Are you a vegetarian?

[Aardvark]

Somebody mentioned Russian beef. Yeah, I know, I could go back and re-read the thread to find out who, but I don't want to.

Russian beef is not palatable to most Westerners because they have never developed the taste. You have to build up with some easier to chew/digest items first, and eventually, if you are persistent, you'll make it all the way up to Russian beef. I would suggest going to a thrift store and buying a few belts. boiling them for about 2 hours and then chewing them up. Next try some old shoes. When you can get through and entire pair of leather work boots (including the soles) you are well on your way to being able to enjoy (or at least consume) a Russian steak.

There is a reason for all this. (I spent 7 years doing mission work in Siberia/Far-East Russia.) Russians don't waste feed on fattening up beef cattle. They raise dairy. Most of the meat that you'll find in the market is Old Bessie or Elsie the milk cow that either died of old age, or was slaughtered when she stopped producing. Hence the meat is old before it is even butchered!

When calving, the bull calves are castrated and made into dairy beef for the farmer. He doesn't want to eat Old Bessie either, he eats the more tender calves! He'll sell Bessie at the market.

Now you know the rest of the story! (sorry couldn't resist!)

Small farm, we'd cover our (Jersey) house cow with one of the neighbour's bulls (Pol Hereford) calf stays with Mum during the day, separated overnight so we get some milk and when she calves again it goes to pasture with the goats and chooks for a few months until it's ready for the deep freeze.

Somewhat leaner than what you get from grain fed beef but without the feedlot and meatpacking horror show. Like I mentioned before, I've really cut down as I like to know where my food came from.

 

[bfw]

The most famous example would probably be Tofurky.

Which makes NO sense. It's like a Muslim drinking lemonade from a beer bottle. It's like the penchant gay men have for drag shows.

If you swear off A for B, there's something inherently underhanded about dressing B up to imitate A.

 

[almitywife]

---

---

A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

g'day divers,

please note poll has been added/edited as per OP's request

cheers

---

 

[pinoiryder]

no prefrences.. what ever i can get my hand on.. veggie, meat, fish, i basically eat anythng edible.

 

[String]

he's just kidding folks.......uhhhhh, you ARE kidding aren't you, String?

Erm no. Why would i be? If there's going to be any sort of fight id rather it was at least competitive.

Try to kill a wild animal then you have no right to moan or sympathy when it fights back.

 

[psychocabbage]

I don't eat meat or fish (but eat organic cheese, whenever possible, and eggs) for some of the reasons that you described above.

Your total lack of concern about the welfare of farm animals, the ravaging exploitations of the oceans and the destruction of its habitats for the sake of catching few shrimps, for instance, and your own health is rather staggering!

It really kills me when the majority of people are so oblivious and ignorant about what they fill their stomachs with! They never ask questions, they never seem to be troubled by anything, they keep a blind eye for comfort sake!

In the case of marine animals....Well with the current rate of oceans and seas exploitation for food pretty soon the variety of fish, shellfish etc. that you can buy at the market is going to be a thing of the past! Not to mention the horrific waste that comes with indiscreminate fishing practices. Every day millions of marine animals that are uselss for human consumption get cought in nets and are dumped dead overboard!

Buon appetito!

Google Image Result for http://www.jyi.org/articleimages/157/originals/img1.jpg

Hmmm... Interesting.. Get back to us when you have a bunch more dives.. Once you see how vast the ocean life really is, maybe you will stop believing all that hype!

Do I care about an animal whose sole purpose is to feed me? no. Its supposed to be food. All I care is that it eventually gets dead and in some form for me to cook.

Man is specifically designed to be an omnivore. Its what lets us adapt and inhabit virtually all the world. Why would you want to undo it all? That makes no sense..

 

[Dtaine]

Hmmm... Interesting.. Get back to us when you have a bunch more dives.. Once you see how vast the ocean life really is, maybe you will stop believing all that hype!

I'm not in agreement with the poster you're responding too, but some of our catching practices do a lot of harm to the marine ecosystem. A trip aboard a Japanese whaler or Chinese shark fining ship would open your eyes. Even whale sharks are targeted for their fins now.

 

[BioLogic]

I love food. I eat more of it than most two women my size. And it's all plants.

I used to really like eating meat too, but I decided the costs were too high for my taste. (and no, I don't mean $).

I am so thankful that dark chocolate isn't made from animals!!

 

[BTravlin]

This thread really took off like a rocket. A little late jumping in here but I just love a big thick ribeye cooked on the grill. Next to that comes a nice rack of pork spareribs. I love the grilled veggies too but the meat is #1.

 

[sambolino44]

I'm disappointed, but not really surprised, at how many rabid meat-eaters there are here. Not just that people want to eat meat, fair enough; but that they are so sure they know the truth about our food system and that vegetarians are just plain wrong. And they seem so paranoid that vegetarians are out to deny them their pleasures! It's sad, really.

I don't claim to be an expert, but I've seen several posts here, humorous ones aside, that show that a lot of people really have serious misconceptions about our food industry. Most people aren't aware of the drastic changes that have taken place over the past ten to twenty years. My generation of Americans was raised on a diet that's unhealthy for us as individuals, unsustainable for us as a species, and completely unnecessary. Being an omnivore is one thing, but the amount of meat and animal products Americans consume is just unjustified by any measure. We are spoiled rotten. And we're taking the rest of the world down with us.

I believe that, since there are so many people, small changes in individual behavior can have huge impacts. I also believe that a lot of people would be willing to make those small changes if they just understood the underlying issues. I just wish I was better at making my case. So, all you proud, gluttonous carnivores out there, I urge you to take an interest in how your meat is produced. Find out if the feedlot beef you get nowadays bears much relationship to the beef you ate as a child. Think about the consequences of your food choices; it's hard to imagine regretting not stuffing yourself, but easy to remember all those times you wish you hadn't had that extra serving.

It's not seeing the fish in their environment that makes me not want to eat them. It's just that diving exposes me to a whole new world, a part of my world that I was missing, and that new experience makes me want to be more fully involved in my world.