MagiStream

1: Are you vegetarian or vegan?
No, fully omnivorous.

2: If yes WHY did you decide to become vegetarian/vegan.

3:If you are, how long have you been vegetarian/vegan.

4: Would you ever consider going back to eating meat (if vegan/vegetarian)
Would you ever consider becoming vegan/vegetarian (if a meat eater)
Definitely not a total vegetarian ever, but maybe I might be able to give up red meat and possibly chicken if I wanted to. I'm still pretty healthy, though. I don't feel like I need a diet change. I don't think I could survive as a vegan. I need my cheese and egg products.
5: Do you feel healthier/less healthy since going vegetarian/vegan (if vegetarian/vegan)

6: How are your energy levels/iron levels etc (i guess both could answer this)
My energy levels are fine I guess, and I have no idea about any other levels.
7: Do you take a vitamin supplement. (i guess both could answer that too)
No.

My views on egg/milk industry are that I just don't like the products. Eggs from the supermarket are pretty tasteless, and I don't eat them much except as parts of other recipes. Until I have a little flock of chickens that actually eat what chickens are supposed to eat (and i will soon) I don't consume much in the way of eggs. Pretty much the same with milk- alone it just tasted funny. I don't quite have the space to keep a cow, though.

a lot of people in my family are vegan or vegitarian, and I thought about it, but decided i couldn't give up meat.. I feel healthy though.

I have a classmate who happens to be a full vegetarian. It's uncommon, but not rare, to meet a vegetarian where I live.

At first, I had thought he was a vegetarian as he was an Indian who followed the Hindhu teachings but eventually he explained it is because he couldn't imagine eating dead cut up(sliced/chopped/minced or any other terms you prefer) animals.

Not only that, he doesn't consume even eggs or milk!
This raised a discussion one day during biology class. Our teacher told us she herself as an indian has no problems being omnivorous in her meals. She explained that eggs are layed by avians even if they do not conduct sexual intercourse, so the eggs are basically not fertilised at all, which leads to no living being growing within the egg. Milk as well, is provided by cows to sustain their young & through science today(though not so ethical at times) cows even produce much more milk than required by their young.

In a way, eating eggs or drinking milk does not mean we're killing chickens or depriving most calves of their milk.

The funny part is that when it comes to dealing with rats, cockroaches or basically everyday pests, my classmate has no qualms with killing them... And as a medical student, he expressed no problems when it comes to conducting surgeries on humans and even enjoys gruesome surgical videos.

In conclusion, humans can be rather biased aren't we?

I have been vegetarian for over 4 years, and I pretty much can't eat meat anymore because it makes me feel really icky. I respect people's eating of meat, however, because being a vegetarian is a decision that I made, so I can't necessarily expect there to always be vegetarian food at every restaurant and every event.
My sister is a vegetarian too, but she still eats meat if it's the only thing there or if someone else is eating meat and doesn't want it and gives it to her. She says that it's better not to place labels on things. And I agree. I was able to eat meat when I first became a vegetarian, but was pushed over the edge by a roommate who cooked meat and didn't clean up. Before that though, I ate meat if it was the only thing there or if I knew for sure that the animal was killed humanely (in support of the humane killing of animals).
And my friend always thought that made me less of a vegetarian, and I disagreed. She said she had another friend who claimed that she wouldn't eat meat even if she were starving. My response to that was "yeah right, she has probably never starved, and I bet if she were truly starving, she would eat meat if she could find it."

I lived in Germany for a year last year, and while it was just as easy to find vegetarian food in Germany as it is in the states, it became difficult whenever I visited France. My cousin's husband is French, and he asked me a bunch of questions to try and figure out how someone can willingly stop eating meat.
I also became friends with a group of girls from Romania, and they had pretty much never heard of someone who didn't eat meat. When I said I didn't eat meat, they pretty much said "then what do you eat? How can you live?"

sorakaji wrote:I also became friends with a group of girls from Romania, and they had pretty much never heard of someone who didn't eat meat. When I said I didn't eat meat, they pretty much said "then what do you eat? How can you live?"

Had a similar reaction to relatives in the Philippines after I graduated from college. Fresh meat was too expensive for a student budget. But I did eat if it's already cooked and pre-made (ie. fast food, frozen food :tard: ). But trying to stay healthy, I avoided eating that if I can.

Anyway, they pretty much gave me a WTF face when I told them. I don't think they understood me at all. I think they just thought I didn't eat certain types (chicken, pork, etc.) and not just meat in general. I am glad I did not eat the meat they offered. The rest of my family got the runs for the first week or so. Our puny Western world insides must not be able to handle the less-than-clean meat available in that country (my relatives were completely fine and they ate the same stuff).

Imposibibble wrote:Anyway, they pretty much gave me a WTF face when I told them. I don't think they understood me at all.

I think that's an interesting reaction from that part of the world, given that land for use of domestic meat producing animals is generally at a premium and that they seem to use the meat as flavoring rather than as THE focus of the dish. I wonder if it was more a reaction to a Westerner exhibiting those tendencies (my Indian and Filipino friends thought that ALL I ate was meat, especially beef and fast food burgers) or a reaction to not eating meat at all?

Our puny Western world insides must not be able to handle the less-than-clean meat available in that country

Absolutely! When I was much much younger we were stationed in Panama. My father and mother both liked to imitate the locals' diets which included, among other things, jungle crabs and monkey meat. Apparently, however, most people just aren't designed to deal with the less-than-clean conditions in second and third world countries. My Ma had dysentery the entire time we were down there (not that it stopped her from eating anything and everything the locals cooked).

I used to be that way but now I'm much more careful because of my medical issues. Even the organic vegetables get a good wash before I use them for cooking and I temperature check EVERYTHING.

On the plus side though, this has helped my appreciation of vegetables in general. If you're always checking the correct temperature and watching the food, you don't tend to overcook them. Many many of my current favorites are delicious only if cooked properly. Otherwise they turn into a mushy green mess with no taste at all.

Oh!

1: Are you vegetarian or vegan? I'm vegetarian, and once I move out I intend to become vegan.

2: If yes WHY did you decide to become vegetarian/vegan. I don't like the idea of things growing up in cages to feed us, especially as now that veggieism is growing, it's a lot easier and safer.

3:If you are, how long have you been vegetarian/vegan. Almost two years.

4: Would you ever consider going back to eating meat (if vegan/vegetarian) Naw, I don't even really like it, the exception is sushi, which I allow myself once every season.

5: Do you feel healthier/less healthy since going vegetarian/vegan (if vegetarian/vegan) The same.

6: How are your energy levels/iron levels etc (i guess both could answer this) I've never really noticed a difference in my energy, but obviously it's hard the right about of iron. Protein is a breeze, though.

7: Do you take a vitamin suppliment. (i guess both could answer that too) Sometimes. I got some a while ago but I keep forgetting it. My mom also got me some vitamins when I first became a vegetarian, but they tasted awful and I learned how to disappear quickly when she was making me take them

And @ seraphin, I've never heard of someone becoming a vegetarian who doesn't eat eggs because they think that they're fertilised. Surely there's no one that stupid in the world? Everyone I've heard of who doesn't eat eggs doesn't because of the chickens living conditions. Same with drinking milk.
Tell your teacher to educate herself before attacking peoples' morals.

My cousin and her friend often switch between eating meat and being strictly against it. I don't know why, though.

I couldn't stand life without my cows, and my meat. I mean, I could survive on Japanese food, with the noodles and all, but it would be miserable to not have my meat. In Social Studies, we are learning about Buddhism and Hinduism. Ahimsa, nonviolence, is to not harm any living thing. Two kids in my class immigrated here from India, but only one of them is vegetarian. The other eats meat.

I am very upset in those stupid fast-food places. I can't stand it how much the animals are mistreated. I watched a documentary about it, and when those cows get sick (which is very often), they are being fed medicines. Then, we eat those medicines, along with the crappy grain that they are being forced to eat, which gets them sick. I only eat Organic meat, with the exception of the rare KFC and fast-food. I just don't like how the animals are mistreated, but I could definitely never switch from my steaks and chicken.

I just saw a really enlightening lecture by Sue Coe at my university. For those who don't know, she's a (somewhat?) famous artist and animal rights activist type person. It was really terrible to hear about some of the things they do on factory farms... I mean, if I wasn't so worried for my own health (and how the hell would I eat a proper vegetarian diet on campus cafeteria food, anyway?) I think that would have been enough to make me seriously consider being vegetarian/vegan. As is, it makes me glad that I cut way back on my dairy consumption. I used to drink a lot of milk, and I don't anymore. I have it with cereal on rare occasions, and have ice cream and chocolate and such as treats. I don't eat tons of cheese, either. I guess humans are selfish (well, I am a bit), but I don't want to sacrifice the convenience of cafeteria food and add more complications into my already complicated life. I've already cut some meat and dairy out of my diet, so I'm glad that it's that many fewer animals in these kinds of situations. I like to think that even the little things add up and help, so while I don't go all out on things like animal rights and being green and similar things, I do what I can.

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1: Are you vegetarian or vegan?
Not exactly. I am a pescitarian, which means that I do eat fish, but no poultry, red meat, etc.

2: If yes WHY did you decide to become vegetarian/vegan.
I went to a museum once with my family where they had a temporary exhibit on human anatomy. They had real human bodies chopped up and injected with plasticine so that they were basically plastic themselves on display. My dad called me over, pointed at one body, and said "Look Bex! There's the bacon! And there's the rump roast!" I realized how similar some animals are to humans, and ever since it has seemed a little like cannibalism to me.

3:If you are, how long have you been vegetarian/vegan.
A few years. I think it's been three now.

4: Would you ever consider going back to eating meat (if vegan/vegetarian)
I've considered eating poultry again, but not red meat.

5: Do you feel healthier/less healthy since going vegetarian/vegan (if vegetarian/vegan)
I do. Although I've also had a lot of stress from other things making me tired.

6: How are your energy levels/iron levels etc (i guess both could answer this)
Not sure.

7: Do you take a vitamin suppliment. (i guess both could answer that too)
Sometimes my mom will make me, but very rarely.