I'm more and more moving toward vegetarian. I never eat any seafood or shell fish and avoid large animals meat. I do occasionally eat poultry and I eat eggs. My main reason for going more vegetarian is that I realize that a world with 7 plus billion human inhabitants cannot support us as carnivores. I don't think it's unnatural to eat meat, I just don't see how we can justify doing so. But I also did not have kids so having not added to the population issue, I allow myself the pleasure of a little poultry and the occasional egg dish.
Yes to much of this. To my mind, even if people disagree that there are ethical aspects to eating meat, you have to be willfully ignoring a lot of evidence about environmental impact to justify eating beef in particular.
Agreed. And pork as well. Pig farms impact environment in terrible ways and most pork comes from these massively polluting pig farms.
Serious question, how do you feel about people that raise and eat their own meat (of any kind)? If a person has their own pig farm of 4 or 5 pigs and eats a couple of them a year, are they really impacting the environment any more negativity than someone using the same space to water a vegetable garden? Also, do you believe that farming practices have not impacted the environment in a negative way?
Sorry, no quick answer, racing off to work. More later.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Yes, we are, I just wanted to give a judgy person a taste of their own medicine. I do not think Spiritual Chaos is a shitty person (for the record) but if you are going to blankety call people shitty for eating meat, you can expect a meat eater or two to judge your lifestyle choice of being in your mid 30s and living with your parents as well.
Am have celiacs (not 'gluten intolerant' like many claim....medically diagnosed20+ years ago) so I am anti grain. Over the years I don't eat nearly as much meat as I used to. I don't care if people do or don't. I am not for imposing beliefs on people unless we are putting a hammer and sickle in our flag all the sudden. Do what makes you feel the healthiest. It i your body listen to it.
I grew up on a farm in one of the poorest counties in the state of MN. We were primarily pig farmers, but raised beef cattle for butcher, sheep to keep the pastures cleared, ducks for the meat and chickens for eggs and meat. Our freezer was always full of one of those animals from our farm as well as venison from deer hunting season and fish from the many amazing lakes of the state. While my dad did the majority of the farming and maintained an evening shift at the local plant, my mom stayed home with us and grew an abundant garden of vegetables and helped with farm chores. I still remember hating eggplant and tomatoes as a kid and would dread those dinner items - which I now love. I often avoided the T in BLT, but we had plenty of fresh bacon at all times to go with some crisp lettuce from the garden. My mom also made the best beef commercial you could ever imagine. Man was it good slathered with thick gravy over that doughy white bread. I hated wheat bread as a kid, but we bought it for my dad because that's what he preferred and now it's all I eat. I probably didn't appreciate it then because I was young and there wasn't much talk about where food came from or if it was sourced ethically. All of our neighbors were farmers and the milk truck was a daily morning sighting cruising down the road, especially with the Land O' Lakes creamery in the nearest town. The biggest treat was when the Schwan's man showed up once a month and we got to pick out our favorite ice cream treats - dreamsicles, root beer float bars, fudgsicles, push-ups, twin pops, gold n' nugit, silvermint and those pints of black cherry - yum! We were farmland.
Even with all that homegrown food, we still did like every other family, ate out at Hardees, Arby's, KFC, Pizza Hut or any other fast food chain when we were away on family trips and vacations. It tasted good and I didn't care how shitty it may have been for me because it wasn't something I ever considered. I heartily enjoyed sardines (especially in mustard sauce), pickled herring, bologna sandwiches, corned beef hash from the can, pastrami and pimiento loaf. We ate whatever we could afford.
When we quit farming in high school, we kept the garden, but lost the easy access to fresh and homegrown meat. I can't say if it was ever something I noticed since we kept the meals the same, although the meat was now store bought. I pretty much ate the same way, but began becoming more interested in food sources and doing more research in to how the commercial industry was making our food; especially Monsanto and their round-up resistant seed strains they began pushing out in the late 90's. By the time I was out of college, I had reduced my meat consumption and would make more informed choices about the types I would eat. Once I was married, my wife and I began working for one of the local CSA farms, which was organic. We started shifting as much of our produce choices to organic as we could afford and mainly started eating only fish or chicken because we felt it was the least harmful food industry on the meat side. For family gatherings and when we visited people, I would still eat whatever meal they prepared because I believed it was important not to waste food. We never threw food away in our house and that's a practice I stick true to. Unless it has gone bad, we eat it. The joke is often that we take other people's leftovers home from restaurants and gatherings if that means saving it from a landfill. Neither of us can fathom wasting food when so many people in this world don't have any.
Anyway, about 7 years ago, everything finally came to a head for me. I had been struggling with my decisions to continue eating meat and dairy products knowing how terrible the industry had become and what was going on. I had really cut back to just eating meat maybe 2 times a week and always only fish or chicken. Then I read a book called The Face on Your Plate. It's not what you may think and all about animals feelings, but it really broke down all the problems with our entire food system as it related to meat and on top of it discussed why genetically our bodies just never really were meant to consume it. I'm sure there are arguments that could go either way, but bottom line, I quit and became vegan when I finished that book. Giving up meat was simple, but it was the dairy component that complicated issues. I had to find replacements in my diet for milk, cheese, yogurt and butter. I had pretty much quit drinking cow's milk years before (still find it weird it took me so long to come around on that), but it was used in a lot of recipes and products you would never think of. We consume so much dairy it is insane!. Anyway, alternate food options have come a long way in the last 7 years and prices have gone significantly down.
Couple that with out move back out to the country a few years ago and we are once again work-share members of the CSA farm 5 minutes down the road while also growing our own, raspberries, black raspberries, blackberries, red & black currants, apples, pears, elderberries, rhubarb, asparagus and a variety of veggies (tomatoes that my son and I devour!) we want an abundance of besides what we get from the CSA. I even tapped the maple trees for the first time this past spring and got several pints of sweet golden syrup. My wife and family are mainly vegetarian, but we don't restrict our kids from eating meat when we go places. I want them to experience it and understand the pros and cons so they can make their own decision someday. Since we still have relatives who hunt, we teach them about respecting the animal they are eating and knowing where it came from and the nourishment it provides. Our youngest shows no interest in meat, but our oldest is definitely leaning towards a path of omnivore. He practices with his bow and arrow and dreams of the time when he will get to go hunting. We just want them to appreciate knowing where their food comes from and that how it is raised, grown, treated, etc does matter and is something they should consider as they get older.
As a compromise, when we moved, my wife always wanted chickens so we currently have 16 lovely hens who provide us about a dozen eggs a day. I tend not to eat the eggs, but have when we camp or substituted egg when I am out of flax meal. I don't claim to be a perfect vegan down to the exact meaning of never eating anything from an animal, but I am mindful and knowing where and how my food was raised is important so the only way I ever break my own rules is when it is from my yard or if food will go to waste. Anyone who has raised chickens, knows that they quit laying at some point, so the chopping block is the best way to honor that animal and what it has provided while not letting it go to waste. I have butchered 2 chickens because of physical ailments they couldn't overcome. I wish we could butcher the ones we just find dead in the coop sometimes, but you never know what the cause was so it's best just to leave them. I must have about 6 hens buried under my compost feeding the earth. At some point we would like to get bees and maybe even rabbits for meat. I've always been on the fence about honey and my wife and I have discussed the rabbits. I'm not sure on that one yet. Our CSA now has pigs that they raise and butcher, but I will never go back to that way of eating. Even seeing the 70+ chickens at their farm has made it abundantly clear what types of conditions these and other animals must face in the mass produced industry. Many of their chickens have been picked on, are missing feathers and just seem altogether more "animal" if that makes any sense - and we know that this is the best case scenario when buying organic eggs and meat. I think we have found the right balance with our 16. they get along, have plenty of space, look healthy and are quite social creatures. We regard them as pets more than food. No loss goes without tears of sadness because of what they have provided us.
I don't judge how other people eat nor chastise them for their choices, but I am always open to talking with them when they ask me about my decision to be vegan. It's not for everybody and that is fine with me. The more we understand each other the better off the world will be, especially the environment and health of the planet.
If you are in your mid 30's living with your parents ... it might be time to move out...
I was born to the model of move out once you're done school. I have my family and our own house.
I'm in disagreement with this way of thinking though.
There are various cultures around the world where families all live under one roof. This isn't so bad for a number of reasons. Firstly, such a society cuts down significantly on consumption- it's better for the planet. Secondly, less financial stress equates to happier people. Third, people always lament the deterioration of the family values... this model galvanizes family values.
I eat seafood occasionally so I’ve been a pescatarian for about 24 years more for energy consumption, earth impact, and health reasons. It works really well for me and along with it I eat organic as much as possible and also a ton of fiber. Carbs too. I don’t want to hear about this low carb crap. My head would be resting on my keyboard by 11:00 if I didn’t have carbs.
We have to be careful about not being judgmental with this stuff and acknowledge that we all eat and poop, consume goods and transport ourselves with whatever means and they all use energy.
I was vegetarian for 3 years. My health started to decline and so I added meat back into my diet. I have since learned what is going on with my health. I'm not really sure what to do about my food choices as my disorder has a Mast Cell Activation Disorder co-morbidity and I have not been tested for food allergies yet. I have difficulties processing nutrients at times. I'm currently trying to lower my gluten intake significantly to see if that will help. I am struggling with eating meat. I don't really like that I am doing it. I don't think I will ever convert to vegan but would love to have the resources to have chickens for eggs, so that I would know they were treated well.
If you are in your mid 30's living with your parents ... it might be time to move out...
I was born to the model of move out once you're done school. I have my family and our own house.
I'm in disagreement with this way of thinking though.
There are various cultures around the world where families all live under one roof. This isn't so bad for a number of reasons. Firstly, such a society cuts down significantly on consumption- it's better for the planet. Secondly, less financial stress equates to happier people. Third, people always lament the deterioration of the family values... this model galvanizes family values.
I could go on.
I'm glad I'm not part of those cultures. I couldn't wait to get on my own. Also, even in high rent/housing prices if you live at home until 35, you should have a sizeable down payment. You know, to each his own. After selling my house I was faced with the possibility of a short term stay with my Dad ... but I managed to secure another house. Dodged a bullet ... LOL ... and my Dads great.
I'm more and more moving toward vegetarian. I never eat any seafood or shell fish and avoid large animals meat. I do occasionally eat poultry and I eat eggs. My main reason for going more vegetarian is that I realize that a world with 7 plus billion human inhabitants cannot support us as carnivores. I don't think it's unnatural to eat meat, I just don't see how we can justify doing so. But I also did not have kids so having not added to the population issue, I allow myself the pleasure of a little poultry and the occasional egg dish.
Yes to much of this. To my mind, even if people disagree that there are ethical aspects to eating meat, you have to be willfully ignoring a lot of evidence about environmental impact to justify eating beef in particular.
Agreed. And pork as well. Pig farms impact environment in terrible ways and most pork comes from these massively polluting pig farms.
Serious question, how do you feel about people that raise and eat their own meat (of any kind)? If a person has their own pig farm of 4 or 5 pigs and eats a couple of them a year, are they really impacting the environment any more negativity than someone using the same space to water a vegetable garden? Also, do you believe that farming practices have not impacted the environment in a negative way?
OK, so, I think if people raise their own food and do it humanly and do it all (and I mean all) that's OK. Four or five seems like a lot to me though so I would say, yeah, probably not good for the environment- certainly more harmful than vegetable gardening.
Caution: this part of the post is gross and graphic:
And not everyone does it right. I lived next to a farm that had about 50 pigs, many were still young. They didn't get feed well by the owner so I gave them what I could when I could. One day I walked past the sty and a couple of the pigs looked like they were bleeding at the mouth. They weren't bleeding, it was the other piglets that they were cannibalizing that was the source of blood. The owners were otherwise very nice people, they just stretched themselves too thin and screwed up big time.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
I eat mostly everything, I mean I had octopus and tripe at a bbq last weekend lol. The two things that I can not eat are mayonnaise (stuff should be illegal) and for some reason olives. I lived in spain and tried at every meal but I just could not acquire a taste for them. But yeah give me a plate of ribs, kale, quinoa and lobster.
I'll eat pretty much anything (I of course have a little list of food I simply don't like though) ..... I think I'd even take a taste of human, if it was somehow legally and humanely made available to me. Just out of curiosity. I read a story about a guy who had to have his foot amputated, so he froze the foot and then had a dinner party with his friends where he hired a chef who cooked it up into a taco dish and they all ate it (he admitted he has weird friends, lol). Apparently it tastes more like pork than chicken.
Post edited by PJ_Soul on
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
People who without qualms choose meat in 2018 are shitty people.
Trying to choose vegan when possible, but most often vegetarian. More shitty than I wish.
I only found US data quick.... but 3.2% of the US is vegetarian (only like 0.5% of those are vegan). So 96.8% eat meat. That’s a lot of shitty people
I made a killer London broil last night on the grill (marinated it with garlic and soy sauce for 24 hours). I told my kids they are all shitty for eating this. They ignored me and asked for seconds.
I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
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hedonist
standing on the edge of forever Posts: 24,524
I grew up on a farm in one of the poorest counties in the state of MN. We were primarily pig farmers, but raised beef cattle for butcher, sheep to keep the pastures cleared, ducks for the meat and chickens for eggs and meat. Our freezer was always full of one of those animals from our farm as well as venison from deer hunting season and fish from the many amazing lakes of the state. While my dad did the majority of the farming and maintained an evening shift at the local plant, my mom stayed home with us and grew an abundant garden of vegetables and helped with farm chores. I still remember hating eggplant and tomatoes as a kid and would dread those dinner items - which I now love. I often avoided the T in BLT, but we had plenty of fresh bacon at all times to go with some crisp lettuce from the garden. My mom also made the best beef commercial you could ever imagine. Man was it good slathered with thick gravy over that doughy white bread. I hated wheat bread as a kid, but we bought it for my dad because that's what he preferred and now it's all I eat. I probably didn't appreciate it then because I was young and there wasn't much talk about where food came from or if it was sourced ethically. All of our neighbors were farmers and the milk truck was a daily morning sighting cruising down the road, especially with the Land O' Lakes creamery in the nearest town. The biggest treat was when the Schwan's man showed up once a month and we got to pick out our favorite ice cream treats - dreamsicles, root beer float bars, fudgsicles, push-ups, twin pops, gold n' nugit, silvermint and those pints of black cherry - yum! We were farmland.
Even with all that homegrown food, we still did like every other family, ate out at Hardees, Arby's, KFC, Pizza Hut or any other fast food chain when we were away on family trips and vacations. It tasted good and I didn't care how shitty it may have been for me because it wasn't something I ever considered. I heartily enjoyed sardines (especially in mustard sauce), pickled herring, bologna sandwiches, corned beef hash from the can, pastrami and pimiento loaf. We ate whatever we could afford.
When we quit farming in high school, we kept the garden, but lost the easy access to fresh and homegrown meat. I can't say if it was ever something I noticed since we kept the meals the same, although the meat was now store bought. I pretty much ate the same way, but began becoming more interested in food sources and doing more research in to how the commercial industry was making our food; especially Monsanto and their round-up resistant seed strains they began pushing out in the late 90's. By the time I was out of college, I had reduced my meat consumption and would make more informed choices about the types I would eat. Once I was married, my wife and I began working for one of the local CSA farms, which was organic. We started shifting as much of our produce choices to organic as we could afford and mainly started eating only fish or chicken because we felt it was the least harmful food industry on the meat side. For family gatherings and when we visited people, I would still eat whatever meal they prepared because I believed it was important not to waste food. We never threw food away in our house and that's a practice I stick true to. Unless it has gone bad, we eat it. The joke is often that we take other people's leftovers home from restaurants and gatherings if that means saving it from a landfill. Neither of us can fathom wasting food when so many people in this world don't have any.
Anyway, about 7 years ago, everything finally came to a head for me. I had been struggling with my decisions to continue eating meat and dairy products knowing how terrible the industry had become and what was going on. I had really cut back to just eating meat maybe 2 times a week and always only fish or chicken. Then I read a book called The Face on Your Plate. It's not what you may think and all about animals feelings, but it really broke down all the problems with our entire food system as it related to meat and on top of it discussed why genetically our bodies just never really were meant to consume it. I'm sure there are arguments that could go either way, but bottom line, I quit and became vegan when I finished that book. Giving up meat was simple, but it was the dairy component that complicated issues. I had to find replacements in my diet for milk, cheese, yogurt and butter. I had pretty much quit drinking cow's milk years before (still find it weird it took me so long to come around on that), but it was used in a lot of recipes and products you would never think of. We consume so much dairy it is insane!. Anyway, alternate food options have come a long way in the last 7 years and prices have gone significantly down.
Couple that with out move back out to the country a few years ago and we are once again work-share members of the CSA farm 5 minutes down the road while also growing our own, raspberries, black raspberries, blackberries, red & black currants, apples, pears, elderberries, rhubarb, asparagus and a variety of veggies (tomatoes that my son and I devour!) we want an abundance of besides what we get from the CSA. I even tapped the maple trees for the first time this past spring and got several pints of sweet golden syrup. My wife and family are mainly vegetarian, but we don't restrict our kids from eating meat when we go places. I want them to experience it and understand the pros and cons so they can make their own decision someday. Since we still have relatives who hunt, we teach them about respecting the animal they are eating and knowing where it came from and the nourishment it provides. Our youngest shows no interest in meat, but our oldest is definitely leaning towards a path of omnivore. He practices with his bow and arrow and dreams of the time when he will get to go hunting. We just want them to appreciate knowing where their food comes from and that how it is raised, grown, treated, etc does matter and is something they should consider as they get older.
As a compromise, when we moved, my wife always wanted chickens so we currently have 16 lovely hens who provide us about a dozen eggs a day. I tend not to eat the eggs, but have when we camp or substituted egg when I am out of flax meal. I don't claim to be a perfect vegan down to the exact meaning of never eating anything from an animal, but I am mindful and knowing where and how my food was raised is important so the only way I ever break my own rules is when it is from my yard or if food will go to waste. Anyone who has raised chickens, knows that they quit laying at some point, so the chopping block is the best way to honor that animal and what it has provided while not letting it go to waste. I have butchered 2 chickens because of physical ailments they couldn't overcome. I wish we could butcher the ones we just find dead in the coop sometimes, but you never know what the cause was so it's best just to leave them. I must have about 6 hens buried under my compost feeding the earth. At some point we would like to get bees and maybe even rabbits for meat. I've always been on the fence about honey and my wife and I have discussed the rabbits. I'm not sure on that one yet. Our CSA now has pigs that they raise and butcher, but I will never go back to that way of eating. Even seeing the 70+ chickens at their farm has made it abundantly clear what types of conditions these and other animals must face in the mass produced industry. Many of their chickens have been picked on, are missing feathers and just seem altogether more "animal" if that makes any sense - and we know that this is the best case scenario when buying organic eggs and meat. I think we have found the right balance with our 16. they get along, have plenty of space, look healthy and are quite social creatures. We regard them as pets more than food. No loss goes without tears of sadness because of what they have provided us.
I don't judge how other people eat nor chastise them for their choices, but I am always open to talking with them when they ask me about my decision to be vegan. It's not for everybody and that is fine with me. The more we understand each other the better off the world will be, especially the environment and health of the planet.
Excellent and thoughtful post, bergs. Thank you.
As to the OP, these days I eat everything I can, meat included. Under normal circumstances, it didn't play a huge part of my meals (though I'd kill for a grilled steak right now).
......and if someone I neither know nor respect considers me a terrible human being for making that choice, so be it.
Comments
So much winning!
Lots Lots Lots of shows.....
2018 - Seattle 2/Missoula
Even with all that homegrown food, we still did like every other family, ate out at Hardees, Arby's, KFC, Pizza Hut or any other fast food chain when we were away on family trips and vacations. It tasted good and I didn't care how shitty it may have been for me because it wasn't something I ever considered. I heartily enjoyed sardines (especially in mustard sauce), pickled herring, bologna sandwiches, corned beef hash from the can, pastrami and pimiento loaf. We ate whatever we could afford.
When we quit farming in high school, we kept the garden, but lost the easy access to fresh and homegrown meat. I can't say if it was ever something I noticed since we kept the meals the same, although the meat was now store bought. I pretty much ate the same way, but began becoming more interested in food sources and doing more research in to how the commercial industry was making our food; especially Monsanto and their round-up resistant seed strains they began pushing out in the late 90's. By the time I was out of college, I had reduced my meat consumption and would make more informed choices about the types I would eat. Once I was married, my wife and I began working for one of the local CSA farms, which was organic. We started shifting as much of our produce choices to organic as we could afford and mainly started eating only fish or chicken because we felt it was the least harmful food industry on the meat side. For family gatherings and when we visited people, I would still eat whatever meal they prepared because I believed it was important not to waste food. We never threw food away in our house and that's a practice I stick true to. Unless it has gone bad, we eat it. The joke is often that we take other people's leftovers home from restaurants and gatherings if that means saving it from a landfill. Neither of us can fathom wasting food when so many people in this world don't have any.
Anyway, about 7 years ago, everything finally came to a head for me. I had been struggling with my decisions to continue eating meat and dairy products knowing how terrible the industry had become and what was going on. I had really cut back to just eating meat maybe 2 times a week and always only fish or chicken. Then I read a book called The Face on Your Plate. It's not what you may think and all about animals feelings, but it really broke down all the problems with our entire food system as it related to meat and on top of it discussed why genetically our bodies just never really were meant to consume it. I'm sure there are arguments that could go either way, but bottom line, I quit and became vegan when I finished that book. Giving up meat was simple, but it was the dairy component that complicated issues. I had to find replacements in my diet for milk, cheese, yogurt and butter. I had pretty much quit drinking cow's milk years before (still find it weird it took me so long to come around on that), but it was used in a lot of recipes and products you would never think of. We consume so much dairy it is insane!. Anyway, alternate food options have come a long way in the last 7 years and prices have gone significantly down.
Couple that with out move back out to the country a few years ago and we are once again work-share members of the CSA farm 5 minutes down the road while also growing our own, raspberries, black raspberries, blackberries, red & black currants, apples, pears, elderberries, rhubarb, asparagus and a variety of veggies (tomatoes that my son and I devour!) we want an abundance of besides what we get from the CSA. I even tapped the maple trees for the first time this past spring and got several pints of sweet golden syrup. My wife and family are mainly vegetarian, but we don't restrict our kids from eating meat when we go places. I want them to experience it and understand the pros and cons so they can make their own decision someday. Since we still have relatives who hunt, we teach them about respecting the animal they are eating and knowing where it came from and the nourishment it provides. Our youngest shows no interest in meat, but our oldest is definitely leaning towards a path of omnivore. He practices with his bow and arrow and dreams of the time when he will get to go hunting. We just want them to appreciate knowing where their food comes from and that how it is raised, grown, treated, etc does matter and is something they should consider as they get older.
As a compromise, when we moved, my wife always wanted chickens so we currently have 16 lovely hens who provide us about a dozen eggs a day. I tend not to eat the eggs, but have when we camp or substituted egg when I am out of flax meal. I don't claim to be a perfect vegan down to the exact meaning of never eating anything from an animal, but I am mindful and knowing where and how my food was raised is important so the only way I ever break my own rules is when it is from my yard or if food will go to waste. Anyone who has raised chickens, knows that they quit laying at some point, so the chopping block is the best way to honor that animal and what it has provided while not letting it go to waste. I have butchered 2 chickens because of physical ailments they couldn't overcome. I wish we could butcher the ones we just find dead in the coop sometimes, but you never know what the cause was so it's best just to leave them. I must have about 6 hens buried under my compost feeding the earth. At some point we would like to get bees and maybe even rabbits for meat. I've always been on the fence about honey and my wife and I have discussed the rabbits. I'm not sure on that one yet. Our CSA now has pigs that they raise and butcher, but I will never go back to that way of eating. Even seeing the 70+ chickens at their farm has made it abundantly clear what types of conditions these and other animals must face in the mass produced industry. Many of their chickens have been picked on, are missing feathers and just seem altogether more "animal" if that makes any sense - and we know that this is the best case scenario when buying organic eggs and meat. I think we have found the right balance with our 16. they get along, have plenty of space, look healthy and are quite social creatures. We regard them as pets more than food. No loss goes without tears of sadness because of what they have provided us.
I don't judge how other people eat nor chastise them for their choices, but I am always open to talking with them when they ask me about my decision to be vegan. It's not for everybody and that is fine with me. The more we understand each other the better off the world will be, especially the environment and health of the planet.
Lots Lots Lots of shows.....
2018 - Seattle 2/Missoula
I was born to the model of move out once you're done school. I have my family and our own house.
I'm in disagreement with this way of thinking though.
There are various cultures around the world where families all live under one roof. This isn't so bad for a number of reasons. Firstly, such a society cuts down significantly on consumption- it's better for the planet. Secondly, less financial stress equates to happier people. Third, people always lament the deterioration of the family values... this model galvanizes family values.
I could go on.
We have to be careful about not being judgmental with this stuff and acknowledge that we all eat and poop, consume goods and transport ourselves with whatever means and they all use energy.
other than that, i'm a pretty good person.
who eats flesh and the fetuses of the unborn for breakfast!! muwahahahahahah!
www.headstonesband.com
As to the OP, these days I eat everything I can, meat included. Under normal circumstances, it didn't play a huge part of my meals (though I'd kill for a grilled steak right now).
......and if someone I neither know nor respect considers me a terrible human being for making that choice, so be it.