No religion but strictly vegetable

[ponyexpress]

One day I went to a dinner party with a few of African kids who visited Australia for a few weeks. I sat down next to this girl called Liz, who is a proud vegan. When the food arrived, all of us went for it. At one point, one of the kids asked me why Liz didn't pick any meat dish on the table. I explained it to him that Liz is a vegan and it means she doesn't eat any animal products including milk, meat, and honey. As soon as I finish telling him the reason, this kid went to grab his mobile phone and started texting. As I am curious with what he's writing, I dare myself to ask him what message did he write. Excitedly, he said: "I told my family in Eritrea that they shouldn't be sad if they can't afford to buy meat. In Australian if you can't eat meat it's not called poor but it's called vegan".

Well, this joke leads me to this question: if you are a vegetarian or vegan, would you raise your kids as vegetarian or vegan? I understand that due to your values, you can't cook meat in the house but would you let them to eat meat at their friend's birthday party? Many people in the west don't like to impose their religious values onto their children but some parents don't give their children choices of whether they want to be a vegetarian or not.

 

[Anglian]

A friend of my ex wife married a vegan, she also became a vegan, after about 4 years she gave it up, the husband didn’t force her to be vegan, the children aren’t vegan, although from what I could gather at first the idea was both the children should be brought up vegan, but once the wife gave it up the children also gave it up, I have know idea now as I have lost contact with the family wether the children now adults are vegans
Part of my daughters job when she worked for the Bristol council in the UK was to inspect slaughter houses, she found this very disturbing especially when the little lambs came to be slaughtered, also it was about the time of mad cow disease, she said there is something wrong with the cows and we shouldn’t eat beef, which we didn’t till the problem was sorted, my daughter gave up eating meat for a while, she changed her job to State Registared nurse, over the years she has started to eat meat, but not lamb, I have know people give up chicken when they have found two plastic bags of giblets inside.
I suppose people can give up meet if they feel strongly about it, but demoing outside a butcher shop isn’t on

 

[Davita]

On my flight from Hong Kong to Bali last week the girl in the next seat had a special vegetarian meal early...it smelled so bad I lost my appetite and couldn't eat the ordinary meal when it came around.

 

[Minuteman]

With all the bounty given on this earth, why would anyone choose to only eat veggies?

 

[Euc-]

How do you know a vegan is coming to your party? They’ll tell you.

 

[Euc-]

 

[harryopal1]

60 years ago I met a young married couple who were 7th Day Adventists and they were vegetarian I was curious as to why vegetarian and their explanation was that the body was a temple of god and had to be respected. Without getting into a discussion about the logic of that I did become curious about health issues and vegetarianism. So I decided to become vegetarian. My grandmother was horrified and didn't believe I could live without meat. I pointed out that the Olympic swimming champion, Murray Rose was vegetarian. "Ahh but that's only swimming," my grandmother said. Anyway I stuck with it. I didn't become a vegan and it wasn't sentiment about animal cruelty that had initiated my original interest but when I consider the mass cruelty involved with meat eating I don't regret the decision.

Apologies to Davita who has previously scolded me for rambling on. However it was his post below led me to this response.

On my flight from Hong Kong to Bali last week the girl in the next seat had a special vegetarian meal early...it smelled so bad I lost my appetite and couldn't eat the ordinary meal when it came around.

When I first became a vegetarian it was rather novel. Vegetarian flight meals were not standard and the quality of excellent especially prepared meals was terrific. Gradually vegetarianism created the need for standard flight meals but it still has the advantage of being served first for the stewards to get the special meals out of the way. With four children I used to cook meat for them and left them to make their own decisions. None of them became vegetarians.

 

[snpark]

So if vegans love animals so much, why do they want to eat all the animals food ? Poor animals will starve now because of the selfish vegans

 

[Puspawarna]

My household has always been "flexitarian," which is, as they say, "a vegetarian who eats meat." I try to cook vegetarian food half to three quarters of the time, and vegan meals occasionally.

My son went through a brief stage, when he was about 14, where he wanted to be vegetarian because of his love of animals. I obliged and cooked just vegetarian meals. But his love of hamburgers won out.

 

[Balifrog]

Just another city fashion IMO

TBH if I invited anybody for lunch or dinner at home and they me about being vegan, I would simply cancell the invitation.

But thats just me being a food loving, wine drinking french !

 

[Davita]

Interesting article. I've known a few vegetarians...usually wives of friends and always thought there was something missing in their personalities.

Omega-3 and mental disorders
I’ve written about the connection between omega-3 fatty acids and depression to an extent before. Nutritional evidence suggests that long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are a risk factor for major depressive disorder (MDD). Vitamin b12 has some interesting implications, though smaller, in the pathophysiology of MDD as well.

Knowing that, it’s interesting to note that studies from the past have reported lower levels of both – omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin b12 in vegetarians.

The above-mentioned researchers further give weight to an interesting relationship; an increased prevalence of certain mental disorders in vegetarians when they were compared to people who described themselves as partial vegetarians (eating meat only occasionally) or omnivores.

Increased prevalence of mental disorders in vegetarians
What these researchers found was that the prevalence rate of depressive disorders were around 15% higher in the group of vegetarians, not a small percentage by any means. Moreover, the prevalence rate for anxiety disorders was higher by around 12% as well. And that’s not the end of it. While the prevalence rate of eating disorders in the omnivore group was around 1%, for vegetarians it was 5,6%.

These differences range from small; eating disorders, to rather high; depressive disorders. All of them were statistically significant – thus meaning it is highly unlikely they happened by chance. The interesting thing to note with the third group which was involved, partial vegetarians, was that they were always between the other two, as far as prevalence rates of different disorders go.

The last interesting factoid was that the female vegetarians in this study had a higher rate of mental disorders, there were also more of them in the sample itself (70%).

The authors conclude that, upon reviewing the available literature, there is a possibility that experiencing a mental disorder will increase your chance of choosing a vegetarian diet, or that certain psychological factors will influence either the possibility of you experiencing a certain mental disorder, becoming vegetarian, or both.

 

[Puspawarna]

I forgot to mention, my son has a shirt that says "PETA" in big letters. For those who are mercifully insulated from the antics of some of America's more outrageous interest groups, PETA stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In addition to doing serious harm by breaking into laboratories to free monkeys, vandalizing research facilities, etc., they try to stay in the public eye with idiotic initiatives like "fish should be renamed 'sea kittens' because nobody wants to eat a kitten."

Underneath the PETA, it says, "People for the Eating of Tasty Animals."

 

[steveandpenny]

On this subject , my feelings are that most western vegans eating habits are almost a fetish but it's almost the same for meat freaks. With both you can't tell them anything cause they are both sure they are the ones that are right.

I met a vegan tourist who was going to try to be a fruitatainion, which means she was only going to eat fruit. She said she read a book about it (oh my god a book!) That showed all the reasons for eating only fruit. So I checked it out online ....what I found was scary. To get enough protein just to maintain a min intake your had to eat 30 avacadoes (they are one of the only fruits that has protein) a day ! The danger of a fruit diet includes diabetes because of the amount of sugars you will be ingestion, kidney failure, pancreatitis failure, stroke, and a increase of 5000 percent of pancreatitis cancer. And this is the results of a couple weeks of a fruit diet. When I talked with her the next day about it , warning her of the dangers she asked what my source was and I told her it was the U.N. World Health Organization. She said you can't trust them (guess because they are scientist) . The book she read was written by a Doctor (I looked it up and he was a doctor of literature). So I just shut up at that point. Oh well.

I prefer the eating habits here where a portion of meat is a few oz. And is used for favor with a larger portion or rice and vegetables unlike the western world where you get a hugh serving of meat with a small side of vegetables. We dont eat much red meat anymore just cause the beef here isnt very good.

I was shocked last time I was in the states when I ordered a burger at a restaurant I've just to eat at alot. The size of the burger was hugh ...I could only eat about a 3rd of it my wife had a steak that she was craving. Again it was the size of a small dog. Both of us didn't feel good after eating that much beef. Seems like it was hard to digest.
With eating I agree with puspaw, as with anything it's all about moderation (except with cheese or ice cream).

I really have no idea what I'm talking about in this ramble but as my wife says I speak just so I know I'm here .

 

[dafluff]

Well, this joke leads me to this question: if you are a vegetarian or vegan, would you raise your kids as vegetarian or vegan? I understand that due to your values, you can't cook meat in the house but would you let them to eat meat at their friend's birthday party? Many people in the west don't like to impose their religious values onto their children but some parents don't give their children choices of whether they want to be a vegetarian or not.

If an adult chooses to be be vegan, that is their choice, and they can do whatever they want. However forcing kids to become vegan should be deemed child abuse.

I had such a case in my circle of acquaintances: mixed expat child, Indonesian father estranged. The mom was a vegan, and the kid was severely malnourished, and emaciated. He had obvious growth issues also. Whenever the kid would come to our house (or others in the social circle), he would raid our refrigerators. At one point he would even eat the Balinese offerings because he was so hungry. Everyone we knew would feed the poor kid at any chance they get behind the mom's back. His Mom would blame the kid for "refusing to grow".

Thankfully, she later passed away, and the kid moved to live with his father. Last time I saw he grew to be a healthy young man since.

 

[waarmstrong]

You would think that by now natural selection would have cleansed the gene pool of the lunatic fringe.

 

[Anglian]

I did read(I can) that tomatoes scream when picked, this was discovered by scientists, so there, vegans be nice to tomatoes,
Anyway I must get someone who can train the leopard cubs I saw on TV teasing a young fawn before killing it not to do that

 

[ponyexpress]

I was told that I was being disrespectful towards vegan when I told some people these joke. But then I tell them my point. There are many people out there who didn't grow up with one piece of meat and three vegetables (steamed, boiled or roasted). Only recently people in the West can choose beautiful non meat option meals (thanks to immigrants). What these people don't understand is that meat is so cheap in the West whereas in developing countries meat is expensive. Being vegan and vegetarian in the west is a middle class privilege. On the contrary, having to eat only vegetable because of economic hardship isn't a privilege.

 

[harryopal1]

Ohh dear. This vegetarian has been found out. I am not just devoid of personality but am also loopy.

I suspect before being a pilot, in a former life Davita sailed a man of war flying a skull and crossbones flag and his technique was to move in close and give the buggers a huge broadside.

Interesting article. I've known a few vegetarians...usually wives of friends and always thought there was something missing in their personalities....

Increased prevalence of mental disorders in vegetarians
.....The authors conclude that, upon reviewing the available literature, there is a possibility that experiencing a mental disorder will increase your chance of choosing a vegetarian diet, or that certain psychological factors will influence either the possibility of you experiencing a certain mental disorder, becoming vegetarian, or both.

PONYEXPRESS SAID: ↑... (About the half starved child forced to be a vegan) "....At one point he would even eat the Balinese offerings because he was so hungry."

I think this statement would have been more effective had he written: " At one point he would even eat the Balinese because he was so hungry."

Anglian said: "....tomatoes scream when picked, this was discovered by scientists, so there, vegans be nice to tomatoes,"

Thank you Anglian. I am always nice to tomatoes and eat a lot of them,

I feel a movement developing that will see Vegans and vegetarians sacrificed by being tossed into the crater of Mount Agung next time it starts acting up. (I hear the ripost..."No, Mount Agung would spit them back out.)

I accept the general notion that eating in moderation, avoiding commercial junk food and eating plenty of fruit and veges is the way to continue in good health. Meantime to all you carnivores do enjoy your next big meal of dead animal.

 

[vocalneal]

I did read(I can) that tomatoes scream when picked, this was discovered by scientists, so there, vegans be nice to tomatoes,
Anyway I must get someone who can train the leopard cubs I saw on TV teasing a young fawn before killing it not to do that

..and that smell of cut grass is the grass warning all other plants that danger is a foot.

Just because we don't understand doesn't mean that plants aren't communicating with each other.

I did suggest that my children should not play with their food

 

[waarmstrong]

I wonder if Mt Agung is a Vegan.