Veggies in the Playground

[BiblioRook]

As another thread seems to be swaying dangerously in this direction, I couldn't help wonder how many other celery-suckers are out here such as myself.



TO start things off, I dare someone to present a more awkward one-liner in concerns to your diet.

Grandmother: "We're having steak for dinner, but we know you don't eat meat... so we made you some chicken instead."

[Keld Denar]

We had a thread like this about 2 years ago, but I believe it was locked. You might want to ask a moderator if it would be a good idea to restart it. It got a bit messy last time, IIRC.

EDIT: Here it is.

[Moff Chumley]

I'm by no stretch of the imagination a vegetarian, but I've found myself eating a lot less meat these days... the idea of going into a restaurant and ordering a steak is completely unappealing, for example, and I can't really eat all that much meat before getting a little sick of it. Bacon gets a pass, though.

Bacon always gets a pass.

[The-Mage-King]

Yo. Been a vegitarian for, oh, 19 years, five months, and 2 days now.

I have to say, looking at the price of meat, and comparing it to a greater volume of, say, grain, it's a hell of a lot cheaper to be a vegitarian. Ya know?

[Trog]

Grandmother: "We're having steak for dinner, but we know you don't eat meat... so we made you some chicken instead."

LAWL! This was my laugh for the day. Ahhh, grandparents. Heeheehee.

I am not a vegetarian but am always on the lookout for some good vegetarian recipes as I really should eat more veg overall. =/

[Innis Cabal]

As another thread seems to be swaying dangerously in this direction, I couldn't help wonder how many other celery-suckers are out here such as myself.



TO start things off, I dare someone to present a more awkward one-liner in concerns to your diet.

Grandmother: "We're having steak for dinner, but we know you don't eat meat... so we made you some chicken instead."

I've totally got one. Back in college I eat with the higher leveled Education students. One was a teacher specializing in dealing with the mentally handicapped, who happened to also be a vegetarian. Another student had a marked dislike for her so asked this question.

"So would you eat a mentally handicapped lamb?"

[BiblioRook]

Got the thumbs up from a mod, so things should be okay. But just as a reminder, please keep it civil and non-political. Hopefully that goes without saying though.


I myself have been a vegetarian for. oh, almost three years now I suppose. It's funny, I actually have absolutely no reason to be a vegetarian. I became one more just on a personal dare to see if I could handle it for about a month when I noticed how little meat I actually ate. After a month when by and noticed how little things have changed for me I figured I might as well see how long I could go with it.

That isn't to say that it's been easy. I come from the PA/Ohio area and people up there love their meat (deer hunter territory and all). My grandparents are still adjusting; needless to say, Thanksgivings are always awkward.

Hey, that's a good question actually. How do other vegetarians handle Thanksgiving?

[The-Mage-King]

Cheese pizza. Or, if you fail at life, tofurkey.

[Vaynor]

Cheese pizza. Or, if you fail at life, tofurkey.

My mom and sisters have a tofurkey every year for Thanksgiving. I'd rather just ignore that portion of the meal entirely, it looks terrible (but who am I to judge, I've never tried it).

I'm not a vegetarian, but I eat very little meat in general, depending on what's available, I'm not too picky.

[The Rose Dragon]

We had a thread like this about 2 years ago, but I believe it was locked. You might want to ask a moderator if it would be a good idea to restart it. It got a bit messy last time, IIRC.

EDIT: Here it is.

Well, the last time the thread got locked, it was the vegans' fault (them, and the people who argued with them). If we keep it to dietary choices and not ethical and political ones, we should be safe.

[zeratul]

I'm by no stretch of the imagination a vegetarian, but due to some recent friends of mines who are vegetarian I've gone to a couple local vegan/vegetarian places, and discovered the joy of vegan milkshakes. I have no idea how such a concoction is scientifically possible (I and one of said friends are convinced they're made through a combination of mad science and witchcraft) but damn are those things awesome. Also the particular place here has awesome names for them, nothing like ordering a "west memphis Three" or "Howard Zinn" and getting a delicious beverage.

[Fifty-Eyed Fred]

Well, I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, but unfortunately tend to garnish them with delicious animal flesh and extra creatures. But the vegetable-loving part is there.

Vegetarianism is not something I mind at all, so long as the person in question both knows the subject thoroughly and can take a joke (serious people have never been my sort of people).
The worst example I can think of regarding not knowing what vegetarianism means for the vegetarian was from a girl back at school:

"So if you're a vegetarian, why do you eat fish?"
"Because fish aren't animals, they're mammals."

Years later, I am unable to let that go.

[The Rose Dragon]

"So if you're a vegetarian, why do you eat fish?"
"Because fish aren't animals, they're mammals."

Wait.

What?

[Innis Cabal]

Wait.

What?

While that may have no baring on logic, fish is not meat in cooking and thus would fulfill the "No eating meat" portion of the Vegetarian norm.

[The Rose Dragon]

I was more worried about the "they are mammals, not animals" part.

[Innis Cabal]

I was more going the whole statement was bunk by default but not inherently wrong in the spirit of the thread.

[Mauve Shirt]

A lot of the meals I make myself are vegetarian. Mostly variations of rice and beans or pasta. The exception is sandwiches, there is always at least one type of sandwich meat in our fridge.
I'm worried that if I went truly vegetarian I'd compensate for my loss by more baked goods than I already do. "I'm giving up meat, I deserve this extra cookie!"

[Fifty-Eyed Fred]

Wait.

What?

Precisely! It has been, I think, 4 or 5 years, and I have yet to arrive at an answer to the conundrum.
(I am aware that she would, in fact, have been a pescetarian rather than a vegetarian, but her justification of it confounds logic so very utterly.)

[Tasroth]

"So if you're a vegetarian, why do you eat fish?"
"Because fish aren't animals, they're mammals."

Yes... I recall hearing that story before. And I'm as bewildered by it now as I was the first time.

And as it happens, I am vegetarian. Which to me at least means not any form of meat, be it from mammal, bird, fish, or any other animal.

[AslanCross]

I avoid meat if I can help it, but it's more for health reasons. I've been trying to lose weight and I found that cutting down on red meat and avoiding pork altogether have helped me shed a lot more pounds (along with regular exercise of course). While I know beef is actually more fatty than pork, I just hate the taste of pork. :P

[Mathis]

I love vegetables, broccoli especially. Steaming hot broccoli and carrots with a spoonful of honey ontop are usually the highlight of my dinner. However I do love meat. In fact, the thought of a juicy steak makes my mouth water. But let's say I wanted to dedicate a week to eating only vegetarian meals, what sort of dishes would the vegetarian playground reccomend?

[factotum]

I have to say, looking at the price of meat, and comparing it to a greater volume of, say, grain, it's a hell of a lot cheaper to be a vegitarian. Ya know?

By volume the meat will have higher nutritional value and calorie content, though--this is why lions can get away with maybe one major meal a week, whereas grazing animals pretty much have to eat constantly!

[Innis Cabal]

I have to say, looking at the price of meat, and comparing it to a greater volume of, say, grain, it's a hell of a lot cheaper to be a vegitarian. Ya know?

Except that it isn't...in fact, it's cheaper to opt out of buying veggies or meat fresh and live off bargain brand processed garbage since it's typically lower priced for how much you get and there are coupons and deals on them. Where as veggies and fresh meat work on a market system where the prices fluctuate. Veggie is one of the least economical options unless you are growing and supplying your own food for yourself. Then it's much much much cheaper since you're not actually paying for it in cash.

[Starscream]

I've given vegetarianism some serious thought. I'm sure I could give up beef/chicken/pork with minimal difficulty.

My problem is seafood. I LOVE seafood. Fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. Baked, grilled, or sauteed. And I adore sushi.

So maybe someday I'll take the plunge and just go full pescatarian. It really wouldn't be much different than what I'm doing right now.

I just moved into a new place in Florida, and my landlords decided to have a fishing trip when they came down to sign the lease and fix up the place. So when I got here I found that they had left about $80 worth of fish in my freezer as a gift. Bought myself a couple of cookbooks, and have been trying to make a new fish meal a couple of times a week.

[Kneenibble]

Except that it isn't...in fact, it's cheaper to opt out of buying veggies or meat fresh and live off bargain brand processed garbage since it's typically lower priced for how much you get and there are coupons and deals on them. Where as veggies and fresh meat work on a market system where the prices fluctuate. Veggie is one of the least economical options unless you are growing and supplying your own food for yourself. Then it's much much much cheaper since you're not actually paying for it in cash.

Meh. My own experience invalidates this speculation. I've been vegetarian almost nine years and my grocery bill is considerably lower than any of my friends who eat meat, they gawk at me sometimes when we talk about it. I eat well and healthy too. Meat is expensive.

By volume the meat will have higher nutritional value and calorie content, though--this is why lions can get away with maybe one major meal a week, whereas grazing animals pretty much have to eat constantly!

Humans don't sit around chewing grass though. A pound of wheat actually has more calories -- and a greater profile of micronutrients -- than a pound of ground beef, up to 30% fat content, where they are about equal in calories.

[CoffeeIncluded]

I'm not a vegetarian, but I'm trying to eat less meat and more salads for my own health.

But I don't eat lamb or veal out of a personal choice, and I don't eat pork or shellfish (or cheeseburgers) because I'm Jewish.

[Thufir]

To start things off, I dare someone to present a more awkward one-liner in concerns to your diet.

Grandmother: "We're having steak for dinner, but we know you don't eat meat... so we made you some chicken instead."

Can't think of one off the top of my head, but I imagine something could be devised, probably invoking the sexual connotations of 'meat' for added awkwardness.

I am not a vegetarian but am always on the lookout for some good vegetarian recipes as I really should eat more veg overall. =/

This pretty much applies to me, only at present I'm living with parents and therefore not particularly responsible for my own diet. But when I move out again this will apply to me.

Meh. My own experience invalidates this speculation. I've been vegetarian almost nine years and my grocery bill is considerably lower than any of my friends who eat meat, they gawk at me sometimes when we talk about it. I eat well and healthy too. Meat is expensive.

Likewise. When I was in my student house last year, I ate considerably less meat, because it was always the most expensive thing I might want.

[Themrys]

Except that it isn't...in fact, it's cheaper to opt out of buying veggies or meat fresh and live off bargain brand processed garbage since it's typically lower priced for how much you get and there are coupons and deals on them. Where as veggies and fresh meat work on a market system where the prices fluctuate. Veggie is one of the least economical options unless you are growing and supplying your own food for yourself. Then it's much much much cheaper since you're not actually paying for it in cash.

It depends on what you eat. Legumes and cereals are cheaper, fresh vegetables are rather expensive in relation to the calories you get.
Since you have to eat vegetables for vitamins regardless of whether you eat meat or cereals for calories, I am quite sure being vegetarian is cheaper.

[The-Mage-King]

"So if you're a vegetarian, why do you eat fish?"
"Because fish aren't animals, they're mammals."

Wow. I hope she wasn't a Biology major.


@Innis: Actually, I've done some comparisons in price, and it works out that feeding me for a week is cheaper than feeding most people for that same week.

Who said anything about veggies, anyway? I was talking rice and potatoes, both of which store well, and similar, basic, foods- you can make a lot with either of those mentioned, and they're filling.

I guess it's just a thing about personal taste. I call myself a vegitarian because I don't eat meat. Not because I eat mostly vegetables. I sustain myself on grain based foods and dairy products. Like corn and butter. Or bread and butter. Or... You get the idea.

Because, where ever you find poor people, you'll find vegitarian food.

[Moff Chumley]

But I don't eat lamb or veal out of a personal choice, and I don't eat pork or shellfish (or cheeseburgers) because I'm Jewish.

Because you're kosher, you mean?

*card-carrying Jewish bacon-lover*