Any Vegetarians/Vegans?

[zarusoba]

Stats

😱 70% of the world's agricultural land is occupied by farm animals.

😱 One third of the world's grain is eaten by farm animals.

😱 Global meat consumption is set to double by 2050.

😱 The only reason meat is affordable enough to eat in such large quantities that most animals are produced in inhumane factory farms.

😱 It takes 15,000 litres of water to produce a kilo of beef. Drinkable water is a finite resource.

😱 The principle cause of deforestation in the Amazon is land cleared for grazing or for the production of crops fed to farm animals.

😱 13% of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, and most of these come from farm animals.

😱 90% of the big fish have been removed from our oceans. If consumption continues at this rate, seafood will be off the menu by 2050.

 

[zarusoba]

Nearly all soy products are fortified with B12.

Not in this country, mate!

Good point though, if that's the way it is where you are.

 

[bbbensen]

Like Threadless says - Meat is murder. Tasty tasty murder....




Meh, I can see why people become Veg, but meat is oh so good.


Macadamia nut encrusted chicken.... Its amazing. 😎

 

[Henri Gaudier]

I just Googled "vegan b12" and the very first result is "Vegans and the Vitamin B12 Deficiency Myth" - http://www.pamrotella.com/health/b12.html

There's always a problem with whatever you do or don't do! Meat no meat coffee, chocolate, wine etc As a vegan I don't buy prepared food and so I don't ingest all the additives bulkers, colourants, preservatives, OGM (GM) stuff. A clear health advantage which is never included in the pros and cons of diet choice; removing yourself to a reasonably large extent from the food makers ongoing experimentation with humanity of every chemical, hormone blah that is added to food these days. ie toxic shock.

 

[iBlue]

...As a vegan I don't buy prepared food and so I don't ingest all the additives bulkers, colourants, preservatives, OGM (GM) stuff. A clear health advantage which is never included in the pros and cons of diet choice; removing yourself to a reasonably large extent from the food makers ongoing experimentation with humanity of every chemical, hormone blah that is added to food these days. ie toxic shock.

Whoa, is it difficult being a vegan in france? (all that meat and cheese and stuff!) it just occurred to me and I wondered.

 

[Henri Gaudier]

Hi .. yes it's very difficult. I'm basically seen in the same light as a crack smoking paedophile! I live in a rural agricultural community and so there are no restaurants at all I can go to. Moreover, there are virtually no immigrants and so no Indian restaurants either. (A great Indian in my local town would be a dream come true! One thing that I miss about not living in london) My favourite food group would have to be cheese and I buy it for my veggie girlfriend ... sometimes it just smells so wonderful that ... but I never have. The most difficult aspect for me is medicines. The French have virtually no regard for animals, to generalise, and so you find lots of gelatine and cochineal in things where say, in England where I've lived, other fruit gellificants are used and cochineal is a thing of the past because of accommodating an ever increasing number of vegetarians/vegans in the UK. It makes sense to have a product everyone can use but that is not a consideration here. Meat is tradition and a sign of good living/wealth and habit is hard to break.

 

[Iscariot]

Hi .. yes it's very difficult. I'm basically seen in the same light as a crack smoking paedophile! I live in a rural agricultural community and so there are no restaurants at all I can go to. Moreover, there are virtually no immigrants and so no Indian restaurants either. (A great Indian in my local town would be a dream come true! One thing that I miss about not living in london) My favourite food group would have to be cheese and I buy it for my veggie girlfriend ... sometimes it just smells so wonderful that ... but I never have. The most difficult aspect for me is medicines. The French have virtually no regard for animals, to generalise, and so you find lots of gelatine and cochineal in things where say, in England where I've lived, other fruit gellificants are used and cochineal is a thing of the past because of accommodating an ever increasing number of vegetarians/vegans in the UK. It makes sense to have a product everyone can use but that is not a consideration here. Meat is tradition and a sign of good living/wealth and habit is hard to break.

Man, that's unfortunate. Your tenacity has earned my respect.

There are so many vegetarian restaurants in Toronto I haven't even been to all of them.

 

[iBlue]

Hi .. yes it's very difficult. I'm basically seen in the same light as a crack smoking paedophile! I live in a rural agricultural community and so there are no restaurants at all I can go to. Moreover, there are virtually no immigrants and so no Indian restaurants either. (A great Indian in my local town would be a dream come true! One thing that I miss about not living in london) My favourite food group would have to be cheese and I buy it for my veggie girlfriend ... sometimes it just smells so wonderful that ... but I never have. The most difficult aspect for me is medicines. The French have virtually no regard for animals, to generalise, and so you find lots of gelatine and cochineal in things where say, in England where I've lived, other fruit gellificants are used and cochineal is a thing of the past because of accommodating an ever increasing number of vegetarians/vegans in the UK. It makes sense to have a product everyone can use but that is not a consideration here. Meat is tradition and a sign of good living/wealth and habit is hard to break.

Thanks for answering. That does sound frustrating. If you don't mind my asking, what made you want to become a vegan and how did you come to live in one of the most unfriendly places for it?
And the French are nothing if not stubborn so I can imagine the traditions reflect that plenty.

(sorry for the grilling, you got me curious)

 

[Melrose]

Good .. it was the "then I grew up" line that threw me.🙂

Yea I was trying to put a comedic, light-hearted tone on it.


Guess it didn't work eh? 🙂

 

[Henri Gaudier]

Thanks for answering. That does sound frustrating. If you don't mind my asking, what made you want to become a vegan and how did you come to live in one of the most unfriendly places for it?
And the French are nothing if not stubborn so I can imagine the traditions reflect that plenty.

(sorry for the grilling, you got me curious)

I'm a big softy is the glib answer. When I was very young and I saw animals taken from the field to trucks to go to slaughter I felt it very deeply. I was revolted, disgusted. I hated their deaths and their imprisonment. The order of it. The industrialisation. Corralling, unthinking brutality. So I refused to eat meat at about age 10 ... got bullied by my parents but eventually I stood my ground 100% at age 13 and became vegetarian. Now I'm 42 .. an old cranky vegan. Living in a house with no neighbours who finds his cats more magical than people!😀

Hi Iscariot ... stayed in Toronto for a month once. (There were people in face masks because of SARS the whole time!) We've probably been to a few of the same places. It's all hazy now but there was a nice place near the gay district, close to the ice hockey place ..Blue Jays is it .. the big team there?

 

[MattyB]

Well Done Henri

The world is a better place with you in it.

😀

 

[Henri Gaudier]

Cheers Matty! Even with all our woes ... I'd rather be in it!🙂

 

[Iscariot]

Hi Iscariot ... stayed in Toronto for a month once. (There were people in face masks because of SARS the whole time!) We've probably been to a few of the same places. It's all hazy now but there was a nice place near the gay district, close to the ice hockey place ..Blue Jays is it .. the big team there?

Ha! Blue Jays is baseball, mate. I lived in the village for two years, and now I live about a block and a half from Maple Leaf Gardens, if that's where you mean. If you mean the Skydome, it's a little bit more Southwest.

 

[paola105]

Vegan here. Glad I'm not the only one! 🙂

 

[souldawg]

Veggie here. Sad thing is, I've found my food costs rising immensley as compared to my meat eating friends. I thought it would be the other way around.

Secondly, I keep forgetting how badly NYC restaurants cater to veggies. Unless you like a mushroom risotto or grilled veggies you are SOL.

 

[The Doctor]

Veggie here. Sad thing is, I've found my food costs rising immensley as compared to my meat eating friends. I thought it would be the other way around.

Secondly, I keep forgetting how badly NYC restaurants cater to veggies. Unless you like a mushroom risotto or grilled veggies you are SOL.

i feel like nyc is the best place to be for a vegetarian... there are so many fantastic places to eat...

i am a vegetarian, who is like 99.99% vegan... i will eat a little bit of dairy if im like at my parents house or something, and its just easier... but i try to never have any dairy... i never have anything with dead animal products in it though... they like to sneak stuff into all sorts of cheeses and other things...

 

[paola105]

I just went from vegan to raw. It's been almost a week.
Feels good 😎

 

[it5five]

I've been a vegetarian for about 2 and a half years now. I posted earlier in this thread, but it seems to be friendlier now. So I was wondering if any of you vegetarians or vegans new of some good cookbooks. Usually I come across the usual cheap bargain priced ones with a lot of unrealistic and bland recipes. Do any of you have any recommendations?

 

[souldawg]

i feel like nyc is the best place to be for a vegetarian... there are so many fantastic places to eat...

i am a vegetarian, who is like 99.99% vegan... i will eat a little bit of dairy if im like at my parents house or something, and its just easier... but i try to never have any dairy... i never have anything with dead animal products in it though... they like to sneak stuff into all sorts of cheeses and other things...

There are several restaurants in the East Village, but having done PR for restaurants of respectable caliber, lots of "veggie" types of dishes contain fish/chicken/beef stock when cooked.

You have to specifically request all ingredients to find things out. and not just from servers. It made me sad to realize that really there are such limited options. Never work in the food industry if you want to be a veggie.

 

[és:]

I'm considering either Vegetarianism or Pescetarianism. It's not much to do with caring about animals (although I find mass producing of animals repugnant) and more to do with not liking meat all that much.

It makes me feel a bit crap, as does bread (which I'm also considering giving up).

 

[.Andy]

I've been a vegetarian for about 2 and a half years now. I posted earlier in this thread, but it seems to be friendlier now. So I was wondering if any of you vegetarians or vegans new of some good cookbooks. Usually I come across the usual cheap bargain priced ones with a lot of unrealistic and bland recipes. Do any of you have any recommendations?

Without being overly specific I'd search out a beginners indian vegetarian cookbook it5five (if you don't have one already). If nothing else it will give you heaps on confidence in cooking using spices and herbs. A good vege Indian curry makes a great wholesome meal that will satisfy even the most devout meat eater 🙂.

 

[thelonegoat]

proud vegitarian here!
eating some nice tofurkey 😀

 

[Queso]

I just had sage and marjoram tofu sausages and organic red onions, cooked together in onion gravy and served with mashed potato and garden peas.

Comfort food. Yum!! 🙂

 

[it5five]

Without being overly specific I'd search out a beginners indian vegetarian cookbook it5five (if you don't have one already). If nothing else it will give you heaps on confidence in cooking using spices and herbs. A good vege Indian curry makes a great wholesome meal that will satisfy even the most devout meat eater 🙂.

Thank you, I'll look around for one.

 

[The Doctor]

I've been a vegetarian for about 2 and a half years now. I posted earlier in this thread, but it seems to be friendlier now. So I was wondering if any of you vegetarians or vegans new of some good cookbooks. Usually I come across the usual cheap bargain priced ones with a lot of unrealistic and bland recipes. Do any of you have any recommendations?

anything by Isa Chandra Moskowitz is going to be amazing... i love Vegan with a Vengeance and the Veganomicon.