Vegetarianism

[AFriendlyFace]

Hi everyone,

 

I was just curious to get some stats on this. Based on other threads that have been circulating around here it seems that we have far fewer vegetarians than I would have expected!

 

I've formally been a 'vegetarian' for about two years. The year preceding my vegetarianism I only ate meat a couple of times a week. However, even my entire life prior to that I'd always been the kind of person who didn't eat meat (or didn't eat very much meat) at every meal. I've always much preferred my salads, breads, sides, and desserts, and only ever picked at meat.

 

When I finally decide to 'take the plunge' and become a vegetarian it was a "oh well, why not? I basically am already anyway." I never really had any problem with it. The only non fish/dairy that I really enjoyed was chicken. I still miss it sometimes but it really isn't a big deal at all. The first year I did it I was the absolute most relaxed type of vegetarian possible. I still ate seafood of all kinds, dairy, and eggs (though again, just based on preference I've never had a huge fondness for eggs anyway). I was basically what you could call a "Catholic" vegetarian.

 

Up till that point I continued to eat fish/shellfish/seafood about once or twice a week because I really like seafood and my prime motivation for vegetarianism in the first place had to do with personal taste (I just didn't like non-seafood) and health (and fish, unless tainted with mercury and other contaminants is good for you). To some extent it had to do with animal rights and environmentalism, but that was secondary to personal preference and health. Immediately preceding the time I eliminated fish from my diet I had a long conversation with a friend who, while continuing to eat other forms of meat, had stopped eating fish for moral/environmental reasons. At first I was very skeptical that it was that big a deal, but I did some research and it seems that the overfishing and fishing techniques used in the world's oceans really does (or at least may) pose a risk to the ecosystem and food chain.

 

To this day I'm not at all passionate about this point by any means (so don't bother arguing with me either way about it), nor am I even completely convinced. However I figured, "well, I only fish about once or twice a week anyway. It wouldn't be hard to stop. So if it does any good at all I'd might as well." My friend asserts that if he could 'see the credentials' of a farm raised fish he would eat it. I probably wouldn't, seems pointless really, like doing something only halfway. It would probably also get me craving fish again really bad, and I don't need that. As I always knew, I'm much more passionate about seafood, and I really do miss it. Eliminating other meat was neither very difficult nor a big sacrifice, but eliminating fish has proven surprisingly difficult for me.

 

I elected to retain shellfish on my menu (what kind of a cajun boy would I be if I didn't leave room for crawfish?) for the time being. The fish thing was a New Year's resolution, so I'm a bit over 5 months in. No 'slips' and I'm positive I'll be able to go till the end the year, I confess I'm a bit conflicted about what to do after the year is up. I originally intended to then wean myself off of shellfish (and I do only eat them maybe once or twice a month anyway, so that too wouldn't be a big lifestyle change). However, in my sushi craving, tuna steak lusting moments I've instead considered returning to fish (I have no plans or desire to ever really return to poultry and red meat etc.) and at least feeling good about doing my part for a year. I may go either way or I may keep ticking along as is. In any case as sure as I am that there's no non-seafood meat in my foreseeable/long-term future, I imagine that at some point in my life I will return to fish.

 

Eggs are basically a non-issue. They're not great for you (though they are a good source of protein), but they're not terrible either, so I have no motive one way or the other from a health perspective. As for taste I like them okay, but I don't love them by any means. Actually in terms of taste I prefer egg beaters and other egg substitutes. The main reason I've left them is because they're such a major ingredient in some many other types of food. If I were going to go through all that hassle I'd might as well become a vegan!

 

Veganism is never happening though because I love my dairy! Actually I don't care about milk at all. It's basically the same story as eggs. I can take it or leave it, I actually prefer substitutes like soy milk (mostly because it lasts longer, and I just don't want milk/milk like things very often), but it would be a major hassle to avoid the things that were made with milk. It's cheese that has my heart! I love, love, LOVE cheese! I'm quite the Dairy Queen. It's a major staple for me and I can't imagine (and wouldn't want to imagine) life without it. I similarly enjoy cottage cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream.

 

As a side note the type of vegetarian I would be considered would still be pretty much the lowest level a: pesci (still have the shellfish in there sometimes) - lacto (milk/dairy) - ovo(egg) vegetarian.

 

I've always noted much higher levels of vegetarianism in the GLBT community. About a year and a half or so ago I went to a restaurant with a large group of friends. There were about 12-18 of us (don't remember for sure), and we were all GLBT. The waiter came and introduced himself and suggested we start with an appetizer of hot wings. Without missing a beat one of the lesbians pipped up, "Wow, are you pitching that to the wrong table!" Fully half (or more) of us were vegetarians in some form or another and wouldn't have eaten chicken. Five of my good friends were actually exactly the same sort of vegetarian I am, pesci-lacto-ovo. It wasn't uncommon or rare at all in my circle.

 

Over the past year however most of these people have moved, resumed consuming meat, or I've lost touch with them. As a result I now only have a small hand full of vegetarian friends that I see on a regular/semi-regular basis. It's probably worth noting that the stereotype that lesbians are more likely to be vegetarians is largely true. Most of these people were lesbian friends of mine that I've lost touched with or who have moved away. Now my circle of friends is predominately gay male and indeed, as I said there's only a small hand full of vegetarians. I suppose that's why there aren't as many here at GayAuthors (we're mostly gay males), nevertheless I'm still surprised at the seemingly low numbers. I would have assumed that the percentage of vegetarians in just the gay male population would have been 2-3 times higher than that in the general population.

 

Anyway, my answers were:

 

Yes, I'm a vegetarian

Yes, I think there are more vegetarians in the GLBT community

and I knowingly come into contact with vegetarians a few times a week

 

As I side note I only know one vegan and he only recently took it up.

 

So what are your experiences?

 

-Kevin

Edited May 11, 2008 by AFriendlyFace

[NickolasJames8]

I come into contact with a vegetarian on a daily basis because I live with one...my stepmom. She's very strict about her diet, and won't even use ketchup because it has some sort of byproduct in it that comes from animal fat. I actually tried for a while to be a vegetarian, but I was miserable. I refuse to eat pork anymore, but I love beef and I love chicken, especially fried chicken and especially the thigh.

I can't really say if there are more gay vegetarians than straight ones, but I'd say it's probably about the same.

[Procyon]

Finally a nice little thread to reply to, enabling me to avoid cleaning the house for another 15 minutes or so...

 

For number one, there was no completely good answer for me -- I chose 'am not a vegetarian and won't become one', which makes me sound like some kind of meat freak. That is not true, though, because I used to eat and cook very little meat for a long time, for a number of reasons. Like you, Kevin, I wasn't overly fond of meat when I was a kid, I just had the spuds and the gravy if I could and left the meat. But then, I didn't like vegetables either, really, and I began eating that later, and in the same way I've begun to like meat, too, and now I actually *really* like meat.

 

I also have a good friend who's a vegetarian, and she's also my next-door neighbour, so whenever I eat with her the food always has to be vegetarian. She's a great cook, too, so I get a lot of delicious vegetarian food, and for a while I thought that it wouldn't be so hard to actually become a vegetarian and I kind of considered doing it. But it was only a floating thought in my head, really, and then -- my sister became a vegetarian, also pesci-ovo-lacto, and for some reason I found that really annoying and frustrating (partly because she made a big deal out of it and kept complaining when she didn't get good vegetarian food). Of course it never annoys me when any of my friends are vegetarians or become vegetarians. And by now I don't care what my sister does either, but she still complains a lot about the lack of good vegetarian food. Anyway, back then I suddenly got this (probably very freudian) yearning for meat, and kept eating meat whenever I could. And yes, I really do love meat. And if I became a vegetarian I just think I'd hate it when there'd be some good meat dish on offer and I couldn't eat it...

 

Question number 2 I based off the rather few gay people I know in person, none of whom are vegetarians, and the impression I've got so far from this site. And my answer was, the same as straight people.

 

For coming in contact with vegetarians, I said daily, because although there are days when I don't meet my colleagues at work who are vegetarians, or my neighbour, I meet them almost daily. so most of the time I see at least one vegetarian a day.

 

Happy eating everyone! Whatever it is you're eating. Oh yeah, and as for eggs, I don't like them at all in any sort of 'eggy' form. In fact, corvus is the only person who can cook eggs so I like them. I do like pancakes and sponge cakes and such, though. Mmmm...

[Krista]

I am.. "almost" a vegetarian. It's by choice, I don't like a lot of the meats out there. The only animal I am a weakling for is Chicken for the most part. I absolutely hate fish and pork, but I will eat beef on occasion. I don't know any Vegetarians here, this is a state that loves to outside barbecue so I'm hardly ever around any, although, some of my family that never show up to the family functions here are Vegetarians, and they didn't call ahead and tell me they were or I would've had a full course vegetarian dinner plan out for them, but eh.. they probably won't be to another family function.

 

Anyway, once in a while I'll think my health would be better if I was a strict vegetarian, but milk products are my comfort foods... yogurt, ice cream, cheese, milk.. lol. Good source of calcium, but there are vegetarians that eat eggs and milk as it doesn't hurt the animal. I am unhappy when I always have a salad sitting in front of me as well.

[old bob]

I have nothing against vegetarians

For me, eating is a very important moment of my daily living, not only to feed my body, but more to give me the opportunity to enjoy the pleasure of one of the main senses: the taste. I know, I

[GaryK]

I'd go crazy if I couldn't have at least one cheeseburger, one rack of baby back ribs, and one steak a week.

 

I do like veggie pizzas though if that makes any difference. ;P

[sat8997]

I think Vegetarianism has become the new

[Bandage]

I've voted:

-No, but I eventually may be one

-Almost the same

-Daily

 

Well, my father is a vegetarian, at home he doesn't eat fish or meat, but he does like his eggs

But, since most restaurants don't serve food like that, he tends to pick fish dishes or chicken dishes when going out.

 

For myself, well, I really really like scheep with lots of garlic, chicken/duck/turkey, or anything marinated, but please, don't make me eat beef or pork.. I don't yearn for meats actually. I'm more of a salad-vegetable-dessert-yearner If that's even possible

 

I don't really have a clue if gay people tend to be vegetarians, because I don't really know that many gay people (Well, not that I know off ofcourse ) I did vote "almost the same" because I don't think it depends on your sexual orientation...

[rknapp]

I am not and never will be a vegetarian.

I'd say it's about the same, but then again a lot us still eat a different kind of meat (LMFAO).

One of my GSA friends is a vegetarian and I saw him a few times a week during this past semester, but not anymore. I might see him one more time this month, but after that he's moving back to CA and I'll no longer know/see any vegetarians regularly.

 

While it could be true that more gay people are vegetarian than straight people, I think that has more to do with other psychological and societal factors not related to sexuality. Gay people tend to be more liberal than straight people (not always, of course) and the case tends to be that more liberal people are vegetarian than conservatives. Still, of my regular GSA group (8-10 people) there is only person I can think (the aforementioned guy who I saw a few times a week) of who is a vegetarian, and even he's thinking of dropping it.

 

One might say that sexuality has an indirect role in deciding vegetarianism, but any case made for that argument would be quite weak.

[AFriendlyFace]

Kevin, I think the reason why you

[Kurt]

I really love all types of meat... I could not survive without meat! However, I also really like salad and veggies. Broccoli is one of my absolute favorite foods. I like baked or grilled chicken, but not fried. I am not a big burger person, but I love steak. Venison is one of my favorite meats, it is really really good.

[glomph]

I heard on the radio this afternoon that Tennessee fainting goats are quite tasty when prepared properly. (I'm not making that up.)

 

I don't care for giant steaks, and I've about lost my taste for fast-food burgers, but otherwise, I'm pretty much of a meat eater. I like veggies a lot, too, especially if they are well prepared.

 

I met a guy once who told me he was a Vegan, but I didn't find out whether that referred to his dietary habits, his planetary origin, or both.

[Tiger]

I will probably never become a vegetarian. I like meat and not just THAT kind of meat. I do not believe there are more GLBT people who are vegetarians. I live in a rural town in Missouri. We don't have vegetarian types around here, so I do not usually come into contact with vegetarians.

[JamesSavik]

It's unnatural for humans not to eat meat. Humans are natural omnivores and a balanced diet is essential to our well being.

 

People who do not eat meat, especially during early developmental processes, brains do not develop as fast as a child who eats a normal diet. In fact there are studies that suggest that the effects of FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) and a vegetarian diet are just about the same on children.

 

Traditionally a vegetarian diet has been used by tyrants to control populations. A prolonged lack of protein causes people to be compliant and easy to manage. This is also a tool of brainwashing and was used extensively on American POWs during the Korean War.

[corvus]

It's unnatural for humans not to eat meat. Humans are natural omnivores and a balanced diet is essential to our well being.

 

People who do not eat meat, especially during early developmental processes, brains do not develop as fast as a child who eats a normal diet. In fact there are studies that suggest that the effects of FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) and a vegetarian diet are just about the same on children.

 

Traditionally a vegetarian diet has been used by tyrants to control populations. A prolonged lack of protein causes people to be compliant and easy to manage. This is also a tool of brainwashing and was used extensively on American POWs during the Korean War.

 

Interestingly I have a family friend whose son, about my age, is a bit retarded. Or mentally handicapped, whatever the PC term is. His mom once told my mom, in those private mother-to-mother discussions that mothers have, that she thought it's because the kid didn't get fed *any* meat when he was a baby. The parents had thought that would be super-healthy or something. Of course, it might have nothing to do with it, but meat is good -- fat for your brain and lipid bilayers, essential amino acids, lots of iron...

 

I like meat. Sometimes I love it. Unlike quite a few people here, I really like pork. Tragically, my university's dining halls serve very little pork -- probably to cater to the Muslim students that abound. Whenever they *do* have pork -- usually in the form of some faux-Chinese food with tons of MSG and zero authenticity -- I always stock up. Tehehe.

 

I also like lamb. Just so you guys know...

[jfalkon]

Interesting topic.

I'm almost a complete omnivore. I'll eat almost anything -meat, vegetables, grains, eggs, milk, blood, guts, whatever- as long it is not too greasy or drenched in sweeteners. The only exception to the rule is chocolate. I ate too much of it as a little kid and now I can't stand it.

 

I have to agree that vegetarianism is trendy these days. It seems like a way to rebel against your parents without suporting your younger sibling when s/he says,"Vegies are gross! I don't like pees!" Of course there are many people who are doing it for serious reasons but there are a fair number of posers.

 

The moral side of it is interesting to me because I find that I don't nescesarily like animals any better than plants. I see no reason to kill one and let the other live. The thing that sickens me is the general waste of food. If people were really so conscious of the fact that they are eating something that was killed, I don't think they would be throwing leftovers away so often. Many people probably have not given it any thought. Others may think that vegitation is not worthy of their consideration. I guess that's a matter of opinion.

 

The health aspect is tricky. While it seem possible to get all one's nutrition from plants becoming a vegitarian dose not guarantee good health or weight loss. It probably takes some number crunching to figure things out. There may also be some differences in individuals' nutritional needs. That may acount for certain natural inclinations. I once heard that people with o type blood need more meat. I'm not sure if it is true though and I can't remember where I heard it.

[NickolasJames8]

I also like lamb. Just so you guys know...

 

We had lamb for dinner the other night...actually, we have it at least once a week. I just ate the left over lamb that was in the fridge for breakfast. It's good with feta cheese and roasted potatoes :king: :pickaxe: :ranger:

[scoopny]

I agree with sat8997, I have a lot of veggie friends and they span the gamut from gay to straight. Everytime a group of us go out to lunch, there's always at least one veggie in the group. I am not a veggie, but I have nothing against them.

[Benji]

We had lamb for dinner the other night...actually, we have it at least once a week. I just ate the left over lamb that was in the fridge for breakfast. It's good with feta cheese and roasted potatoes :king: :pickaxe: :ranger:

 

 

...........I love lamb, but I only get to eat it maybe three times a year....way too expensive, what are they being fed..gold?

 

I'd go crazy if I couldn't have at least one cheeseburger, one rack of baby back ribs, and one steak a week.

 

..........That's beef ribs? Right Gary?

 

.......Muslims are not the only people to not eat pork!

[old bob]

...........I love lamb, but I only get to eat it maybe three times a year....way too expensive, what are they being fed..gold?

I'd go crazy if I couldn't have at least one cheeseburger, one rack of baby back ribs, and one steak a week.

.......Muslims are not the only people to not eat pork!

Funny, lamb is here less expensive than beef !

About meat prices, I agree also that it's one of the most expensive food, and the retail prices here vary a lot, depending the season and the exchange rates between Swiss francs and other currencies (70 % of the meat consumption comes from foreign countries, New Zealand, Brazil, Eastern Europe, France). Geneva is a border-town and one of the pleasure of its inhabitants is to compare the prices between France and home, and to cross the border to purchase the cheapest meat. Sometimes I could think that some people here have scottish blood in their veins !

BTW, it's the same with fuel, but in the other direction. Switzerland's prices are 20 % cheaper than in France, and a lot of French driver cross the border once a week to fill their tank.

Just to add that vegetarian food, in average, is sometimes more expensive here than meat. It's mostly "home made" and the market-gardeners are protected by the State in order to get "fair" prices for their production.

[Procyon]

Pork is great. Twice cooked pork doubly so.

[FrenchCanadian]

ummmm, I really wouldn't do great being a vegetarian,,, aside from caesar salads and some other non-cooked vegies I only eat meet and pasta ... I'll say again I wouldn't do great being a vegetarian

[AFriendlyFace]

It's unnatural for humans not to eat meat. Humans are natural omnivores and a balanced diet is essential to our well being.

LOL, without getting into whether or not homosexuality is or isn't natural (which I'm inclined to think it IS), I will say that whether or not something is natural or not is amazingly low on my list of concerns and considerations.

 

People who do not eat meat, especially during early developmental processes, brains do not develop as fast as a child who eats a normal diet. In fact there are studies that suggest that the effects of FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) and a vegetarian diet are just about the same on children.

I'm not overly enthusiastic about vegetarianism for kids either. I didn't take it up until my 20s. I will say though that one of my oldest friends (we've known each other since Pre-K!) has been a vegetarian since the 3rd grade, and she was one of the most intelligent people in our school.

Traditionally a vegetarian diet has been used by tyrants to control populations. A prolonged lack of protein causes people to be compliant and easy to manage. This is also a tool of brainwashing and was used extensively on American POWs during the Korean War.

I actually eat a lot more protein now than I did before I was a vegetarian. The reason is simple, I never really considered protein before, but I was naturally disinclined to eat much anyway. After I took up vegetarianism I learned which non-meat foods were high in protein and made an effort to eat them, I also monitor my protein pretty closely. I can truthfully say I eat ALOT more protein now than I have at any other point in my life. I also eat a lot more fiber (which I also monitor, even though a vegetarian diet tends to naturally be higher in fiber anyway), take a multi-vitamin, and make sure to get plenty of calcium. Until I became a vegetarian nutrition wasn't much of a consideration for me, and it's really not any more difficult, it's just a matter of establishing good habits.

 

The moral side of it is interesting to me because I find that I don't nescesarily like animals any better than plants. I see no reason to kill one and let the other live.

Well that's certainly an interesting approach! I don't mean to downplay or marginalize it at all, and I do respect it. I would like to clarify my own approach to this however.

 

I tend to have a fairly complicated (but intuitive) system of 'ranking' life forms, generally based on intelligence, likelihood of emotional feelings, and how developed their nervous systems are (pain and pleasure). As such almost all beings in the animal kingdom would 'out rank' any in the plant kingdom. Perhaps I shouldn't judge the worthiness of life, but I do have opinions about it be they politically correct or not.

 

As an aside, and not to make anyone feel guilty, but I personally believe that the Bible/Koran very much got the no pork thing right. Pigs are one of the most intelligent animals on the planet, and I do have a moral objection to eating them when it isn't necessary, and especially when they aren't treated ethically. Conversely I grew up around cows, for the most part they aren't that bright. I wouldn't have any moral objection to eating them (although I would prefer that they were treated kindly prior to execution and consumption). Similarly, apart from high order fish, the rest are comparatively primitive. So for the most part I have no qualms about their consumption (hence another factor for leaving them on the diet longer), and the only reason I did elect to quit eating them was because of the ecological argument.

[Jack Frost]

I love chicken though. :s

 

But I don't eat much meat anyway. They're expensive to me, so I buy not much per month.

 

I don't think vegetarianism would be good for me. I'm already at 135 lbs and my diet barely is keeping my weight stable (as it has been for the last few years now).

 

I suppose I could be one and the transition won't be too hard. But right now it's not the time...I'm at my parents' for the summer and mum cooks meat sometimes. When I am away, that's when I hardly eat meat.

Edited May 13, 2008 by Jack Frost

[glomph]

Raising animals for food is a very inefficient use of grain, particularly the way we do it in the US. Now that so much corn is being used to make gasohol and it is displacing other less subsidized food crops, the fact that so much corn goes into meat production doesn't leave much US grain for human consumption. Our agricultural subsidies have caused economic dislocations and resettlement from farms in other countries. It's certainly a factor in the upswing of illegal immigrants. I lose count of all the vicious cycles that are generated and/or sustained by our heavy consumption of meat, our corn-based meat production, our subsidies of corn, our very petroleum-dependent farming methods, etc.