Vegetarian Talk

Yummy Vegetarian SushiIn response to the revolting news that a sushi restaurant in California has been illegally offering whale meat sushi to select diners, there has been a predictable backlash on the internet.  The most common line of reasoning goes something like, "Don't be such a hypocrite!  So what if the Japanese eat whales?  Have you seen what happens in a slaughterhouse?"

The charges of hypocrisy are thick on the ground, and poorly received.  This argument is meant to get people to stop criticizing the whale hunters, and the Japanese people who eat their harvest.  (Excuse me, the "leftovers from their scientific oceanographic ventures.")  But the truth is that it is actually an excellent argument in favor of going vegetarian.
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A living creature died for thisA lot of people are going semi-vegetarian these days, or "vegetarian-ish" if you prefer, or the more twee "flexitarian."  And who can blame them?  I read somewhere recently that the United States has one of the worst food safety records and agricultural systems in the world.  The way we treat our livestock is the horror of the world.  We insist on eating acres of meat per person, and we insist that it be very cheap.  
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An animal rights group conducted an investigation of a dairy farm in upstate New York, and documented the horrors they found on videotape.  This dairy farm was in the practice of docking their cows' tails, a controversial process which has already been outlawed in California, and which may soon be outlawed in other states.

According to dairy farmers who practice it, tail docking prevents cows from spreading manure around.  (I'm thinking if your last line of defense in keeping your barn clean is to remove your cows' tails, you're doing it wrong.)  Needless to say, the docking is typically performed on adult animals, without the benefit of anesthetic.  The practice is barbaric, useless, and needlessly cruel, and needs to be stopped.
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A vegetarian ballpark sounds like something out of a fairytale, right up there with true self-cleaning ovens and unicorns who don’t poop on the sidewalk. But PETA (love them or hate them!) has been working to get more ballparks to serve veggie options over the years. Read more

Hey:)

My name's Nicole and I am 15...

I am a strict vegetarian, and believe really strongly in animal rights...

Is it normal for me to have this sudden hate on people who eat meat?

I especially hate it when they say animals were put on earth to be eaten,

I feel like putting them in scalding hot water and see how they like it...

It just makes me sooo angry...

I don't want to be angry, I just think they are VERY selfish, greedy and soul-less

idiots!

Has anyone else had these thoughts?

:) thanks

Although leeks grow year round here in the Pacific Northwest, I associate them with late winter and early spring.  This is when they are at their most tender, and when fresh local vegetables seem like a most precious commodity.  Later in the year they will be bigger and tougher, and more onion-y.  But this is the time of year when leeks are at their best.

The leek is an allium, and thus a cousin to both garlic and onions.  It has a mild taste which is often described as "a cross between onions and cucumber."  Leeks are a delicious substitute for other alliums, and can be used either fresh or cooked.  
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The topic of vegetarianism can be a combative one, on both sides of the field.  I think it's safe to say that both teams are carrying a lot of emotional baggage.  But does that make it okay to engage in shaming former vegetarians?  That's exactly the thrust behind a recent Newsweek article about people who move back and forth across the "vegetarian" line.

The term "flexitarian" is a useful one, and if people keep insisting on a dogmatic, absolutist definition behind the "vegetarian" camp, we may need to start using it more often.  The article's author, Jennie Yabroff, takes the classically militant stance that equates occasionally eating meat with a betrayal of the vegetarian ideals.
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You have undoubtedly been passed the link to the recent New York Times article about how plants have feelings.  Probably you were past this link with a "Har har, you're not so superior now, are you?" kind of comment.  Most likely it was sent by the same wag who always took the opportunity to make a comment like, "Carrots are living beings, too!"

Dude.  WE KNOW.

This article didn't say anything that vegetarians hadn't already considered, or been told, or had supposedly "flaunted" in their faces.  It's nothing new to quip that "What if celery has feelings?"
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Have a friend planning on going veg for the New Year? Maybe your friend is already vegetarian, but you’re still looking for the perfect holiday gift. You could always sign him or her up for the free PETA vegetarian starter kit—or, you could arrange something much more personal, meaningful, and fun. Here are a few ideas.

Assemble a recipe basket. Include all of your favorite veggie meals on index cards—or include your favorite vegetarian cookbook—and finish it off with some ingredients for one of the meals. Tie a ribbon around it and voila—a perfectly personal gift. Read more

Scientists recently announced limited success in creating "in vitro meat," known also as IVM.  This vat grown meat is being hailed as one of the greatest accomplishments of modern society, an end to animal suffering, an answer to our carbon footprint woes, and a boon for the boutique meat market all in one.  But is it really?

The claim: IVM is more humane than factory farming.  

On this count, the IVM fans are absolutely correct.  Vat grown meat does not have nerve cells, and therefore cannot feel pain.  And being simply a collection of muscle cells, it has nothing that even approaches consciousness.  Factory farming is one of the greatest atrocities of the western world today, and anything that hastens its demise is a benefit to the world as a whole.
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