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A reasonable question? ... penny for your thoughts
- Thread starter kenny
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Peruvian Guinea Pig (Cuy) Delicacy Recipe
Guinea pig (Cuy) is a delicacy that is very typically associated with typical Peruvian cuisine but it is also eaten throughout other countries of South America such as Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia. The Peruvian guinea pig dish, cuy,
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My basic premise; don't eat the ones you know personally.
siamese3
Brilliant_Rock
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I actually think about this more and more the older I get. I guess I am a flexitarian, but I very rarely eat meat, and anymore, it kind of creeps me out. I think about humans basically being meat and bones with a brain, and hopefully, a heart, and I think that pretty much sums up animals. I have no judgement against anyone who chooses to eat meat, but I think the way we treat animals, and how isolated we are from the process of killing and preparing animals makes it pretty easy not to think of meat as coming from living things. I think, in general, humans eat too much meat and that creates a host of issues. I think I like the idea of having reverence for any animal that has lived and died to sustain humans. I think, like everything in life, it can be very simple, or a bit complex or anywhere in between, but for me, it's harder the older I get to not think about it.
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If one gets hungry enough all animals are food....
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Donner Party - Wikipedia
Ibrakeforpossums
Ideal_Rock
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I just marked 20 years in September since becoming vegetarian. I don’t think I’ll ever go back. I grew up on a farm with a mother who tried to force me to eat beef and pork; I always felt so uncomfortable and would hide what was on my plate or sneak it to the dogs. And, like @siamese3 likened eating mammals to taking a bite of my own arm.
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We're mammalian omnivores, animals, and we eat other animals just like other animals eat other animals. There is evidence that certain plants and trees are altruistic. If we are concerned about eating things that have emotions/feelings similar to ours and those who "feel" in a different way than we do, we'd have to survive on water and air.
I've never liked meat and don't eat it. What appalls me is how our meat animals are raised and slaughtered and how little regard people who eat meat seem to have for how their meat reaches their tables. There are cultures that honor and thank the animals they eat for giving their lives and those cultures are more closely attuned to nature in general and understand their place in it and their duty toward it. We're not like that overall although there seems to be a growing number of humans who are catching on.
Climate change will eventually make agricultural animals a rare commodity. Those who don't understand why should educate themselves.
For those who think, meh, they're only animals, gimme my steak, I recommend reading Meat by Joseph D'Lacey. It's a dystopian novel that delivers a gut punch of a lesson.
I've never liked meat and don't eat it. What appalls me is how our meat animals are raised and slaughtered and how little regard people who eat meat seem to have for how their meat reaches their tables. There are cultures that honor and thank the animals they eat for giving their lives and those cultures are more closely attuned to nature in general and understand their place in it and their duty toward it. We're not like that overall although there seems to be a growing number of humans who are catching on.
Climate change will eventually make agricultural animals a rare commodity. Those who don't understand why should educate themselves.
For those who think, meh, they're only animals, gimme my steak, I recommend reading Meat by Joseph D'Lacey. It's a dystopian novel that delivers a gut punch of a lesson.
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I tried going vegan for about half a year back in '08. It didn't work for me.
It was too difficult making meals for my non-vegan family, and while I'm not crazy about beef (which DH and DD love), I do enjoy ham, chicken and sometimes lamb and rabbit. And I love seafood! But the worst for me would be giving up eggs and all other dairy products-- cheeses in particular. I would also miss the occasional ice cream. I have yet to taste a vegan cheese I like.
I am trying to shift toward cooking less meat and more legumes, though. It's better for our health, for our wallets, and for the planet.
It was too difficult making meals for my non-vegan family, and while I'm not crazy about beef (which DH and DD love), I do enjoy ham, chicken and sometimes lamb and rabbit. And I love seafood! But the worst for me would be giving up eggs and all other dairy products-- cheeses in particular. I would also miss the occasional ice cream. I have yet to taste a vegan cheese I like.
I am trying to shift toward cooking less meat and more legumes, though. It's better for our health, for our wallets, and for the planet.
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I'll eat meat, but only meat that has been raised and slaughtered humanely. There are worse things than death - and the way we treat our produce animals is often one of them.
While I'm willing to eat meat, I rarely do. Mostly, I'm pescatarian, and will have fish even for events like Christmas and Thanksgiving.
I do buy leather handbags and shoes, but I don't do leather upholstery anymore - either in my home or in my car. And I'm moving away from leather handbags and shoes; the older I get, the more I think killing a little animal so we can steal its skin is nauseating.
I've been both vegetarian and vegan for long periods of time, but a vegan or vegetarian diet is generally very high in carbs and, since I now have to take steroids every day of my life, carbs + steroids are the fast track to diabetes. So I try to stay away from carbs in general, and that leaves me eating quite a lot of animal protein.
Anyway, all that to say, I've never liked eating meat - especially mammals (it's like eating the family!) - and am moving back towards vegetariansim as I get older.
But I'll always eat honey. And avocados. Some forms of veganism are a bridge too far for me.
While I'm willing to eat meat, I rarely do. Mostly, I'm pescatarian, and will have fish even for events like Christmas and Thanksgiving.
I do buy leather handbags and shoes, but I don't do leather upholstery anymore - either in my home or in my car. And I'm moving away from leather handbags and shoes; the older I get, the more I think killing a little animal so we can steal its skin is nauseating.
I've been both vegetarian and vegan for long periods of time, but a vegan or vegetarian diet is generally very high in carbs and, since I now have to take steroids every day of my life, carbs + steroids are the fast track to diabetes. So I try to stay away from carbs in general, and that leaves me eating quite a lot of animal protein.
Anyway, all that to say, I've never liked eating meat - especially mammals (it's like eating the family!) - and am moving back towards vegetariansim as I get older.
But I'll always eat honey. And avocados. Some forms of veganism are a bridge too far for me.
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I’m vegetarian, but just because I don’t like most meats. I wouldn’t eat any animal I know personally if I could avoid it, but if I don’t personally know the source, meat is meat. It’s food.
I do wish that the animals used for meat were raised and slaughtered better, both for their good and ours.
I do wish that the animals used for meat were raised and slaughtered better, both for their good and ours.
jaysonsmom
Ideal_Rock
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I agree with the some previous posters that I could never eat an animal that I know personally or raised myself on a farm. Although the majority of my family still eat meat, I myself prefer fish and seafood, and love all things plant-based, especially tofu. Also, I think animal by-products such as eggs, milk, honey are okay as long as they are obtained from an ethical and humane source.
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Daisys and Diamonds
Super_Ideal_Rock
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I'm an omnivore, but agree 100% that all animals (food and otherwise) should be treated as humanly as possible.
Unfortunately the elephant in THAT room is money.
Yes, a few will pay more for organic produce, and humanely raised meat.
But the #1 priority of the vast majority of shoppers is lowest price.
Reality: The inhumanity of the meat industry is the cheapest way, most-profitable way.
It's giving the public what it wants.
Enter Economics 101: Public demand for the cheapest meat far exceeds that for humanely-raised meat.
So, don't just blame the industry because the public shares the blame.
Good bad right or wrong, money is king.
Ya know, Capitalism.
Unfortunately the elephant in THAT room is money.
Yes, a few will pay more for organic produce, and humanely raised meat.
But the #1 priority of the vast majority of shoppers is lowest price.
Reality: The inhumanity of the meat industry is the cheapest way, most-profitable way.
It's giving the public what it wants.
Enter Economics 101: Public demand for the cheapest meat far exceeds that for humanely-raised meat.
So, don't just blame the industry because the public shares the blame.
Good bad right or wrong, money is king.
Ya know, Capitalism.
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There's family farms (which I prefer to buy from) and there's factory farms. Factory farms will get you cheap food. Family farms not as cheap though sometimes cheaper than some grocery stores.
Also, ecoli can be on anything. remember when all that romaine lettuce and strawberries coming out of certain states?: McDonald's E. coli crisis reveals why vegetable contamination is harder problem than beef
While meat can and has sickened people, if its properly cooked and handled there's less problem. Raw vegetables tend to be the most problematic.
People do need to know where their food comes from, they need to also understand that ecoli is part of the ecosystem of how vegetables are grown, especially in places where that food is grown outside and what can happen if they're eaten raw.
This said, I kinda take some chances because I purchase the bulk of my food from local farm stands. I'm supporting my local economy in this way and I know where a good deal of the food comes from. These are not the big corporate farms, they're family owned and run, and they sell to a lot of local restaurants, have their own farm stands sell at many farmer markets throughout the state. Plus I get the opportunity to buy a lot of things because of the long grow season here. The downside is the fact that if there's an ecoli outbreak at any of these farms, I won't know unless I get sick. There won't be any bulletins out about so and so's farm unless its wide spread enough that enough people got sick/die.
I've been very lucky in that I've never had an issue, but its something I navigate all the time.
Also, ecoli can be on anything. remember when all that romaine lettuce and strawberries coming out of certain states?: McDonald's E. coli crisis reveals why vegetable contamination is harder problem than beef
While meat can and has sickened people, if its properly cooked and handled there's less problem. Raw vegetables tend to be the most problematic.
People do need to know where their food comes from, they need to also understand that ecoli is part of the ecosystem of how vegetables are grown, especially in places where that food is grown outside and what can happen if they're eaten raw.
This said, I kinda take some chances because I purchase the bulk of my food from local farm stands. I'm supporting my local economy in this way and I know where a good deal of the food comes from. These are not the big corporate farms, they're family owned and run, and they sell to a lot of local restaurants, have their own farm stands sell at many farmer markets throughout the state. Plus I get the opportunity to buy a lot of things because of the long grow season here. The downside is the fact that if there's an ecoli outbreak at any of these farms, I won't know unless I get sick. There won't be any bulletins out about so and so's farm unless its wide spread enough that enough people got sick/die.
I've been very lucky in that I've never had an issue, but its something I navigate all the time.
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I absolutely cannot eat a lamb. I have trouble with cows, especially since I follow so many rescues on IG.
A few years ago, I visited a friend in Hawaii. Her husband worked for one of the big families there, and one of their businesses was lamb. The lambs were raised on one island, then shipped to another one for slaughter. Apparently, the little lambs were too stressed when it came time to take the inter-island ride and it impacted the taste of their meat. So, the solution was to load them the day before to allow them to calm down, then ship them off for slaughter. It made me sick, and I'm still sad.
A few years ago, I visited a friend in Hawaii. Her husband worked for one of the big families there, and one of their businesses was lamb. The lambs were raised on one island, then shipped to another one for slaughter. Apparently, the little lambs were too stressed when it came time to take the inter-island ride and it impacted the taste of their meat. So, the solution was to load them the day before to allow them to calm down, then ship them off for slaughter. It made me sick, and I'm still sad.
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