is wrong and do something about it...... turn vegi.

Typical vegetarian arrogance. "People only eat meat because they're not smart enough to realize that what they're doing is wrong."

But, hey: it's a free country; good luck with that lifestyle choice.

QFT - There is nothing "wrong" with killing animals for food. It's nature. If you choose not to they by all means, but don't try to tell other's it's wrong.

 

[Canadave]

I don't buy that whole animals eat animals argument. With great power comes great responsibility, so in this situation that means that with intelligence we have the ability to consciously decide whether it's right to kill animals and eat them or not. Our ancestors didn't have the intelligence to work out that it is wrong, other animals aren't intelligent enough to know that it's wrong.

So then stop buying meat from the grocery store and get it from a local farm instead. You'll be able to find out that way if they animals were raised and treated well, and killed humanely as well.

 

[Laren]

I couldn't agree, it's just stupid. People often do it to satisfy their ego in some fashion... the people who thing they are 'making a difference' are the worst.

My best advice would be to keep this new habit to yourself. We don't want to hear about it and we don't want to cook anything special just for you either.

So people are not allowed to make a lifestyle choice, because they might do it for reasons you consider superficial? I find that kinda harsh.

I do agree that it gets annoying when people try to force their world views onto you and make you feel bad for eating meat. But not every vegetarian is like that and many I have met where happy to stick to vegetarian side dishes or bring their own stuff when invited to dinner.

 

[Hoser]

Going straight veggie is hard, esp. if you're used to it. I'd go 'no red meat' for a while, then work lower to get used to it.
I echo others that say that if you're doing it due to the mistreatment of animals, then buy meat only from places you know treated them right. Of course, you might have the same price problem, or you might found it cheaper. I know I used to love getting my milk straight from the farm that was next door.

I used to be veggie, but we're dirt poor now and it's nigh impossible to keep that up. Plus my wife's pregnant and she craves meats like no one's business.

 

[Sledder]

Plus my wife's pregnant and she craves meats like no one's business.

As long as it's only your meat she's craving!

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

We're talking about animals here, not people. And we don't even eat the most intelligent animals. What's the difference between a deer, a cow, and a fish? Intelligence? Cuteness? Where do you draw the line on the evolutionary tree of what is OK to kill and what isn't? What about a fish and a shrimp, or a worm? How about fungus, an amoeba, or even bacteria? Plants are more evolved than some of these. What would you rather kill, a 100 yr old Redwood or a weed in your backyard? Where do you draw the line, and who says who should be able to make those determinations? Do you disagree that all life is not precious? Who are you to decide what is worthy of living free of human destruction and what isn't?

Moral implications aside, the importance of eating meat is basic biology.

Oh dear lord.

Eating a tomato isn't killing the plant, now do you understand the difference.

i guess it's pretty easy to arrogantly laugh off my argument when you've already deemed yourself so enlightened and responsible to be able to determine what life is worth preserving and what isn't

does your wisdom extend so far as to enlighten me as to the exact instant a fetus is considered to be 'alive' ??

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Good luck with that all-fruit diet. I for one am curious to see how long you last.

Even if I pull a potato from the ground, potatoes don't feel pain and cannot perceive anything. That's the difference between animal and plant life.

so if there was a painless way to kill the animals, you'd be okay with that?

VEGETABLES DO NOT PERCEIVE ANYTHING OR HAVE EMOTIONS, THEY HAVE NO BRAINS!

 

[Sledder]

Even if I pull a potato from the ground, potatoes don't feel pain and cannot perceive anything. That's the difference between animal and plant life.

so if there was a painless way to kill the animals, you'd be okay with that?

VEGETABLES DO NOT PERCEIVE ANYTHING OR HAVE EMOTIONS, THEY HAVE NO BRAINS!

You failed to answer the question.

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

Even if I pull a potato from the ground, potatoes don't feel pain and cannot perceive anything. That's the difference between animal and plant life.

so if there was a painless way to kill the animals, you'd be okay with that?

VEGETABLES DO NOT PERCEIVE ANYTHING OR HAVE EMOTIONS, THEY HAVE NO BRAINS!

that's not my point. my point is that who are you to draw the line? Some animals have complex brains, some have simpler brains, and some even simpler. Evolution provides gradual steps, so there is no exact point where the simplest brain is distinguishable from some other basic processing center, localized or otherwise. Heck, each individual cell has a nucleus, which is likened to a brain for that cell.

and plants do perceive their surroundings, otherwise they could not grow and evolve. That is why plants will grow towards a light source

have you ever swatted a mosquito? or stepped on an ant? those animals sure as heck have brains.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

so if there was a painless way to kill the animals, you'd be okay with that?

VEGETABLES DO NOT PERCEIVE ANYTHING OR HAVE EMOTIONS, THEY HAVE NO BRAINS!

You failed to answer the question.

I think you'll find I did answer it, are you serious that you didn't realise that? . I didn't say the only difference between animals and vegetables was the fact they can feel pain, I also said they are conscious and perceive things so the question of would I be ok with it if it was made painless was a pointless question since I clearly wouldn't be because PAIN ISN'T THE ONLY FACTOR!

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

VEGETABLES DO NOT PERCEIVE ANYTHING OR HAVE EMOTIONS, THEY HAVE NO BRAINS!

You failed to answer the question.

I think you'll find I did answer it, are you serious that you didn't realise that? . I didn't say the only difference between animals and vegetables was the fact they can feel pain, I also said they are conscious and perceive things so the question of would I be ok with it if it was made painless was a pointless question since I clearly wouldn't be because PAIN ISN'T THE ONLY FACTOR!

your fundamental argument is still flawed. you cannot throw some lifeforms out of your diet without tossing out the whole kit 'n' kaboodle. to do otherwise would be an exercise in hypocracy. that's why it is best to just draw the line at humans and let nature run its course.

 

[Captain X]

What would I be lacking other than protein which I can get elsewhere anyway?

The kind of protein and iron in the proper amounts you can get from meat that can't effectively be substituted with supplements.

Think, then post. In that order!

I'm fully aware of how vegans fool themselves into thinking that they have a healthy lifestyle, but they are still denying the nature of the human body and turning their noses up at the food nature has provided them.

VEGETABLES DO NOT PERCEIVE ANYTHING OR HAVE EMOTIONS, THEY HAVE NO BRAINS!

On a less serious note:

 

[Canadave]

^ Similar to that comic, Carrot Juice is Murder.