Vegetarianism

[northepaul]

We couldnt be vegetarian, we'd have to be vegan!!
Trouble is, I like wearing leather shoes...

[frantic furball]

I am not a vegetarian it's all I can do not to run into fields and lick cows!
We do have a lot of meat free meals though and if a recipe calls for minced meat we use the vege alternative for a variety of reasons - it goes further, I can cook it straight from the freezer etc. My sister won't buy meat if it looks like a bit of an animal if you see what I mean it has to be chopped, coated or minced and my Mum once told me not to tell the children where meat came from beef tree anyone????

[binley100]

I like eating meat but also don't feel that every meal should have to include meat.....who could resist the smell of bacon butties

[Potstubsdustbins]

I am a meat eater but will only eat meat from animals that have been reared ethically in this country.

Now days with traceability it is very easy to know exactly which farm produced your meat and therefore just as easy to avoid intensive reared animals. Even my fishmonger displays where the fish were caught/farmed and how they were caught.

Colin

[Fruit&2veg]

Much as we love our veg I must confess I would realy miss my meat and cant envisage anything that would make me give it up voluntarly

[its hilly]

My Mum and Dad went veggie years ago, for the simple reason that they were sick of the way some farmers cared (or rather didn't) for their stock. Mum eats fish, Dad wont. So he's the real vegetarian.
I didn't because I enjoy meat.
However I try to buy stuff that I know how it is kept wherever possible, not easy always on a tight budget. I do keep and kill my spare roosters for meat, and am at least sure that they get a good life and quick ending. Personally it has made me think much harder about eating meat. Rather than coming from a sanitised supermarket packet.
We also eat a lot of vegetarian food, at least a third and sometimes as much as half of our meals. And thoroughly enjoy it.
I think if really good vegetarian food was as easily available as meaty stuff, then maybe more people would think about trying it.

[Glutton4...]

Ya know - I've always thought there's sommat fishy about Pescatarians!

I'm actually with Valmarg, in that I am a confirmed Carnivore. However, us meat-eaters do have a tendency to treat vegetables as an 'also ran' whereas Vegetarians, in my humble opinion, put far more time and effort into their veg preparation. For some time now, I have been considering subscribing to GYO sister Veggie magazine, maybe I will. One of my Customers has been veggie for over 20 years, and has some great ideas.

[veggiechicken]

I used to be a really big meat eater - loved the stuff in all shapes and forms BUT for the last 20+ years I haven't touched it. I stopped eating meat for a variety of reasons; the realisation that cattle and poultry were being pumped full of drugs and fed rubbish (or even other animals) - and I didn't want to put that into my system. The inhumanity of transporting live animals in cramped lorries miles across country to be slaughtered. Being made, through my job, to visit an egg hatchery where day old chicks were injected and had their beak tips ground away (to stop them pecking others). Male chicks were slung into bin bags and killed in some way that I prefer not to think about. I also had to visit a battery farm where hens were crammed into cages without room to move around freely.
I used to think that if I knew that an animal had been brought up in freedom, been fed as nature intended and been slaughtered in the field that I could justify eating it. I never did and now, never will. I don't miss meat at all and, contrary to popular belief, cooking veggie food can be quick, easy and definitely cheap, especially if you grow your own veg and eat seasonally. As a bonus its also a healthy way to eat. Give it a go one day a week and see how you get on.

[Helgalush]

I've been veggie for most of my life, with various phases of omnivorous/pescatarian eating in between. I am now a vegan but I dont really like to shout about it, as I wouldnt like to be one of those people that tries to shove it down people's necks or be all preachy. I don't think I would be welcome on this forum for very long and would soon start losing friends. I am happy to talk about it though when asked. I hope fellow Grapes will treat my response with the respect I show to others about their lifestyle choices.

I went vegan 14 months ago for health reasons but also for animal welfare reasons. I wouldn't want an animal to suffer or die for me as I personally can survive very happily without any animal by-products [edited to say: and I also feel that what goes on as per described by Veggiechicken above is not something I want to be a part of]. This subsequently this has fed in to my passion for cooking and gardening, my interest in rescue animals, environmental issues and being peaceful...essentially I see it as being compassionate towards other people, animals and the world around me. I know to some people that will sound airy-fairy hippy-speak, but it makes me happy.

I think Snadger you have hit upon a very real and often talked about issue - about sustaining our planet and the growing population. There are quite a few environmental groups and pieces of research out there that suggest that vegetarianism could be the way forward in terms of sustaining our planet. You only really have to think about carbon emissions of intensive animal farming vs outdoor vegetable growing (although I know there are arguments about heated greenhouses and transport of vegetables and fruits) but there is a lot of research out there that supports the idea of adopting a veggie diet for these reasons. Also they say less water would be needed and more people could be sustained if the land used for rearing animals was used for growing vegetables, particularly things like various varieties of beans because they are so nutritious and full of protein. But now I am bordering on preaching - its just one point of view, and I am sure there would be counter-research out there as there always is.

There is a movement called Stock-Free Growing, led by Iain Tolhurst who runs a vegetable farm that was the first to be certified Stock-Free (meaning free of animal by-products). This is the way that I grow (or try to) - although granted I do use my rabbit's droppings because it makes sense to use what I have to hand that would otherwise end up in the bin. He has written a book about it, called Growing Green: Organic Techniques for a Sustainable Future. There is also a website called the Vegan Organic Network, which has some factsheets and videos that explain about ways to build soil fertility and keep pests and diseases in check, without animal (or chemical) inputs. As you suggest, it explains why it is not necessary to put plants through animals to build soil fertility. You don't have to be vegan or veggie to garden in this way though.

I feel very inspired by the Grapevine because of the amount of vegetables/fruits/herbs/flowers we produce and eat ourselves, very locally to home, and so many people make such good use of what they grow by preserving and making fab recipes with it, then recycling the trimmings and peelings in to composting. Its such a closed loop (to me) in sustaining ourselves very well, without relying so much on supermarkets.

Anyway I know that’s a bit of an essay from me, and hope I haven’t ruffled any feathers by talking about my personal choice. If you did want to know any more, like links to websites or anything for more information, please feel free to PM me. No nasty messages though please.

Just to add, my other half has been a committed omnivore all his life. I cooked vegetarian meals for him and he said it opened his eyes, he just wouldn’t have tried lots of this stuff before he met me. Since he has become more interested in animal welfare issues since we got our rescue rabbits, I think he has become more aware of animals in general, and as we were eating veggie food at home, he decided to go veggie, no pressure from me, out of his own choice. He also has suffered with bowel diseases and had some major surgery on his bowel but he has not had any problems with eating what is now a mostly vegan diet of pulses, mushrooms, nuts, seeds etc. In fact he has recovered immensely well from his operation. I don’t think he would go vegan, I am still surprised he has even gone veggie considering how much he enjoyed steak and lamb before, but he tells me he doesn’t miss it at all now (and I actually believe he doesn’t). Of course everyone thinks I “made” him go vegetarian, but surprisingly enough he does have a brain, his own free will and can think for himself.

[taff]

Dunno.....I was for a bit, but unfortunately or fortunately, I'm with the licking of the cow.....I like meat, I like vegetables, I like them on their own or together in any form, and I wil eat any meat as long as it's not tripe. Which is ok because I'll eat any vegetable as long as it's not swede.
The plus of having an italian mother is that she did the cucina povera thing, which is to use every last scrap of everything you can get your hands on, so vegetables were always a big part of any meal, or pasta with a plain tomato sauce kind of thing, so I don't really need to eat meat every meal, nor do I want to.
Although my recipes for vegetables do need a bit of expansion, I'm not a veggie slouch either i.e. steamed boiled or fried by the side of a hunk of meat with a shedload of gravy to slide it all down.

[Curlykale]

Since I have been growing my own veg my family has been eating less and less meat, although I don't know if we could give it up completely. I tried being a vegetarian when I was about 15 but only lasted a couple of weeks as the smell of the bacon butties was too tempting. We probably have "veggie" meals about 3 days each week and I don't think the family notice there is no meat in them! I have become much more creative with my cooking and love to find new ways to cook vegetables. I do love fish though, so could probably give up meat if I could have fish instead (some friends of ours don't eat meat but do eat fish and they claim to be vegetarians!)

[Patchninja]

Like Bins, I don't think that every meal has to have meat in it. I don't see that as eating "vegetarian" but simply having a healthy and varied diet.
I'm accutely aware of animal welfare and try to only buy free range eggs/birds and here they have a thing called "label rouge" where there are guarantees as to how the animal/bird is reared.
It's a fascinating debate.

[Snadger]

Dunno.....I was for a bit, but unfortunately or fortunately, I'm with the licking of the cow.....I like meat, I like vegetables, I like them on their own or together in any form, and I wil eat any meat as long as it's not tripe. Which is ok because I'll eat any vegetable as long as it's not swede.The plus of having an italian mother is that she did the cucina povera thing, which is to use every last scrap of everything you can get your hands on, so vegetables were always a big part of any meal, or pasta with a plain tomato sauce kind of thing, so I don't really need to eat meat every meal, nor do I want to.
Although my recipes for vegetables do need a bit of expansion, I'm not a veggie slouch either i.e. steamed boiled or fried by the side of a hunk of meat with a shedload of gravy to slide it all down.

My favourite!!!!

[Snadger]

Don't understand why anyone would not class a fish as an animal?

[Two_Sheds]

.who could resist the smell of bacon butties

That's exactly what Mr TS says to everyone, yet he hasn't had one for probably over a year. He does love his meat, but he's cut down a lot since meeting me, and his meals are healthier & more, dare I say, ethical.

He now eats local meat (rabbit & pork) and only free range chicken & eggs (I do all the cooking ~ I'm not squeamish about pulling the meat off a roast chicken either). If I buy butter it's British not NZ (to try and save UK jobs), and only organic milk (because the animals are treated better). I use soya milk at home (for my PMT , and it has more protein) and only really have dairy milk in my lattes, but we do have normal cheese in the house, not veggie cheese. I suspect dairy is responsible for my IBS, so I've all but cut it out.

I'm not ultra-fussy about beer & wine either (most are not vegetarian), but I do avoid jelly & jelly sweets like wine gums (made with beef/pork gelatine). edit: I've since found out that one of my local breweries is indeed vegetarian, lush.

if really good vegetarian food was as easily available as meaty stuff, then maybe more people would think about trying it.

You now have an open invitation to come round for dinner
I cook kind of Middle Eastern / Lebanese type of dishes, which use lots of veggies in different ways, with meat as a garnish. We have a lot of curries & soups too, which use a lot of veg (with a little meat for Himself)

Stock-Free Growing, - Growing Green: Organic Techniques for a Sustainable Future.

It's a valuable book, if a little dense and hard going in places. I've never used farmyard manure (horse muck), I use the pet litter (parrots & guinea pigs) instead, and green manures. It can be done

Don't understand why anyone would not class a fish as an animal?

Me neither. I'm guessing that people don't think of the meat as flesh because it's not red & bloody? Dunno, I'd love to hear the reasoning because I'm really not sure