S/O: Article: Why Vegetarians are Eating Meat - XP

cme25

DharmaChick:

ETA: I'm not sure what you mean about them being able to 'thrive' better on meat, though.  I could understand this if there was not appropriate/sufficient vegetation possible, but if there was, why would meat be 'better'?

I was thinking that as far as natural sources of protein go, killing and cleaning a buffalo is time-consuming and difficult, but probably still less so than gathering and shelling the protein-equivalent amount of nuts! [:-p] Small tribes were able to kill a handful of buffalo each year to get the majority of their meat, plus use the hides, bones, hooves, etc. To get the same amount of protein gathering nuts and wild legumes...  that would take a lot!!

SuperGreen

Alisha_A:

Wait, you make burgers for guests?? Wow, I would never think to serve something I wouldn't normally eat at my own house!! Why not make stuff that shows off how good eating vegetarian can be?

Yup, I make burgers for guests.  Our friends won't come over unless I make meat for them.  My father too.  When I propose dinner, they say something like "And what are you making for ME?"  I ask them to try a bit of my vegetarian meal and they decline.

Alisha_A:

People are so weird. I remember once in high school I was eating a veggie sandwich, and this girl said "eww gross". Huh?? Its the same thing as your sandwich, except without the dead animal. Not having dead animal is gross??

I know right!  People don't think of meat as dead animals.  In our everday use of language we choose words that ease our discomfort and inure us to that which might be ugly, dirty, or just discomforting.  We tend to sugarcoat what we eat with language that conceals what we're actually putting in our mouths.  For example, the word "meat" is preferred over "flesh" or even "animal."  We don't use pigs, cows, or deer, instead we order pork, beef, or venison.  We order bacon or veal, not "prime cuts of pig" or "thin slices of calves."

Jeff & Em

SuperGreen:

Alisha_A:

Wait, you make burgers for guests?? Wow, I would never think to serve something I wouldn't normally eat at my own house!! Why not make stuff that shows off how good eating vegetarian can be?

Yup, I make burgers for guests.  Our friends won't come over unless I make meat for them.  My father too.  When I propose dinner, they say something like "And what are you making for ME?"  I ask them to try a bit of my vegetarian meal and they decline.

Wow, that's crazy they won't come otherwise.  When a friend came to visit I was panicking because I know she keeps Kosher, and I didn't know what to feed her.  I was all ready to go buy a set of stainless steel pans so she wouldn't starve.

You should totally move to the west coast.  : )  Even our local doughnut place does things like make vegan doughnuts so everyone can eat them and be fat and happy. 

DharmaChick

SuperGreen:

I know right!  People don't think of meat as dead animals.  In our everday use of language we choose words that ease our discomfort and inure us to that which might be ugly, dirty, or just discomforting.  We tend to sugarcoat what we eat with language that conceals what we're actually putting in our mouths.  For example, the word "meat" is preferred over "flesh" or even "animal."  We don't use pigs, cows, or deer, instead we order pork, beef, or venison.  We order bacon or veal, not "prime cuts of pig" or "thin slices of calves."

This always drives me nuts, so when I do have friends that tend make fun of my diet, I call things what they are on their plate.  A former roommate of mine used to make steaks fairly often, and thaw them out on the counter or table.  It was gross, because it would leak as it thawed.  When I first mentioned that there was cow blood on the counter, the roommates who heard me freaked out, until they saw the steak - when they relaxed and said "oh, she's just talking about the 'steak juice' that is dripping."  Yeah... "steak juice".... riiiiight.  Whatever makes you feel better!  Maybe if you don't like what it really is, you shouldn't eat it.

SuperGreen

I know Jeff & Em, I totally would love to be a West Coast girl.  Our long-term plan is to move to Ithaca in upstate NY where DH's family is. Home of the famous Moosewood Restaurant and as crunchy of a granola town as you can get.  Signs for the Farmer's Market everywhere, adorable shops with fair trade goods and local wine, it's going to be awesome!

DharmaChick, I totally agree with you.  But so many people just don't care, even when you do explain what they're actually eating.  My dad eats veal all the time, even in front of me, and I always say, "Dad, that's a baby cow that's been chained in a crate where it can't stand up its whole life."  His response, "I know, that's what makes it tender!"  He has no consideration of animals suffering for human consumption at all.  But when he reads about a pyschopathic kid killing a cat or something in the paper, he's all mad about "what's happening to our society."

Alisha_A

DharmaChick:

SuperGreen:

I know right!  People don't think of meat as dead animals.  In our everday use of language we choose words that ease our discomfort and inure us to that which might be ugly, dirty, or just discomforting.  We tend to sugarcoat what we eat with language that conceals what we're actually putting in our mouths.  For example, the word "meat" is preferred over "flesh" or even "animal."  We don't use pigs, cows, or deer, instead we order pork, beef, or venison.  We order bacon or veal, not "prime cuts of pig" or "thin slices of calves."

This always drives me nuts, so when I do have friends that tend make fun of my diet, I call things what they are on their plate.  A former roommate of mine used to make steaks fairly often, and thaw them out on the counter or table.  It was gross, because it would leak as it thawed.  When I first mentioned that there was cow blood on the counter, the roommates who heard me freaked out, until they saw the steak - when they relaxed and said "oh, she's just talking about the 'steak juice' that is dripping."  Yeah... "steak juice".... riiiiight.  Whatever makes you feel better!  Maybe if you don't like what it really is, you shouldn't eat it.

Yeah, steak juice...right...

I do say things like steak, etc, and I do eat some meat, although primarily salmon, shrimp, and crab, but I'm very aware of where my meat comes from and always have been. I don't just mean like good sources, but acknowledging that its an animal that died for me to eat it.

SuperGreen:

Yup, I make burgers for guests.  Our friends won't come over unless I make meat for them.  My father too.  When I propose dinner, they say something like "And what are you making for ME?"  I ask them to try a bit of my vegetarian meal and they decline.

This is just crazy to me. I don't expect everyone to happily chow down on tofurkey (heck, I don't think I want tofurkey), but to demand people make things that go against their beliefs is just...well shockingly audacious and disrespectful to me!

I'd just make a joke like 'you'll see!' and make something like really great tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, you know, gourmet-style!

There's NO way I'd regularly get dragged to eat at a restaurant I didn't like, or make things I was opposed to for others. I can't help but think being so accomodating only adds to the issue. I don't think you have to make a big deal out of it, but you also don't have to just go along with everyone either.