Uh-oh... Does this change the mind of any vegetarians or vegans?

Wow way to troll.  No thanks sooners.  I would rather not become Jain and by that path, committ ritual suicide which is what I'm sure you're implying would be the only path I should take if I want to be consistent as a Vegan.

Truth be told, I'm a Health not a Moral Vegan.  I think it's inherently healthier to not eat meat or any other animal product.

 
Not trying to troll, just thought it was interesting. I can understand the health aspects of choosing Vegan. I also understand some people's "ethics" of not wanting to eat animals , but that doesn't mean I want them to impose that on me. I couldn't kill an animal myself to eat it, but I do enjoy eating meat. So I don't like people telling me I shouldn't eat meat when it's a natural part of the food chain, and the typical argument is that you are inflicting pain on living creatures. Thus, this seemed relevant, too.

 
I'm not vegetarian but the article is a little click-baity anyway.  A type of plant has adapted to respond to a specific stimuli (vibrations from a caterpillar eating leaves) by secreting oils.  That's not much different from all the other ways plants adapt to avoid being eaten (thorns, toxins, galls, etc) aside from its specificity.  Which actually works against the idea that plants "know" when they're being eaten -- if it's a cow eating it instead of the particular vibrations of a caterpillar, you don't see the same reaction.

 
soonersfan60 said:
Not trying to troll, just thought it was interesting. I can understand the health aspects of choosing Vegan. I also understand some people's "ethics" of not wanting to eat animals , but that doesn't mean I want them to impose that on me.
Click to expand...
Wait. You think that vegetarians and vegans have the political leverage to impose their dietary restrictions on you?

Or that you'd simply rather not be around people who aren't exactly like you?

I have loads of vegan friends, and they tend to cook really good food (largely out of necessity, because they're not going to find decent/edible food at Taco Bell, nor in mass-produced from-the-factory-to-your-grocer box foods. They have to make good meals or create a reasonable facsimile of existing foods.

Vegans, to me, aren't preachy. They're creative and wonderful cooks. And, certainly, there are potato-chip-and-french-fry vegans (i.e., those who eat dreadfully bad and/or can't cook). But look around you at your friends, family, and yourselves. You don't need dietary restrictions to have a horrible diet.

Sounds like y'all just want to live in a world where everyone is exactly like you are. Count me out of that action. Blech.

 
Nope, I have friends who are Vegans, too. (Do you really want to play that game, Mike?) Perhaps "impose" was not the best choice of words because Vegans are typically less militant than other liberal leaning groups, but I do stand by the sentiment. Anyone can do whatever they want as long as they don't try to make me do what they want.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I suppose. On a scale of "try this, it's vegan!" to something more insane and PETA oriented, where do you personally see the line where "make me do what they want" is crossed? (I'm asking sincerely - I can't tell you you're wrong or disagree, since I'm actually asking your opinion.)

I guess I see both sides of it. Plenty of people of ALL dietary types can be adamant doofuses about it. Vegetarians and vegans are by no stretch of the imagination the most likely to be that way - but since we don't share their dietary views, we're more likely to notice it than when some dumbass rambles about "fighting to the top of the food chain," when in fact he was merely born middle-class into a post-industrialized, first world nation (and didn't fight to the bottom of anything, let alone the top, by the time that first sweet, sweet chicken mcnugget hits his maw).

So I get defensive of vegetarians because they're unfairly singled out (we're ALL diet assholes), and they also bring us clever, tasty, healthy food that we'd not otherwise get. They're, in fact, to me, better allies than meat-eaters, because they construct pragmatic recipes to get around their diet. carnivores just wanna go to fuckin' Applebee's.

 
When I wrote my initial post, I was thinking PETA... when I read your reply, I was thinking about the friends I have from India. (I like that they took me to the out of the way places that weren't touristy to eat, and I loved some of the food. I even did the McDonald's thing in India and thought that was cool, too.)

I was with you until you wrote about "post-industrialized' something or other, and then my eyes glazed over. You're definitely more into it than I am. My whole big thing is that we're all going to die, so I might as well eat what I enjoy (as long as it's not to excess, but then I don't want to be the obesity police either... ok, let's not go there). As I always say, I can eat a perfect diet then get hit by a bus tomorrow (or be like Linda McCartney who got cancer anyway... which is sad). But I do enjoy a variety of foods, and eating exotic foods when I travel is almost a hobby... the list is long and varied and strange.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I fully support enjoying as wide variety of foods as you can.

But I won't judge someone for criticizing a diet until they've actually done just that - which is true of damn near everybody of any possible dietary restriction.

Which is, I suppose, my question - why is this an issue if everyone does it?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top