Being vegan..what does it mean to you?

HRH_MUngo

UKTigerlily wrote: »

Consider how much meat eating is pushed in your face without you even realising? Take away the animals, replace with children. Everywhere you go there're ads for the flesh of kids, products tested on caged kids who live their entire lives in labs, dr's saying you need to eat child flesh for protein or adult breast milk for calcium (wrong)


What if it's dogs? People go mad about dogs in hot cars, kittens put in microwaves, then go eat eggs (when baby male chicks all go live thru a macerator and are shredded). Meat, dairy and eggs are actually what's pushed in your face, yet we're so used to it we don't realise


Never seen all the McD's, KFC & Burger King ads? Happy cows? Happy chickens? free range organic red tractor approved? All lies and marketing gimmicks.


And if something was happening you disagreed with, where the most vulnerable couldn't speak up and were abused for no reason, if you'd stay silent it says a lot about you (not saying you would, but if I see wrong, I speak up)

I do not eat much meat and very little red meat. I eat fish and eggs. I do not approve of the cruelty but I also know that human beings are omnivorous and eat accordingly.

Also, although I believe that the animals should be treated decently, I do not believe that a chicken is as important as a child.

Tell me, do you consider abortion as important as killing a baby chicken? Not you personally, just a general question to those who espouse a similar philosophy to the one you mention. I consider abortion to be killing babies. I know it is sometimes unfortunately necessary, but I will always think that is a far greater evil than killing animals to eat.

There, now I have gone all preachy as well. Each to their own.

need_an_answer

Its been an interested read...thank you all for your views.

For the record,I am educated I like everyone else make their choices according to my own beliefs and I'm certainly no sheeple.

I raised the thread predominantly following a conversation I had recently with friends where we talked about the glut of plant and vegan placed products that seem to be appearing for sale.

The question came up around what do vegans make of this...do they welcome it or not?
Does it make more people decide to be vegan and those who are influenced by the shop shelves are you doing it because of a perceived health benefit or for the reason of animal welfare.

Personally I will leave the processed vegan stuff on the shelves for the next man...although as I said previously I'm not against meat free days/periods as a combination of part of our families day to day living.

I am perhaps an advocate of simple living and actually think the diet that was around during the war was perhaps a very sustainable way to live.
Fresh veg a little meat and dairy and rationing...not everyone's cup of tea but it certainly runs rings round some of the food stuffs we currently eat.

Whatever your persuasion..be happy and confident in your choice.
If we all held the same opinion the world would be a duller place.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I've been a vegetarian for 30 years and these are my observations:


-nobody has ever been converted by sanctimonious preaching
-non-vegetarians are really obsessed by protein intake
-non-vegetarians are really obsessed by bacon
-veggie burgers/sausages are made in the same shape for ease of packaging, not as some kind of deliberate insult to meat-eaters
-an awful lot of meat substitute products are very unhealthy
-veggies are great. We should just eat more of them (ideally seasonal and local) full stop.


Tried some "oat drink" when on offer this month. Seriously revolting stuff.

Sea_Shell

Where do strict ethical vegans draw the line when it comes to animal exploitation for human gain?

eg. not wearing wool.

Do they own pets?
Where do they draw the line with "working" animals?

Do they disagree with Horseriding (for pleasure), guide dogs, sniffer dogs, etc...

Lots of animals are used (bred) purely for service to humans.

Even your pet dog or cat only exists because a human wants it!!

I'm genuinely curious.

BrassicWoman

Sea_Shell wrote: »

Where do strict ethical vegans draw the line when it comes to animal exploitation for human gain?

eg. not wearing wool.

Do they own pets?
Where do they draw the line with "working" animals?

Do they disagree with Horseriding (for pleasure), guide dogs, sniffer dogs, etc...

Lots of animals are used (bred) purely for service to humans.

Even your pet dog or cat only exists because a human wants it!!

I'm genuinely curious.

the vegan society has a web page which will answer all these questions.

SuperPikachu

My girlfriend calls herself vegan. It is easier than saying she is a dairy intolerant vegetarian and helps now more people understand what it means. Some of the looks we have had over the years have been bizarre.

I know a vegan who won't eat honey because the Bees are "used" to make it.

JuzaMum

Smodlet wrote: »

The one thing I can't stand is the hypocrisy: I have worked with (widely) self-proclaimed "vegetarians" who ate fish because, "You can't get everything you need from vegetarian food." They were "fish-and-chipocrites" (love that) They also widely proclaimed their teetotal status... Until one of them posted pictures of himself drinking beer (under the title, "Drinkin' beer") on his website.

I always thought the name for a vegetarian who eats fish was a hypocrite.

Smodlet wrote: »

Were we all to abandon eating meat, pigs and almost all sheep would have no reason to exist. Who uses wool nowadays? There would still be cows while dairy products were allowed and chickens so long as we could still eat eggs but, were we all to become vegans, there would be no reason for farm animals to exist so they would cease to do so.

The world is full of 'non useful' animals. I'm sure they would still exist but in much, much smaller number.

onwards&upwards

HRH_MUngo wrote: »

My mum never called herself a vegan. She was vegetarian but ate very little dairy.

It was you calling her ‘almost vegan’ that I was laughing at.

Smodlet

JuzaMum wrote: »

I always thought the name for a vegetarian who eats fish was a hypocrite.

Oh, get a sense of humour!


The world is full of 'non useful' animals. I'm sure they would still exist but in much, much smaller number.

I think all animals are wonderful and quite a few are smarter than us but lack the violent tendencies required to dominate other species. Humans are the only species who actively destroy their habitat; we all know this. The problem with this planet is not methane-belching ruminants, it is far too many humans but, unless you agree with A.L.I.E.'s solution to the problem, we are stuck with it.

Meanwhile, I will eat what I please.

Gavin83

UKTigerlily wrote: »

I love new plantbased foods, the reason there is fake meat is because we like the taste of it & want the taste, but without the cruelty; if you can get the same taste without the harm to animals and the planet, why wouldn't you?

Look I have no issue with vegetables and vegan foods, I have a bit of a thing for Aldi's vegan nuggets. Also if you like the taste of it that's great. However please don't pretend you can get the same taste as meat. There really isn't a vegan 'meat' product out there that tastes the same as the actual thing.

If they ever do develop a vegan meat substitute that's so accurate I can't tell the difference I'll give up meat. Until then I'll stick with my current diet.

UKTigerlily wrote: »

What if it's dogs? People go mad about dogs in hot cars, kittens put in microwaves, then go eat eggs (when baby male chicks all go live thru a macerator and are shredded). Meat, dairy and eggs are actually what's pushed in your face, yet we're so used to it we don't realise

I actually don't really get why vegans have an issue with eggs. Chickens naturally produce eggs, most unfertilised which they ignore and I assume they just rot away. Ignoring the commercial side of egg production if you have your own free range chickens naturally producing eggs what's the issue with eating those?

And I've actually eaten dog meat, although obviously not in the UK. For the record it really doesn't taste that nice.

Smodlet wrote: »

I think all animals are wonderful and quite a few are smarter than us but lack the violent tendencies required to dominate other species.

Just to check this is a joke right?