Anyone out there a Vegetarian or Vegan ?

[BadFish]

Reminds me of that joke

Q: How do you know if you have a vegan around your dinner table?
A: Don't worry, they'll tell you.

This thread kind of suggests that the joke is based on a truism though doesn't it? I am amazed that there are so many Vegans and vegetarians on here as none of them have spent their time banging on about it.

 

[beorhthelm]

Nope no intensive farming in the UK. In November 2016 177,000 cows were slaughtered, 1.2 million sheep and 932,000 pigs, in June 2016 the best part of 77million chickens were slaughtered for meat (not including the male chicks who would be ground up and gassed more or less straight away). Go to Defra for the stats.

i was referring to the intensive methods not the head count. as someone with farmers in the family i see it differently, but also at first hand, that we dont use those methods normally. Sussex bred sheep beats Brazilian grown soy imo. i will certainly agree we eat too much meat though, i ponder as i eat my way through a 3 peice at KFC thats probably a weeks worth of protein needs.

i'll also say that something i note more now and borne out in this thread, is there are far more quiet vegetarians just getting on with lunch, rather than the firebrand veggies and vegans i recall in my youth, where it seemd like some sort of religion.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Reminds me of that joke

Q: How do you know if you have a vegan around your dinner table?
A: Don't worry, they'll tell you.

Not sure if I'm missing the POINT of the joke, (I'm reading it that its jokingly referencing that vegans love to broadcast their lifestyle choice?) but wouldn't it be pretty STUPID to come round for dinner at someone's house and NOT inform them of your dietary requirements??

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Been veggie 32 years and agree with what others have said about how others can be obessivly facsinated by it, oh what do you eat, oh I like meat etc etc. I imagine most people know veggies and vegans and have no idea or even like music and books and sports people that are vegan and vegetarian. Its just a simple way of life and enough people drone on about drinking, smoking, eating meat, not eating meat, they are just the ones you hear, but most on all sides of life are just the silent majority.

Really like Yuval Noah Harari and his book Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, he touches on intensive farming and humans relationship with animals and how it has changed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1IqcFnJzSQ

 

[Bozza]

My 6-y-o loves bacon so most weekends I'll make him bacon sandwiches - I've got no issue with cooking bacon at all.

The only bit I don't really like is cutting up raw meat, such as when chopping up chicken breasts for the kids' fajitas. There are no vegetables I prep that have that same sort of squishy resistance!

 

[BBassic]

Strictly speaking I'm not a vegetarian however my other half is and as she does most (all) of the cooking most of the food I eat is vegetarian.

I usually only eat meat these days when we go out to restaurants or when we're having a roast dinner at home.

I know she'd prefer if I gave up eating meat entirely but that isn't going to happen and she respects that.

 

[nigeyb]

I've been veggie for 20 years and for the last 6 months have been vegan. Why? My belief that it is a healthier diet and, more importantly, I am opposed to factory farming methods.

All the information is out there for anyone who is interested. A couple of things to check out if you are interested - the documentary "Forks over Knives" (which is on Netflix, but also fairly easy to track down online) and, for those that prefer a book, I'd say one of the best is "How Not To Die" by Dr Michael Greger

I'd add that just as there are healthy meat eaters (ie those that limit their intake and also eat a lot of fruit and vegetables) there are also a lot of unhealthy vegans.

The trick to a healthy lifestyle is quite simple: lots of fresh fruit and vegetables (esp cruciferous), lots of whole grains, lots of beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, and root vegetables - all of which are delicious with the right spices, herbs etc. The stuff that is unhealthy and should be avoided, or at the very least eaten in moderation, includes processed foods, oils, sugar and cholesterol. And regular exercise of course.

I'm not so hardcore that I avoid leather shoes or only drink vegan wine and beer - but perhaps one day though I doubt it.

 

[glasfryn]

we are Pesco-veggies and have been for many years
but now I must admit to eating some meat (chicken mostly) as have been put on a diet with no veggies grown under the earth (to much sugar)
we eat lots of rice and fish and lots of green stuff.......but sometimes wonder if its just a little to late

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

I'm not so hardcore that I avoid leather shoes or only drink vegan wine and beer - but perhaps one day though I doubt it.

It's much easier these days. I find it easier to not use leather products than to eat diary free, as I work away a lot and sometimes thats the only options you get, however the range of reaturants now, Pan Asian and indian espcially makes it really easy to eat Vegan

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

It's much easier these days. I find it easier to not use leather products than to eat diary free, as I work away a lot and sometimes thats the only options you get, however the range of reaturants now, Pan Asian and indian espcially makes it really easy to eat Vegan

Is it because you work away that you struggle with your diary being free?

 

[Igzilla]

Me too, I loathe the smell of bacon, I try to avoid any place where it's being cooked. Next year I'll have been veggie for 40 years: I'm pretty healthy, pretty fit and certainly not skinny or pale . I'm not evangelical about it, my wife and kids aren't veggie (although meat is not often on the menu in our house) but I just couldn't imagine ever wanting to eat meat again.

Very similar to me. My wife is veggie though she is more against it for ethical farming reasons and would eat meat if she was 100% sure of its provenance. My young son eats veggie at home, but if he's out with us or with friends and wants to eat meat, he can. I just don't like the taste, smell or appearance of meat.

 

[Meade's Ball]

We both live in the time warp of Newhaven

It must be. I can even get soya milk in Ourense, Spain, when I visit the girlfriend's family, and that's rather a surprise. Although the girlfriend says they might just say they have it and bung in regular milk.
I've not had a "reaction", so I believe them for the most part.

PS - I'm a vegetarian. A bulging one at that.

 

[symyjym]

I'm a flexitarian and probably eat meat 3 or 4 times a year. I could never give up milk until we have a decent substitute for it.

I've heard that Not Milk is supposed be be good but I'm not sure if it is sold over here: http://www.thenotcompany.com/

 

[Notters]

We both live in the time warp of Newhaven

Have you tried Luna Rossa? Not sure if they have Soy or not, but the coffee is great.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Not sure if I'm missing the POINT of the joke, (I'm reading it that its jokingly referencing that vegans love to broadcast their lifestyle choice?) but wouldn't it be pretty STUPID to come round for dinner at someone's house and NOT inform them of your dietary requirements??

Fair point. I'll try again.

Reminds me of that joke

Q: How do you know if someone is a vegan?
A: Don't worry, they will tell you.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Have you tried Luna Rossa? Not sure if they have Soy or not, but the coffee is great.

Yes, great place

 

[nigeyb]

I'm a flexitarian and probably eat meat 3 or 4 times a year. I could never give up milk until we have a decent substitute for it.

I've heard that Not Milk is supposed be be good but I'm not sure if it is sold over here: http://www.thenotcompany.com/

I use Rice Dream - not saying it's brilliant but works well in Porridge

When I drink tea and coffee I just have it black, though recently started experimenting with a slice of lemon in tea which is actually quite nice, but makes it a different drink

 

[Gwylan]

It's much easier these days. I find it easier to not use leather products than to eat diary free, as I work away a lot and sometimes thats the only options you get, however the range of reaturants now, Pan Asian and indian espcially makes it really easy to eat Vegan

Going leather-free is much harder: I wanted to replace a watch strap the other day and couldn't find a single shop that sold them - had to buy online. It's also not possible to resole non-leather shoes so I have to buy new ones every time a heel gets worn, something I find rather wasteful.

Eating abroad is much easier now - even in France. There's a vegetarian magazine in France now, something I find incredible. There are still places where it's not so good. I wonder what it's like in Russia now, 30 years ago I lived on bread, cabbage and vodka for a week - bet that's changed.

 

[nigeyb]

Dunno what this is like but it might be quite a good present for anyone who finds the idea of healthier diets a bit wimpy...

Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a F**k

Thug Kitchen started their wildly popular website to inspire people to eat some Goddamn vegetables and adopt a healthier lifestyle. With half a million Facebook fans and counting, Thug Kitchen wants to show everyone how to take charge of their plates and cook up some real f*cking food.

Yeah, plenty of blogs and cookbooks preach about how to eat more kale, why ginger fights inflammation, and how to cook with microgreens and nettles. But they are dull or pretentious as hell -and most people can't afford the hype.

Thug Kitchen lives in the real world. In their first cookbook, they're throwing down more than 100 recipes for their best-loved meals, snacks and sides for beginning cooks to home chefs. (Roasted Beer and Lime Cauliflower Tacos? Pumpkin Chili? Grilled Peach Salsa? Believe that sh*t.) Plus they're going to arm you with all the info and techniques you need to shop on a budget and go and kick a bunch of ass on your own.

This book is an invitation to everyone who wants to do better to elevate their kitchen game. No more ketchup and pizza counting as vegetables. No more drive-thru lines. No more avoiding the produce corner of the supermarket. Sh*t is about to get real.



Amazon link

 

[Gwylan]

... how to cook with microgreens and nettles. But they are dull or pretentious as hell -and most people can't afford the hype.

How the hell can someone not afford nettles? Just go out on the fields and pick them (and kale's not exactly expensive either).

There are plenty of things you can say about veggie food, but no-one could say that it's not affordable