Humans continue to make a name for themselves

[erika]

ok, I'm gonna try to do without being to insulting.

1. being vegetarian or vegan is not expensive if you don't want it to be.. you're being lazy and ignorant if you think there's nothing for someone on a budget to eat thats cheap and also nutritious. just because its at whole foods doesn't make it healthy. take 5 minutes, do some research.

2. Gilly, I'm sorry but thats just insane. If you're so busy that you can't take 20 minutes to prepare a simple meal you need to seriously reevaluate your life. as for food on the go, why not take the time you spent posting the message board today and see if you can find any places with vegetarian alternatives in your area?

Living this "lifestyle" is nowhere near as hard as people seem to think it is.

Is vegetarianism something that's worth insulting people over?

You're so condescending about it. Gross.

[todd]

ok, I'm gonna try to do without being to insulting.

you're being lazy and ignorant
thats just insane
you need to seriously reevaluate your life

Mission failed.

[Gilly]

I post at work. I'd waste my time cooking if I had an oven here.

It is a lifestyle when you have to think about what you are going to make or where you have to drive to not eat meat. That's very difficult for most people. It's not lazy or ignorant, it's just hard to fit that into an already hectic world.

[Denim Gremlin]

I post at work. I'd waste my time cooking if I had an oven here.

It is a lifestyle when you have to think about what you are going to make or where you have to drive to not eat meat. That's very difficult for most people. It's not lazy or ignorant, it's just hard to fit that into an already hectic world.

I might have been to harsh but the reevaluation I spoke of was maybe you should try to make time for things like cooking. it can be very therapeutic at the end of a long day. I started cooking out of necessity but it ended up being one of the best parts of my day.

[Laurie]

Sarah, I can ask the folks at Pet's Best for some recommendations. I only pay a few more dollars for the free-range, organic, hormone-free, human-grade stuff I buy my cats than I would if I bought crap like Iams.

Have you looked into Raw Advantage? It looks kind of pricey, though. I'll look around.

[Gilly]

I never felt insulted. I wasn't really speaking for myself other than the experience I had with it. I was just stating that a lot of people are going to have difficulties adjusting to the lifestyle because it is a big adjustment to not have food at your disposal everywhere you go.

I like meat but I do have the advantage of knowing exactly where my beef and chicken is coming from because we get it from my wife's family or their friends who farm in northern MN.

[Sarah]

Thanks, Laurie, but there's no way any of the organic prepared beast food is going to be cheaper than what I make myself (and I did quite a lot of research on it before I decided to go this route)--especially since I'd have to get it mail-order, and the shipping costs are enormous.  Besides, the beasts love what I'm feeding them now, and they're thriving on it.

JJ, thanks for defending my honor.  Todd, you don't suck. 

[John Junk]

I say the following things as a non-vegetarian.

Is vegetarianism something that's worth insulting people over?

Maybe.

You're so condescending about it. Gross.

I don't think he's condescending. If you make a choice to do something with your life, it's irritating when people color those decisions in a certain way to make an argument.  Doubtless he's had to defend his vegetarianism to countless people for countless reasons from the totally stupid to the almost-worthwhile.

[scotttsss]

I started this post just as a jumping off point for those of us on the fence as I said.  It's a personal decision not worth getting angry about.  It can be quite cheap indeed to live vegetarian/vegan, and in no way is it more complicated to cook vegetables than meat... (quite the contrary!)  As far as going out to eat, there are many things which are vegan, and if you're not sure just ask the people who work there.  They want your business. 

A similar reaction of anger occurs in bikeforums.net, where bicyclists rant and rave about people not riding bikes as we do...  but after a few years of riding a bike and not driving a car, well, I've just come to realize that yeah, not everyone's ready to give up their car.  When someone DOES ride a bike though, I'm happy and grateful. 

Very cool of Erika to post the chili recipe...  that's what we should do in fact if people are unsure how to go about attempting something we're into, show them how to do it, rather than yelling about those who refuse to.  <=after work, will do so myself.  Polenta is an awesome, easy dish to make.  more later.

[Sarah]

Another rarely mentioned benefit of becoming a vegetarian is that cleaning the kitchen becomes much easier.  Meat is so greasy and otherwise dirty.  I, who am very cavalier when it comes to maintaining hygienic conditions in the kitchen, find myself scrubbing my counters (and hands) with disinfectant (well, white vinegar) much more often now that I'm constantly handling raw meat in the course of fixing my beasts' meals.

This might seem like a petty consideration, but if you hate housework as much as I do--even if the Best Show does make housework easy--it can loom large.

Also, your trash is less likely to stink, and you don't have as much styrofoam and plastic wrap to throw away.  My garbage can would be far lighter if the beasts and I were vegetarians.  And, hey, since some of you might have to pay by the bag for trash pickup, you'd be saving a bit of money, too!

[iAmBaronVonTito]

Very cool of Erika to post the chili recipe... 

no kidding.  delicious!

[erika]

Very cool of Erika to post the chili recipe... 

no kidding.  delicious!

No problem. I have a bunch of veggie (but maybe not vegan) recipes up my sleeve.

Although I'm an omnivore, I eat vegetarian food much of the time. It's tasty and humane and good for you. I'm just not ready to give up meat 100% (And I'll never give up cheese).

[Andy]

I eat 100% meat and I like for it to be raised and prepared in the most brutal, animalistic ways possible. 

[erika]

So what you're saying is that you like your meat beaten, yes?

[Andy]

you can joke about it all you want, but until you've picked up a drugged up domesticated feline and taken a bite out of it's still breathing body, you have no right to judge.