Vegetarians

[BVS]

I don't eat red meat. I eat white meat every once in a while. I gave it up for health reasons. I had high cholesterol, not due to being overweight, but heriditary reasons. I had a choice, medication, or try and change your diet. Well, suprisingly the diet change helped.

For the first couple of months I craved hamburgers, but never steaks...

Now I eat fish or chicken every once in awhile in order to get my protien fix.

 

[Babydoll]

Sometimes feel like wanting to give it a try.... but I love my chicken, fish, beef too much! My diet is about 80% vegetarian though... I eat meat about once or twice a week.

 

[The Sad Punk]

I'm not a vegetarian, but I could probably take it, since a lot of the food I eat already (Indian usually) is meat-free.

My brother's a vegetarian - not for any moral reason, he just doesn't really like the tastes or textures of meats. Which is fair enough to me.

 

[redhotswami]

I've been a "vegetarian" for years now. It all started in college when my closest friends were vegan. I guess I became vegan without even realizing it since we spent so much time together. But then I decided to make the conscious effort to be "vegetarian."

I use "vegetarian" in quotes because about once a month or so, I do eat fish. I don't like treating animals like crap, but actually my reasoning behind my diet has more to do with people than it does animals. I do not support the meat packing industry. Not one bit. And the idea of eating a bit of the flesh of my cousins isn't all that appealing either. Someone told me about the fishing industry being different than the meat packing industry. I admit, I haven't done much research into that part yet. So if anybody has any info on the fishing industry I'm all ears.

I don't eat much dairy also, because I am a bit intolerant and can only consume so much in one day.

I'll admit, every now and again some meat aromas do attract my nose, but I've not had a "craving" so to speak. The visions I get of the horrific working conditions and social injustices of the meat packing industry are enough to make it disgusting to me.

Now, that being said, I'm no fool. I'm well aware of the injustices going on with fruit and vegetable pickers. However, I got a lot of info from a Farmworkers Rights group about what to support and what not to support. Basically, that means that most of my produce comes from farmers' markets. Which is a really cool thing. I've met a lot of great farmers there, and every now and again they offer me generous discounts!

The only things that make my llifestyle difficult are
1) now I'm living with my parents who aren't vegetarian and could give a shit about workers' rights
2) having to explain to people about my diet. i understand people are just curious, but it gets annoying when i'm either a) teased about something i'm so passionate about or b) told to shut up because they feel guilty that i'm talking about workers' rights while they eat their partially human burgers. i feel like sometimes i have to filter myself, and others aren't always as kind and diplomatic when responding to me.
3) i'm allergic to mugroot: carrots, celery, parsley, etc. yes, i'm a vegetarian allergic to vegetables this can make it a bit difficult to eat out at times, and makes me a royal pain in the ass when invited to dinner.

 

[Pinball Wizard]

Re: I knew a Ferris State goalie who made quite a few saves

Word on the street is that you eat vegetarians!?

Who is this "street" everyone keeps talking about?!

 

[last unicorn]

I grew up as a meat-eater and my family still consists of heavy meat-eaters, but once I moved out I became a vegetarian. This was 14 years ago and I am a vegetarian ever since. Everyone told me I wouldn't make it and my family still considers me to be weird. I found out that most people seem to have a problem with it while I wasn't having a problem. I don't need meat, I don't have a craving for it. I have no problems with cooking or filling my fridge. I usually don't have problems finding something for me in restaurants. I don't mind people eating meat in my presence, but sometimes I cannot stand the smell of certain things like sausages. I am a vegetarian mainly for ethical reasons. Since I hate milk and most related products, I eat a lot of soj products these days, and of course vegetables and fruit. I eat some cheese and butter, though, but not much of that either.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

well ... cannibalism is creepy imo

puh-lease!

I can just see where you meat eaters are going to turn when you run out of animals to kill and eat...

That's right, I'm grain-fed, pretty tasty right?

I've been a vegetarian for 8 years now. I don't crave meat as far as I know...

I have found that when I smell something meaty cooking, the appeal is more about the sauces and seasoning on the meat that makes it smell good vs the meat itself.

The smell of cooking plain ground beef or a unseasoned steak turns my stomach...

 

[redhotswami]

I have found that when I smell something meaty cooking, the appeal is more about the sauces and seasoning on the meat that makes it smell good vs the meat itself.

The smell of cooking plain ground beef or a unseasoned steak turns my stomach...

ah you're right, i think it is the seasoning/sauces that appeal to me. and yes, the smell of plain meat is disgusting

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

ah you're right, i think it is the seasoning/sauces that appeal to me. and yes, the smell of plain meat is disgusting

This seems to be a very common theme with many veggies, they feel guilty about finding the smell of barbecue appealing when it has to do more with smothering layer of barbecue sauce than the meat itself.

Another thing I have found, if you see a strawberry or an apple growing in a field or a tree, your first response (usually) should be "mmm, that looks good, I want to eat that."

I don't know about the rest of you but when I look at a chicken or a cow, my first thought is not "I can't wait to eat that."

 

[waynetravis]

i eat me all the time. not a big fan of veggies

 

[anitram]

This seems to be a very common theme with many veggies, they feel guilty about finding the smell of barbecue appealing when it has to do more with smothering layer of barbecue sauce than the meat itself.

No, it's the smell of charred meat. I don't like BBQ sauce and never put it on meat, but it still smells amazing. Also, if you use a marinade like satay, it doesn't have a smell the way BBQ sauce does, but the meat still smells delicious as it's burned by the flames.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

No, it's the smell of charred meat. I don't like BBQ sauce and never put it on meat, but it still smells amazing. Also, if you use a marinade like satay, it doesn't have a smell the way BBQ sauce does, but the meat still smells delicious as it's burned by the flames.

So you cook all your meat without any seasoning or sauces?

See I disagree, charred meat smells like death as far as I'm concerned...

When I was a kid I seriously burned myself on the barbecue (I slid across the grill on my arm) and that smell of burning flesh was so similar to chicken it pretty much ruined any idea of eating poultry for me.

I realize this is all a matter of opinion however...

 

[redhotswami]

See I disagree, charred meat smells like death as far as I'm concerned...

When I was a kid I seriously burned myself on the barbecue (I slid across the grill on my arm) and that smell of burning flesh was so similar to chicken it pretty much ruined any idea of eating poultry for me.

omg that is scary! is that what turned you off from meat altogether? or just chicken?

 

[Zoots]

I was raised a vegetarian and used to be one while I was still living in India about 7 to 8 years back. After coming here to the US, it was hard to stay vegetarian so I started eating meat and enjoying it. I still restrict myself to white meat.. chicken or turkey. Ideally I would like to stay vegetarian but I cannot live on freaking bland salads all the time! Indian vegetarian food is way tastier than American vegetarian food.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

^ I curry...

omg that is scary! is that what turned you off from meat altogether? or just chicken?

I'm pretty much terrified of barbeques and anything cooked on them...

It's weird because for the longest time I still didn't really have a problem eating burgers or steak or other forms of chicken (in the oven or soup) it took longer and hooking up with my wife (who is hard core into animal rights) to put the pieces together...

I think that is one of the strange things about we as human beings. I had a problem with eating barbequed chicken but not beef and this seemed fine to me at the time...

 

[redhotswami]

I dunno...I think Indian, Thai, and Ethiopian vegetarian foods are at a 3 way tie.

You know, there are loads of Indian restaurants to eat out, and places to buy ingredients to cook your own.

 

[Zoots]

You know, there are loads of Indian restaurants to eat out, and places to buy ingredients to cook your own.

In New Jersey, maybe. Not in the middle of buttfuckville in western NY.

 

[redhotswami]

In New Jersey, maybe. Not in the middle of buttfuckville in western NY.

:notmovingtobutfuckville,ny:

 

[arw]

I think the smell coming from a BBQ is generally disgusting. It depends on what's in it.

Last week at school, my class had to go through a week long crash course in culinary skills to learn the basics of sauces and other basics. I was exempt from handling the meat and was given other things to do. We made a lot of sauces to go with a meal each night. There was a lot of meat made and the smells were amazing but it wasn't a burning meat smell at all; it was all of the sauces and seasonings we used. We used a ton of fresh garlic

 

[Babydoll]

Indian vegetarian food is way tastier than American vegetarian food.

*proud*

 

[Babydoll]

Actually, where I live in the US, (MN) there isn't a lot of Indian spices to be had. I make do with what's available tho, and use lots of jalapenos and habanero peppers to compensate. Hot sauces go a long way towards making food tasty... and this time when I go back to the States in August, I'm planning on bringing back a large variety of spices with me.

 

[anitram]

So you cook all your meat without any seasoning or sauces?

I use a satay paste (but it has a very light scent and you have to stick your nose right in it to smell it), or I just marinade the meat in something like olive oil and a few spices.

You can definitely smell bbq sauce a mile away, but not so with the other ways of cooking. Or if I brush veggies like zucchini with olive oil or something and toss them on the grill, it smells incredible and it's not spiced.

 

[pepokiss]

vegetarians... how can you live with yourselfs?

 

[yolland]

Indian cuisine certainly does have a much larger and more diverse array of vegetarian dishes than any other, unfortunately most Indian restaurants in the US really only serve Punjabi-style Moghul dishes, so most Americans have no idea how tiny a sampling of the total they're getting. That seems to be changing a little in the big coastal cities, but only a little. There are lots of good mail-order sources for spices now like unico said--though when you can't see what you're ordering, it can be a problem, because often the same spice will have different names in different Indian languages or regions (and some of those names will in turn refer to a totally different spice in another language or region), which can make things really confusing.

I love Thai and Ethiopian vegetarian dishes too though, and actually there are lots of cuisines that have a large array of traditionally vegetarian dishes...my mother's Greek and she did all the cooking in our family, so there are a lot of Greek vegetarian dishes I like and make regularly, for example (it's for pretty much the same reason as in Ethiopia--the native Christian denomination has many meat-free days in their calendar. That, and also that most people couldn't afford to eat meat often until very recently). So a lot of it really does come down to what kinds of flavor combinations appeal to you.

I'm not a vegetarian, I don't eat much meat though and veggies have always been my favorite 'food group'. I'm allergic to cow's milk, and don't much care for most 'soy products' I've tried...that still leaves plenty to choose from though!

 

[The Sad Punk]

I haven't had a chance to visit any Ethiopian restaurants - there are very few African diners around here, but what are some of their vegetarian dishes like? Main ingrediants and such.

 

[redhotswami]

I haven't had a chance to visit any Ethiopian restaurants - there are very few African diners around here, but what are some of their vegetarian dishes like? Main ingrediants and such.

ANYTHING with lentils for sure! i also like the idea of ditching the silverware and eating by using the yummy bread as a scoop. i've also had a dish that was made with tempeh...i don't remember what it was called. omg and the collards are divine! just be sure to ask them if they cooked it in meat or not. sometimes it is.

 

[Justin24]

I don't know how anyone can not want to eat one of these.

I mean do you want to end up like this?

but in all seriousness. My uncle is a Vegetarian but he will eat fish?? Whats the difference?

 

[bonocrazy88]

Personally, I think all animals are animals. Fish, cows, cats, pigs, they are all living breathing beings that can think, feel, and react.

I do know people who don't consider fish the same as mammals, but in my personal opinion, I cannot eat fish if I do not eat the other animals. Of course, I cannot call people hypocrites because ... I am not completely vegan myself. I eat eggs, milk, and cheese, and other products made from animals. But usually I stray from products that had to kill an animal to make.

However, leather is a huge problem for me, because there is so much leather in the things I am exposed to everyday. It bothers me, but my reason for vegetarianism is a mainly personal ordeal and mostly about the consumption of animal flesh.

 

[last unicorn]

Oh my God, I love Indian Food and we have some very good Indian Restaurants here in my city. We also have a huge market where you get all the spices and herbs, I just love it. Our national cuisine is traditionally based on meat, so I am not so much into that, it's quite fat and unhealthy. I love Asian vegetarian food, but I also enjoy eating and cooking pasta. I mostly use egg-free pasta. I also love all kinds of salads, it never gets boring. Especially during the summer, salads are my favourite food.

 

[Babydoll]

Indian food is also extremely diverse - each region has their own separate style of cooking, even though the main dishes are the same, the way they are cooked varies a lot.
I love all kinds of it, even though I'm north Indian I love cuisines from all over the country.