Vegetarians or Vegans?

Godsend · 05-04-2008, 11:57 PM

Are there any vegetarians or vegans on this board?

I recently became a vegetarian a couple weeks ago (close to two months actually?). I chose to do so for philosophical/ethical reasons. No religious backing of any type or sort. I am very sad that I hadn't made this choice when I was younger or was taught it to be honest.

Anyways, how's life for you (that is if you're a vegetarian)?

I've expanded my mindset on vegetarianism and looked at fur, leather, and etc. Though I don't have a car with leather seats, I have one with interior that has some leather along with the steering wheel. I sort of become sick to my stomach at time, but I suck it up by thinking of a republican being blown up.

Mercedes Benz offers leatherless options for all its car and backs it up with either cloth or synthetic leather. Go PETA.

So how about yalls? *shrug*

Sheed30 · 05-05-2008, 12:35 AM

that sucks......

OKgirl · 05-05-2008, 12:41 AM

I've wanted to become one for a long time, but it is so hard to get things from restaurants without meat. The only meat I actually eat is chicken.

Do you find it hard to eat out? Most vegetarians I know end up cooking their meals at home and when they eat out they just get a salad.

Godsend · 05-05-2008, 01:01 AM

Sheed, God doesn't exist. ROFL. Are you a muslim btw?

I think you only find it hard to eat outside if you have friends that are animal eating, life hating, God fearing dudettes. But if you truly want to live your life, it's fine. I usually get fries or something along the lines of that. Chipotle is great. I also do with veggie burgers too. It's actually not bad. Just put some bread inbetween your salad. Not bad at all.

I also am of Indian descent and we have lots of veggie dishes. I also cook pasta, mac and cheese, corn, etc. Soups are great as well.

It seems as if food becomes so limited when you stop eating meat, but your eyes truly open. I'll admit it's hard. I stopped by dropping red meat all together and sticking to chicken and fish and what not. Then I just dropped it one day.

Quote:

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
- Mahatma Gandhi

You put a baby in a crib with an apple and a rabbit. If it eats the rabbit and plays with the apple, I'll buy you a new car. ~Harvey Diamond

One farmer says to me, "You cannot live on vegetable food solely, for it furnishes nothing to make the bones with;" and so he religiously devotes a part of his day to supplying himself with the raw material of bones; walking all the while he talks behind his oxen, which, with vegetable-made bones, jerk him and his lumbering plow along in spite of every obstacle. ~Henry David Thoreau

Hope you can all learn a lesson as I shove my beliefs down your throats.

afruff23 · 05-05-2008, 01:07 AM

You know PETA kills people right? Not to mention animals.

It sucks that you chose to become vegetarian on ethical grounds, because tractor farming kills tons of animals. You'll have to either grow your own food or make sure the source of your food does not use tractors.

This is a conservative estimate of how many animals are killed with crop production.
Submission to the Journal for Agricultural and Environmental Ethics

In any case, what is your criteria for determining if it is ethical to eat something or not?

Plants can feel pain. They exhibit chemical responses to injuries just like animals. Also, we know that cows, chickens, and fish are not sapient. I wouldn't eat a monkey since it is somewhat sapient.

So your criteria for not eating something cannot be sapience or feeling pain. What is it then?

afruff23 · 05-05-2008, 01:10 AM

Oh, and to make myself clearer: I am not a vegetarian but I realize the immense health benefits of it and veganism. The Thoreau quote was not new information to me; the calcium milk commercials in the US are a bunch of propaganda and Americans eat way too much protein.

UnleashedFury · 05-05-2008, 01:20 AM

Why is eating a plant any more moral than eating an animal? They're both alive.

afruff23 · 05-05-2008, 01:23 AM

@UnleashedFury

Being "alive" is not a criteria at all. Bacteria are alive and you kill them all the time. Simply being an organism does not entail a right to live; if that were the case, then all does who believed that would have to kill themselves in order to not harm bacteria.

In any case, the 2 criteria vegetarians and vegans use (according to my understanding) is sapience and feeling pain.

k14 · 05-05-2008, 01:35 AM

I've been a vegetarian from birth....for religious reasons, but now it's more a way of life

it's annoying sometimes, when I go grocery shopping, I have to read the ingredients for EVERYTHING. And if i'm unsure about something, I can't eat it.

And since I don't eat at places like Mcdonalds' or Wendy's or whatever, it's not too much of a problem eating out. But I can't eat at places like seafood restaurants and local shops (considering I lived in asia before, this was a problem). But I love my cultural food, and we have a ton of options, so it's all good.

I've never wished that I could eat meat, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to remain this way for the rest of my life. My friends tell me I'm missing out, though

And speaking of annoying...sometimes I end up annoying the restaurant-people, since I double and triple-check the ingredients. lol they get ****ed off, but I just want to be sure

Sheed30 · 05-05-2008, 01:43 AM

Godsend, yea I'm a Muslim....and I find you quite funny to tell you the truth...

but still, are you saying that you don't eat meat because it's unethical/hurts animals, or because you think it's healthier..or something...

afruff23 · 05-05-2008, 01:46 AM

@Sheed30

He/she said unethical.

I think it's kind of obvious that it is healthier to be vegetarian or vegan though. All modern science points towards this conclusion and nutrients are available through plants since some animals only eat plants and get all the nutrients they need.

UnleashedFury · 05-05-2008, 02:25 AM

Quote:

In any case, the 2 criteria vegetarians and vegans use (according to my understanding) is sapience and feeling pain.

Those criteria seem sort of arbitrary to me. Why is some life more important than other life?

SkyGirl · 05-05-2008, 02:30 AM

I do feel it is more healthier choice. I am gonna be a true blue vegan for 3 years, come this June.
I think it is very healthy choice, AND since the world is going on a food crisis right now it could be a practical one perhaps in the future

I like to say no regrets, but my progress is last year, every time I pass by McDonald, cows start to dance in front of my eyes, and my stomach will growl to me saying TRAITOR.
But this year, I feel a wee bit sick when I smell meat cooking. So I figure now my stomach can't hold any meat at all.
Your system will get used to the non-meat after while, and after a while, if u wanna switch back, your digestive system might have some problem since it has been used to soft stuff.

My future college has a separate vegan menu, my luck. But sometimes, not all vegans get lucky when u go out.
I don't think I am a vegan for ethical reasons entirely. It is just something I decided to do on a whim one day.

afruff23 · 05-05-2008, 02:35 AM

Quote:

Those criteria seem sort of arbitrary to me. Why is some life more important than other life?

Barring lifeboat situations, you would have no ethical qualms with eating humans? If so, you have made "some life more important than other life". The criteria you used here was likely sapience.

That is my criteria: is it sapient or not?

piccolojunior · 05-05-2008, 11:51 AM

Go PETA? haha wow no comment

I'm guessing you aren't an athlete then...

Also, if you're going to become a vegetarian, then don't kill any insects. Ever. Hey, they're animals too right?