Switching to Vegetarianism (Finally)

[Debater Slayer]

@Debater Slayer

I'm sure you've probably seen this thread
The Vegetarian Recipes Thread

There are some very tasty recipes in there

I've seen it, yes. It may be time to give some of those recipes a try!

 

[Vinayaka]

Love black rice.

Which variety?

 

[Secret Chief]

Carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, cranberries, coconut, corn,

Chocolate (vegan)...

 

[ADigitalArtist]

No farmers' markets near me, although I wouldn't be able to trust the slaughter methods either way because halal slaughter forbids stunning the animal beforehand, and while it stipulates that pain should be minimized during slaughter, I know this can be especially hard to do with a large animal like a cow.

Besides, another argument that I haven't been able to counter is that cows, goats, and multiple other commonly eaten animals can form bonds with humans and trust is just like cats and dogs do. I would never be able to eat a cat or a dog (even if their meat didn't gross me out) or accept the idea of slaughtering them for food, so I don't see how I could eat cows or goats and be consistent.

Oh I meant farmers market for local veggies. Sorry I was unclear.
I love making sauces from scratch and we have lots of fresh local veggies during the summer and fall.

 

[Secret Chief]

Which variety?

I've only seen it as "black rice." Bit niche in the UK.

 

[Wu Wei]

I guess you could say my youngest was an ovo-Pescatarian for 3 years... but she did that long after I stopped being a vegetarian and at that time she ate mostly at her school. My oldest was also a vegetarian around the same time, but he was away at college at the time.... neither are vegetarians any longer

The youngest, I found out, did it on a dare from friends at school. The oldest was quite the surprise, he went from being mostly a carnivore, that boy at mostly meat.... at an entire chicken by himself for lunch one day and then while at college, all of a sudden a vegetarian. changed back just as quickly wen he went from undergrad to grad school.

Even my mother-in-law, who was Buddhist when I married my wife, switched to a typical omnivore diet. Well first she turned Christian and then became an omnivore. Never figured out why she did either

So I've been surrounded by vegetarians, but I was the only one, when I was one, in my house

 

[JustGeorge]

I spent a year as a vegetarian, but I did eat eggs. Felt great, lost weight, actually had a doctor kick me out of his office for being to healthy. Went back to eating meat, but not as much and no red meat at all, it was just to difficult to maintain when no one else in my family was a vegetarian.

That was the case with me and veganism.

 

[Vee]

After years of considering the idea, I have started my attempt to transition to vegetarianism. I haven't found any argument that managed to alleviate my concerns about the abuses in industrial animal farming, slaughterhouses, and even many smaller farms.

I have nothing against meat eaters, though, and I believe there are ways to produce meat in a more sustainable and ethical manner than the ways commonly found in industrial farms. Still, this is the decision that aligns the most with my own conscience, so I'm going to attempt the transition.

I love meat and have eaten it my whole life, so I know this is going to be difficult. Thankfully, I have a few vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian friends, and they said they would give me recipes (including easy and affordable ones) to help me transition.

I've been through times when I was vegetarian and the hardest part was the social life. Not eating meat or fish didn't disturb me at all. I hope you have some people around you who are also vegetarians so they can help and encourage you. I have some cool recipes too. If you want ideas, let me know.

 

[Father Heathen]

I know. If I end up being pescatarian, I'll probably still exclude squid and octopus (because of how intelligent they are and their strong capacity to feel pain) and some fish, although I don't know yet whether I'll add any fish to my diet.

Would you try something like locust?

 

[Debater Slayer]

Which varieties of the many varieties? (Just as some folks in the old days thought rice was rice, some still think lentils are lentils.) Do you also get a wide variety of rice? (I've taken a shining to black rice varieties.)

The lentil varieties here I know about are orange, yellow, brown, green, and red. As for rice, the main varieties are white and basmati. I don't know much about the rest.

 

[Secret Chief]

I've been through times when I was vegetarian and the hardest part was the social life.

In what way?

 

[Vinayaka]

I've only seen it as "black rice." Bit niche in the UK.

We eat a variety called riceberry, but I think that's the trade name, and also we can get glutinous black which is great for making burgers.

 

[Secret Chief]

We eat a variety called riceberry, but I think that's the trade name, and also we can get glutinous black which is great for making burgers.

I want one of those burgers now!
(just checked Tesco - probably the biggest UK supermarket - no black rice).

 

[Vinayaka]

The lentil varieties here I know about are orange, yellow, brown, green, and red. As for rice, the main varieties are white and basmati. I don't know much about the rest.

40 000 varieties according to wiki ... List of rice cultivars - Wikipedia

 

[Debater Slayer]

Oh I meant farmers market for local veggies. Sorry I was unclear.
I love making sauces from scratch and we have lots of fresh local veggies during the summer and fall. View attachment 83916

No farmers' markets for those near me either, but most staple vegetables are very affordable and easy for me to obtain, thankfully.

I like salad, so I'm planning to make a lot of it and keep it available in case I want a snack and don't want to prepare anything.

 

[Debater Slayer]

I've been through times when I was vegetarian and the hardest part was the social life. Not eating meat or fish didn't disturb me at all. I hope you have some people around you who are also vegetarians so they can help and encourage you. I have some cool recipes too. If you want ideas, let me know.

Thanks for the offer! I may take you up on that.

Yes, I have a few friends who abstain from eating meat. They've already offered to help with recipes.

I completely agree about the social difficulties. Many restaurants where I live have little to no vegetarian food on their menus, and in the company of people one is not close to, refusing to eat meat could get you frowned upon (especially because of the notion I mentioned earlier, which is that one would be forbidding themselves from something that "God allowed for humans").

 

[Vee]

In what way?

Getting invited to people's houses for example. Everywhere I lived people don't consider a meal to be a meal if there's no meat or fish, which I find a little nuts but culture is culture and people have their habits... When you're the odd ball who doesn't eat that, it's tricky to tell people who were kind to invite you that you're not willing to eat the main course. It's also hard if you live with other people and you're the only vegetarian. The first time I was a vegetarian I was a teenager living in my parent's house and they were respectful, but I had to make something specially for me almost every meal because the rest of the family would be having meat or fish.

 

[Twilight Hue]

After years of considering the idea, I have started my attempt to transition to vegetarianism. I haven't found any argument that managed to alleviate my concerns about the abuses in industrial animal farming, slaughterhouses, and even many smaller farms.

I have nothing against meat eaters, though, and I believe there are ways to produce meat in a more sustainable and ethical manner than the ways commonly found in industrial farms. Still, this is the decision that aligns the most with my own conscience, so I'm going to attempt the transition.

I love meat and have eaten it my whole life, so I know this is going to be difficult. Thankfully, I have a few vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian friends, and they said they would give me recipes (including easy and affordable ones) to help me transition.

Weird timing. :0)

I myself am being 'forced' into vegetarianism because of my health situation.

Can't say it's a complete bad thing as I know first hand now on how food can literally kill people who have heart and artery disease. Top that with diabetes and well. There it is.

Not much choice left anymore.

My doctor has put me on the Blue Zones diet.

Meat isn't completely forbidden but it's no longer a staple.

I can only consume 5 % and even that is discouraged.

It's going to be a difficult transition but even I admit that going vegetarian has some solid facts in its favor.

Already I had several veggie dishes that are actually quite good.

 

[Secret Chief]

Getting invited to people's houses for example. Everywhere I lived people don't consider a meal to be a meal if there's no meat or fish, which I find a little nuts but culture is culture and people have their habits... When you're the odd ball who doesn't eat that, it's tricky to tell people who were kind to invite you that you're not willing to eat the main course. It's also hard if you live with other people and you're the only vegetarian. The first time I was a vegetarian I was a teenager living in my parent's house and they were respectful, but I had to make something specially for me almost every meal because the rest of the family would be having meat or fish.

Are you in France then?

 

[Debater Slayer]

Would you try something like locust?

Eating insects is so foreign to me that I don't know whether I would be able to overcome my disgust enough to do it. I would be far more likely to try locusts or silkworm chrysalises (provided the insides of either were removed) than, say, crickets or scorpions, but how the former were prepared would also make a difference to me. Heavy spices like ginger and chili pepper could make them easier for me to try.