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Originally Posted by Bilbo1967
Hmmm, sorry, I can't accept that being vegetarian is a more moral choice than not.
I think it's exactly that kind of statement that can give vegetarians a bad name. It's every individual's right to choose their own life-style, but to claim the moral high ground because of your choice (and I mean that generically, not 'you', laz) is just unacceptable.
When my wife was at University, I often used to visit her. At the time she lived with two vegetarians. These two girls would sit and watch me disapprovingly every time I made a bacon sandwich, pointedly fanning the air, tutting, that kind of thing, drove me mad. 
In short, everybody has the right to choose their own life-style. They do not have a right to try to impose that on others, not do they have a right to claim that their life-style is intrinsically more 'moral'. |
actually i agree with you that everyone has the right to choose for themselves. that is why i said in my very first post in this thread that i don't proselytise. but i do get a bit annoyed when non-vegetarians seem to make a personal crusade to convert *me*. it's my own choice, everyone should respect that, the same way that i respect their choice and don't try to force my view on anyone.
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Originally Posted by Laz116
However regarding to taste. It's quite rare that we humans like something (that is not sugary) on the first go. Normally "experts" talk about how small children needs to taste something up to ten times before they get used to it. And it should be even worse for adults. So when you don't like meat, it's probably mostly because you're not used to the taste.
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yes, i'm sure you're right. but i don't particularly *want* to learn to like that taste, so i won't insist. the only reason i tasted meat to begin with is only so that i can reply "yes, i do" when other people tell me that i don't know what i am missing (and if i only knew, i would change my mind)...
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I have the same problem about dioxins and the likes as you have. As I don't eat a lot of meat, I would like to only eat meat from ecological (organic (crappy word since all meat is organic)) farming. But it's not easy: The supermarkets may have 15 different types of chicken, but you have to be lucky if just one of them is "organic". The diversity is just more of the same it seems.
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yes, i think if you are going to eat meat, the best solution at least is to pay attention to where it comes from. that is the same reason why i make a point to buy only eggs from chickens living outside and eating grains (there are codes stamped on them which tell what kind of farm they are from, so you can verify), even though they are more expensive.
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Needless to say there are moral questions, along with the personal health concerns, involved buying a 2£ chicken which has had a life span of 40 days opposed to the typical 90 days life span of an organic chicken. In Denmark, where I am from, a farmer was given about 23 pence for a chicken in 1950. Today they are given about 20 pence. No wonder we eat crap. And there are only two to blame: 1) Us, the consumers, who really don't care, as long as it is cheap, and 2) the government who should have regulated the food industry much more to protect animals as well as the consumers (because the food industry has a lack of transparency, it's difficult for the end consumer to make qualified choices).
Even if you only buy food labeled "organic", you cannot be sure that you are getting a reasonable product, since there are different rules for the use of such a label in different countries.
Phew /rant off. 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Laz116
Generally I think one of the main problems is that everything in this modern society seems to load the full responsibility on the end consumer: It's up to us as end consumer to recycle, it's up to us to save electricity, it's up to us not to use chemicals in our garden. The truth is that it's the industry that is the big culprit spending needless energy, using vast amounts of chemicals. It's not like the chemicals from private households are insignificant. But if you really want to do something about the problem you need to set standards for the big corporations and such.
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yes, i completely agree with you, i get really angry as well sometimes about the way industry is set up. and i'm a bit afraid that the rules will only get more lax, not more strict, as they should...
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Originally Posted by griffonwing
Zelda
When it comes to taste of meat, many meats taste different. By far the most delicious meat that I have ever had is squirrel. OMG my gramma made some squirrel stew and it was delicious!
As for the "factory farming practices" and such, what you do is find a small farm that raises free-range animals. You don't need to support huge meat-mills, but you CAN support the smaller family farms that are just as health-conscious as you are.
Another thing about taste, when you have some chicken or squirrel or duck (yum, another good one), try some bites with a few of your favourite salad dressings. Chicken with Parmesian Ranch dressing, Squirrel with Bleu Cheese. A taste of your favourite salad dressing might help ease you into being accustomed to the taste of the meat.
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all that might be interesting to me if i had any interest in changing my lifestyle, but i don't.
why do you think i would ?