Are you a Vegetarian?

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=darkviolet]Honey, PETA rots your brain. Just thought you might want to know that.

That said I eat meat. But I don't eat Lamb (ok, except on Easter) or Veal...(at all). I don't really eat it on a regular basis, but if it's made for dinner, or I want a burger I'll eat it. I'd rather have fish or seafood though. Fish is really good for you, it's full of Omega 3 and stuff. Or maybe some chicken, just not fried.

Fruits and Vegatabgles are a decent part of my diet, but I could never live like that. I don't think it's natural.

On a slightly personal level, I hope that if you ever have children you don't force them to be on a Vegan or vegatarian diet because that was your choice. You should allow them to make their own choices like you did.

Never eat the Burger KIng vegige burgers, those things are [i]NASTY[/i] :sick: I think Boca and regular veggie burgers are rather passable with a little olive oil and tons of ketchup and mayonnaise. I think I may scare my Lincoln and give him one some day. :devil:

I'm all for ethical treatment of animals. Animal abuse is bad and I think that people should be encouraged to spay or nueter our pets. But when some group says that you shouldn't ride horses because it's not natural to the horse (when the majority of breeds around today have [i]been[/i] bred for the purpose of riding.) Or they want to try and change a town in the Adoronacks from Fishkill to Fish Live because they don't understand that kill means creek in Dutch. Well, that's just nuts.

On a final note, if we weren't supposed to eat animals, why are they made out of meat?[/color]

[elfpirate]

The inhumane treatment of animals is a horrible reality, but that fact alone does not deter me from eating meat.

If the commercial world collapsed and we had to go back to a hunter/gatherer society I really wouldn't have any problem with impaling a deer with an arrow. It's survival, that's all.

But since we live in a processed foods society, and I can go pick up a bottle of iron supplements when I need to, I almost never eat meat... because I just don't like it. There are too many micro-organisms and parasites and crap in there... whether the animal has been kept at a farm or was running free until it was killed. It's just gross...

I'm really not one to mourn the life of a McRib sandwich, though... I have much more important things to think about in my life than the source of energy I'm consuming.

[satan665]

One thing I really dislike about vegetarian food is that the freezer section meat substitutes are good, but if you look at the ingredients there are like 10,000 weird different chemicals in there. It is pretty much the ultimate in processed food, which is bad. I'm pretty sure the Morningstar farms brand is owned by Kellogs too, which isn't exactly the picture of responsibility.


There also is a pretty reasonable environmental angle to vegetarianism.

Since beef has become so popular across the world, cows have replaced indigenous animals in a large portion of Africa and South America etc. Its not particularly good for the land there to have a different animal grazing, because cows eat the grass or whatever down to the roots whereas something like a wildebeast (awesome name) in Africa is effectively like a lawnmower. One of Africa's biggest environmental concerns is desertification, to which cows definitrly contribute.

There's also the whole thing of rainforest being cut down for grazing land which isn't very good either.

[Skye]

[QUOTE=Corey]
[size=1]May I remind you that vegetables are showered in ****, ripped from their homes, wrapped in plastic or shoved in boxes, taken hundreds of miles away, put on display, fondeled by dozens of people, bought, and eventually cut up and digested. I'd call that tourturous and dirty any day of the week.[/size][/QUOTE]

[size=1][b]Exactly. I know two vegetarians, and one says that plants don't have nerves. And my answer to that is this: just because YOU can't hear the plants screaming doesn't mean they feel pain any less than animals do. Just because plants don't have nerves doesn't mean were not killing a living, breathing thing. They [i]are[/i] like us, despite the few things that differ. But that's just me.[/size][/b]

[Decadence]

[color=silver] Just to let you know morpheus, a vegan diet is much healthier then a "normal" diet. And when I say healthier I mean less fats less calories, Yes you probly are missing a few essintals but thats what suplimentys are for. And while I'm not vegan I still havn't been able to awnser this question.

"How can you eat another animal, or something that comes from an animal." If you think about it your eating flesh and such. And why arn't the pro-life people after the egg farmers, they're killing baby chickens![/color]

[Morpheus]

[quote name='Rhian']: just because YOU can't hear the plants screaming doesn't mean they feel pain any less than animals do.[/quote]
Actually, Steph, since pain is a useless response to a creature that can't get out of the situation, plants cannot feel pain.

[quote name='ShadO MagE'] And why arn't the pro-life people after the egg farmers, they're killing baby chickens![/quote]
Eggs for eating are unfertilized; they cannot become chickens.

[Decadence]

[color=silver] A ) it was sarcasm directed at the pro-life people, this includes the pro-life guy who bombed abortion clinics and killed doctors.
and B) if they were fertalized they could be. so why arn't they going after the chickens for not jhaving the eggsfertalized?[/color]

[Guest DemonAngeL_Zero]

[COLOR=DeepSkyBlue][FONT=Arial]Me, I'm not a Vegetarian. My Father is, and is always strongly suggesting, and trying to get me off meat, but i'm too used to it. I can respect those who choose a certain lifestyle that is considered different or whatever else you might be able to say, but what does eating meat or not really matter? I eat meat, i'm not so proud of it, and I tried to get off once, but I failed. Meat is good for me! :tasty: [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Skye]

[quote name='Morpheus']Actually, Steph, since pain is a useless response to a creature that can't get out of the situation, plants cannot feel pain.[/quote]

[size=1][b]*sighs* Morpheus, hon, I'm a witch. I feel things on a spiritual level. *snorts* As I said, if you can't feel it, it ain't my fault. My friend tried to be a vegiatarian, but she had to have red meat. She almost made herself sick one time trying not eat red meat. I don't hate vegetarianism, its perfectly acceptable for those with a concious like that. What I hate is when people do what some Christians do: eating meat is bad! You shouldn't do it! And then they try to MAKE you vegetarian. *shudders*[/size][/b]

[Morpheus]

[quote name='Rhian][size=1][b]*sighs* Morpheus, hon, I'm a witch. I feel things on a spiritual level. *snorts* As I said, if you can't feel it, it ain't my fault. My friend tried to be a vegiatarian, but she had to have red meat. She almost made herself sick one time trying not eat red meat. I don't hate vegetarianism, its perfectly acceptable for those with a concious like that. What I hate is when people do what some Christians do: eating meat is bad! You shouldn't do it! And then they try to MAKE you vegetarian. *shudders*[/size'][/b][/quote]
That is bad. But I love christians. :blowup:

On a side note, People saying meat is bad is comepletely overshadowed by the nuisance that is Mormon recruiters. I will never join a religion that wants me to. It just doesn''t work like that. But I love Mormons. :blowup:

[satan665]

[quote name='Rhian][size=1][b]*sighs* Morpheus, hon, I'm a witch. I feel things on a spiritual level. *snorts* As I said, if you can't feel it, it ain't my fault. My friend tried to be a vegiatarian, but she had to have red meat. She almost made herself sick one time trying not eat red meat. I don't hate vegetarianism, its perfectly acceptable for those with a concious like that. What I hate is when people do what some Christians do: eating meat is bad! You shouldn't do it! And then they try to MAKE you vegetarian. *shudders*[/size'][/b][/quote]

Do you hear the cries of the carrot?

Sorry that is from the secret track on a TOOL album.

I think there is a great Ghandi quote: "I probably would have been a christian if I hadn't met so many of them."

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Personally I'm an omnivore, I'll eat meat and vegetables and I don't really have a preference. The only two meats which I won't eat are lamb or pork, and that's only because I dislike the taste of both, although I will eat certain meats made from pork [Sausages, rashers and ham]. I prefer to eat chicken where possible, mainly because it's a healthy meat and I love the taste of it, great in a nice sweet and sour sauce. Steak would be my favourite red meat, fried with onions, mashed potatoes and a nice pepper sauce it's simply a delicious meal.

The torture of animals at any time however is something that sickens me to my very core, simply stating that the animal was going to die anyway is not a competent or decent reason. When an animal in an abattoir they should be killed as quickly and humanely as possibly, I would prefer to think that the meat I eat came from an animal that wasn't put through undue suffering before it had to die.

I'd also like to second ChibiHorsewoman's statement that PETA are full of crap, they use completely anal reasoning to justify their statements, there is no way beer is better for me than milk. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Rhian][size=1][b]What I hate is when people do what some Christians do: eating meat is bad! You shouldn't do it! And then they try to MAKE you vegetarian. *shudders*[/size'][/b][/quote]

[SIZE=1]Rhian I hate to rain on your parade but Christians don't tell you eating meat is bad, I don't know where you heard that from but it's simply untrue. I'm a Catholic and the only days on the year that we don't eat meat are on [u]Ash Wednesday[/u] and [U]Good Friday[/U], because they're days of fasting and abstinence from meat. To my knowledge those are the only two days where eating meat is discouraged, and as far as I know almost all other Christian faiths [and there are quite a few of them] follow the same rules.[/SIZE]

[Decadence]

[color=silver] I think she was refering to the christian tactic of "Convert or your going to hell" which is always ammusing for me, because the responce is "for judging me yso are you if one existm, which sorry to tell you, doesn't." But she ment christians who try to converty you and tell you are wrong. oh thanks mr holier then thou... [/color]

[John]

[quote name='Panda'] I find many vegetarian receipes very tasty.[/quote][img]http://www.jyotibihanga.com/Images/Neatloaf.gif[/img]

Know what that is, Panda? That's neatloaf. Let that name sink in for a minute.

[b]Neatloaf.[/b]

On that note, I don't really have much to say that hasn't been said already. Just that the issues on Christianity and the Bible are wrong. People did indeed eat meat before the flood, and if they worshiped animals, then I think that particular group of people weren't exactly devout followers of the Bible, lol.

And I don't know where in all hell you got the idea that it's a Christian practice -- a Christian [i]stereotype[/i], even -- to say eating meat is bad. Most Christians do eat meat, and only those of us (I'm a Christian) who are both out of touch and knowledge with their faith and are total whackjobs will do what you say we all do.

Oh, and as a final note, joining PETA will take your influence down, and only down. They're a horribly ignorant organization ([i]for the larger part[/i]. They do have their competent people), and joining them will only make you a part of jokes and media fodder, not an organization that will help anyone or anything. If you really believe in saving animals, you'll be better off on your own or with a less radical organization.

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[quote name='Rhian][size=1][b]*sighs* Morpheus, hon, I'm a witch. I feel things on a spiritual level. *snorts* As I said, if you can't feel it, it ain't my fault. My friend tried to be a vegiatarian, but she had to have red meat. She almost made herself sick one time trying not eat red meat. I don't hate vegetarianism, its perfectly acceptable for those with a concious like that. What I hate is when people do what some Christians do: eating meat is bad! You shouldn't do it! And then they try to MAKE you vegetarian. *shudders*[/size'][/b][/quote]

[color=darkviolet]Ok, are you Wiccan too? Or just a witch? Because I know that many Wiccans are vegatarians (not me tho). Or maybe you're just saying it to sound cool...people do that too ya know.

And I kind of doubt that you're much of one since you're shoving it in Morpheus' face that you feel things on a 'Spiritual' level. It's not that I doubt that you do or not..it's just taht I've never known a carrot or broccoli to have a soul.

I've never heard of people getting sick from not having red meat. That just sounds odd.

And except for my grandma...who also thinks I should obey my husband and go back to Catholism and is just not a great Christian to go on, I've never heard of Christians forcing vegatarianism on people. I've honestly never gone to church and heard the priest tell people to go out into the world and make people convert to vegatarianism. That's like a high prieast or priestess telling their coven to go make animal sacrifices... it doesn't work that way....

Yeah, other [i]vegatarians[/i] may tray and convert you to vegatarianism. But not other religions. That's just messed up.

Oh, and Kane, from what I've grown up with-in Catholicism you give up eating meat (and you can't convince your parents that chicken isn't meat) on Ash Wednesday and every Friday during Lent. Other Christian religions just have you give up something for Lent since there isn't anything in the Bible about giving up meat for Lent. And I have no idea why Catholics do it...but they pray to saints too, so go figure.[/color]

[Adahn]

I feel the need to come to Rhian's defense here. You've simply misunderstood her. She related vegetarians saying eating meat is bad to Christians saying (insert sin) is bad. I myself don't completely understand how you could misunderstand her when her meaning seems very clear to me. Anyways, Morpheus was right about plants not feeling pain. Pain is a useful tool used by things that can move to recognize a threat to its well-being. Plants, having no ability to respond to physical damage, cannot feel pain. If you want to say that there is [i]something[/i] there, that's fine, but don't call it (physical) pain. Perhaps there is something on a spiritual level (emotional pain) that a plant could feel in sensing that its life is about to end.

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1][quote=Shado Mage] Just to let you know morpheus, a vegan diet is much healthier then a "normal" diet. And when I say healthier I mean less fats less calories, Yes you probly are missing a few essintals but thats what suplimentys are for. And while I'm not vegan I still havn't been able to awnser this question.

"How can you eat another animal, or something that comes from an animal." If you think about it your eating flesh and such. And why arn't the pro-life people after the egg farmers, they're killing baby chickens![/quote]

Supplements are healthy, and natural and wonderful. Why don't more people eat only supplements?

And Moprpheus is right [*shock, horror, calamity*], about the chickens, although I have a disquieting feeling that I was the one to inform him of that. Although it may have been Zeta...whatever.

Hens will lay eggs without the need for a rooster. This is all natural, and necessary to the biological processes of the chicken, heh. Humans just cash in on this fortunate series of events, like we do with bananas and...vitamin supplements...

[b]Edit[/b]: Oh, and the whole plant/pain thing? Sure, the fact that they can't run away is a factor, but plants also lack any form of co-ordinated nervous system. Which has a disasterous effect when they try to run. I mean have you ever seen a nerveless cauliflower try to outrun a hare?[/size]

[Skye]

[QUOTE=ChibiHorsewoman][color=darkviolet]Ok, are you Wiccan too? Or just a witch? Because I know that many Wiccans are vegatarians (not me tho). Or maybe you're just saying it to sound cool...people do that too ya know.

And I kind of doubt that you're much of one since you're shoving it in Morpheus' face that you feel things on a 'Spiritual' level. It's not that I doubt that you do or not..it's just taht I've never known a carrot or broccoli to have a soul.

I've never heard of people getting sick from not having red meat. That just sounds odd.[/color][/QUOTE]

[size=1][b]First: No, just a witch. Lets be specific, if you will; I'm a weather-hedge witch. So yeah. I don't usually tell people that, but when someone just doesn't get it the first time, I tend to elaborate.

And Kane: you misinterpreted me. I meant, I've known Christians who say 'If your not Christian, you're going to hell' and then try to make you Christian. I've had vegetarians do the same with meat. Thanks, Adahn.

And yes, my best friend DID nearly make herself sick. She has an odd blood condition, too. Sorry for any confusion.[/size][/b]

[celestialcharm]

To me food is food. If it tastes good I'll eat it unless its poison. I eat meat and veggies. I don't mind that the meat I'm eating used to be a living thing. I don't eat too much beef nowadays because of the mad cow business going on and off though. :D

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[QUOTE=Rhian][size=1][b]First: No, just a witch. Lets be specific, if you will; I'm a weather-hedge witch. So yeah. I don't usually tell people that, but when someone just doesn't get it the first time, I tend to elaborate.

And Kane: you misinterpreted me. I meant, I've known Christians who say 'If your not Christian, you're going to hell' and then try to make you Christian. I've had vegetarians do the same with meat. Thanks, Adahn.

And yes, my best friend DID nearly make herself sick. She has an odd blood condition, too. Sorry for any confusion.[/size][/b][/QUOTE]

[color=darkviolet]Yeah, I guess I understand now. Just as long as you understand why I asked if you were wiccan and a witch or just a witch. Since you can be one and not the other or both. I kind of consider myself a kitchen witch since I mess around with herbs and stuff in the kitchen.

Yeah, I guess if you read too fast, which I did and I appologize, it looks like you're saying that Christians try to force you to become vegatarians. Well, there was that mass in Texas I went to where the priest was talking about being a cabbage, but I think he may have been making fun of Veggie Tales.

Interesting. My holier than thou grandma was put on a vegatarian diet by her nut bar dr because she had rhuematic fever twice. It's worked out pretty well for her...but she's started eating chicken again and she can't call herself a true vegan because she eats cheese.

OK, I'm glad we've cleared that up and I hope I wasn't too much of a witch with a capital B.[/color]

[Juu]

[size=1]I can't say I'd like to go vegetarian, but I'd really like to base my diet more around vegetables than meat. My best friend's family is Buddhist, and they have vegetables as the 'main course' with a very small portion of meat every day and every time I eat over, I just feel better. Plus, the way they cook it, it tastes very good. And it's not just like having raw salad daily. I definitely couldn't live like that.

I find giving up foods for religious beliefs a bit silly, though. Just the thought of being smote down with a lightning fist for taking a bite out of a sandwich. But that's just me. [/size]

[Mysia]

Yes, I'm a vegetarian but not mainly because I don't like to eat dead animals but because I want to save the nature. Umm, does this make sense? ^^;

[Sara]

[quote name='CowTipper']P.S. I do like plant food[/quote][color=#ff6600]That just came out funny. :)

I am not a vegetarian. However, my mom is. It was a choice she made when I was younger, so after the initial weirdness (what's left for you to [i]eat[/i]?!), it's always been very normal to me.

I think that you need to be careful when talking about this topic. Perhaps it's just me and the way I was raised, but personal lifestyle choices (such as the decision not to eat meat for the rest of your life) become a big part of who you are.

Bumpersticker sayings like "If we weren't supposed to eat animals, why are they made out of meat?" have always made me a little angry. While funny in an isolated setting, they're often said in context (or intonation) of condemnation. Not in every context (and I'm not chiding CHW), but they are generally used by 'omnivores' in blind defense of the fact they do eat meat, and often, as an attack on vegetarians.

I somehow expected people to be more mature about the topic as I got older. But, no, I still get the same knee-jerk reactions from people that I did in middle school. It's not always a bright world.

I occasionally go for a week or so while making an effort not to eat meat. I never try for longer than that, as I'm not sure that I'm eating healthily enough, and I realise that I'm not necessarily informed enough about my dietary needs to be sure I'm getting what I need.

That's actually the primary reasonable argument I've heard against vegetarianism (and it always amuses me that people, unattacked, feel the need to [i]defend[/i] that they are omnivorous--clearly, that is the norm; you don't need to explain yourself). Simply that the human body is designed to eat both meat and vegetables, and many people (including, but not limited to, teenage girls who want to lose weight), when "going veg" don't know enough to eat healthily when avoiding meat products.

That's true. However, there are--and this has changed dramatically even over the last few years--an increasing number of vegetarian options available. I could get into them, but I won't, unless someone asks my opionion on vegetarian hot dogs. ;)

And if you're aware of what you are doing, you can be perfectly healthy living on a meat-free diet. I believe my mom is a testament to this.

[size=1]carrot juice is murder,
Sara[/size][/color]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[QUOTE=Lore][color=#ff6600] Bumpersticker sayings like "If we weren't supposed to eat animals, why are they made out of meat?" have always made me a little angry. While funny in an isolated setting, they're often said in context (or intonation) of condemnation. Not in every context (and I'm not chiding CHW), but they are generally used by 'omnivores' in blind defense of the fact they do eat meat, and often, as an attack on vegetarians

[size=1]carrot juice is murder,
Sara[/size][/color][/QUOTE]


[color=darkviolet]I only used it once, in response to my grandma saying how healthy her 'vegan' diet is and all this other stuff. Oh, and I was about 12.

I didn't mean it as an offense of any kind. Well, except to my grandma who offends people in her own little way. and I appologize if anyone took offense to it.

Yes, I know you didn't mean anything by saying what you did, but I have a bad habit of appologizing if I feel I may have offended anyone. Heck, I even appologized in the marijuana thread ..well, ok, I was wrong about something. Keh...

But...if we didn't eat the cows, wouldn't they start uprisings in small towns in Texas?
Chibi Horswwoman

[/color]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1][quote name='Lore']That's actually the primary reasonable argument I've heard against vegetarianism (and it always amuses me that people, unattacked, feel the need to defend that they are omnivorous--clearly, that is the norm; you don't need to explain yourself). Simply that the human body is designed to eat both meat and vegetables, and many people (including, but not limited to, teenage girls who want to lose weight), when "going veg" don't know enough to eat healthily when avoiding meat products.[/quote]
What about vegetarians/vegans [everyone knows that they're two different things, right?] who call those who eat meat 'monsters' and ask us how we can possibly 'murder an innocent animal'?

You get reasonable people who feel that vegetarianism is the way for them, and you get unreasonable people who feel that vegetarianism is the way for [b]all[/b].[/size]