Rise of Vegetarian/Veganism

Johnnyhpipe

From “bloggers” to billboards to PETA giving out to me for drinking milk and “taking babies away from their mothers”... I was in McDonalds earlier tucking into a big mac and a load of nuggets and saw their new ‘veggie happy meal’... When did this rise of veggie/veganism start? Why did it start?

Some people have tried to convince me to go vegetarian, or at least cut down on meat consumption. I haven’t heard a decent argument as to why I should apart from some doomsday videos on youtube..

Am I really a bad boy for eating meat? All sounds like a load of bollocks to me.

ILoveYourVibes

Johnnyhpipe wrote: »

Am I really a bad boy for eating meat?

Yup.

Johnnyhpipe

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Yup.

Why?

Oh wait, i get it...

BeerWolf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY-w-8SuMZs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEguuASirDg

Thelonious Monk

What's wrong with not wanting to eat animals? I don't get why it annoys people so much. I don't eat much red meat or dairy at all, don't miss it or need it.

Johnnyhpipe

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

What's wrong with not wanting to eat animals? I don't get why it annoys people so much. I don't eat much red meat or dairy at all, don't miss it or need it.

The billboard nonsense annoys me.

Imagine Pro-Meat billboards? Vegans would have heart failure.

Thelonious Monk

Johnnyhpipe wrote: »

Imagine Pro-Meat billboards?

are you really this thick?

Johnnyhpipe

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

are you really this thick?

Yes

Yer Da sells Avon

People who get annoyed about the increasing popularity of vegetarianism/veganism are every bit as tiresome as militant vegans.

Brendan Delaney

We must go vegan to save the world!

Share this message with five other people or else Greta Thunberg will appear in your room tonight and kill you.

strandroad

Johnnyhpipe wrote: »

Imagine Pro-Meat billboards? Vegans would have heart failure.

You don't go outside much it seems!

eviltwin

This again? No one is forcing you to give up meat, it's an ad. Might as well complain about Coca Cola trying to entice you to give up tea or something. Eat what you want whether it's meat or a veggie alternative or vegan. Just don't go on about it.

Thelonious Monk

Yer Da sells Avon wrote: »

People who get annoyed about the increasing popularity of vegetarianism/veganism are every bit as tiresome as militant vegans.

Apparently there are vegans everywhere going around telling everyone they're a vegan. I'm not sure I've ever even met one. What is very evident on the internet are anti-vegan sentiments and the usual mmmm bacon comments etc.
No one's going to take your meat from you so you can all relax.

Johnnyhpipe

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Apparently there are vegans everywhere going around telling everyone they're a vegan. I'm not sure I've ever even met one. What is very evident on the internet are anti-vegan sentiments and the usual mmmm bacon comments etc.
No one's going to take your meat from you so you can all relax.

Im not worried about someone taking it from me. I’m not worried about anything really, I’m wondering why its risen in popularity lately? What are the reasons?

Beasty

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Apparently there are vegans everywhere going around telling everyone they're a vegan. I'm not sure I've ever even met one. What is very evident on the internet are anti-vegan sentiments and the usual mmmm bacon comments etc.
No one's going to take your meat from you so you can all relax.

Do not under-estimate the powers of a vegetarian Admin;)

Unearthly

Johnnyhpipe wrote: »

Im not worried about someone taking it from me. I’m not worried about anything really, I’m wondering why its risen in popularity lately? What are the reasons?

- ethical reasons. More exposure online about what happens in slaughter houses etc

- health studies showing benefits. It's now recognised that you don't need meat or dairy to live a healthy lifestyle

- climate change reasons.

All of those points can be disagreed upon but they'd be the main pointers that are steering this movement

nice_guy80

Eating more veg is surely good for the environment

Unless those veg were shipped in from southern Greece, or southern Spain or Holland and Israel

Still waters

It's amusing to read the farmers on the farming forum complaining about the rise in vegetarians, youd think they were dependent on every human alive eating 3 steaks a day when in reality blaming the few vegetarians for their problems is like blaming a turf fire in connemara on global warming

In truth we would probably all be a lot healthier if we cut down the amount of meat and ate more veg and fruit

Farming a small farm here so I'm all for more money for meat but I don't see a healthy future in the mass production of animals for the slaughter houses

Johnnyhpipe

nice_guy80 wrote: »

Eating more veg is surely good for the environment

Unless those veg were shipped in from southern Greece, or southern Spain or Holland and Israel

I wonder if lamb from wicklow (eaten in Dublin) is environmentally worse than avocados from Mexico (eaten in Dublin)?

archer22

Johnnyhpipe wrote: »

Im not worried about someone taking it from me. I’m not worried about anything really, I’m wondering why its risen in popularity lately? What are the reasons?

But..But..but I thought you didn't want people going on about it

Thelonious Monk

The reality is we need food from Spain which is the greenhouse of Europe. They grow things like peppers and tomatoes etc that don't grow too well here. Importing avocados from Mexico and Peru doesn't sit comfortably with me especially when we produce so much food in Europe.

archer22

I can only speak for myself but I find a vegetarian diet to be much healthier, wish I had gone on it years ago.

Good now that lots of food processors and retailers are taking it serious and offering more vegetarian alternatives

Johnnyhpipe

archer22 wrote: »

I can only speak for myself but I find a vegetarian diet to be much healthier, wish I had gone on it years ago.

Good now that lots of food processors and retailers are taking it serious and offering more vegetarian alternatives

Why do you feel its healthier? Would the same meals just with some grilled chicken not be just as healthy, if not more so? I’m genuinely curious.

El Tarangu

I recently stopped eating meat; it was partially due to environmental reasons (the amount of inputs required to produce a kilo of meat, all the methane from farts, their effluent, etc).

But the main reason was that, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed that raising an animal and killing it to eat its flesh, unless you needed it to survive, just seemed weird. I was never mad about handling raw meat (like when cooking it or whatever), and didn't like seeing whole lambs or rabbits trussed up in butchers' shops; not eating meat was just the logical conclusion of this impulse. Just my 2c.

archer22

Johnnyhpipe wrote: »

Why do you feel its healthier? Would the same meals just with some grilled chicken not be just as healthy, if not more so? I’m genuinely curious.

I find any kind of meat diet heavy and hard to digest...also when I was on a meat diet I could not lose excess weight despite doing a lot of fitness training.

Since going vegetarian I have lost all excess fat and am now virtually as lean and fit as I was when I was young.

I have not found any lack of energy on a vegetarian diet, quite the opposite in fact.
And there is no need to diet as such when vegetarian you can eat as much as you want so no need to go hungry or minimise portions etc.

Just eat when ever you feel like eating.

Ubbquittious

I wonder who is paying for all those bill boards that are after appearing around the place promoting vegetarianism. Did they get any handouts from quorn or that impossible hipster crowd over in the States?

Thelonious Monk

archer22 wrote: »

I find any kind of meat diet heavy and hard to digest...also when I was on a meat diet I could not lose excess weight despite doing a lot of fitness training.

Since going vegetarian I have lost all excess fat and am now virtually as lean and fit as I was when I was young.

I have not found any lack of energy on a vegetarian diet, quite the opposite in fact.
And there is no need to diet as such when vegetarian you can eat as much as you want so no need to go hungry or minimise portions etc.

Just eat when ever you feel like eating.

Well you can't just sit around eating onion rings and chips all day and not get fat. You're clearly eating only healthy vegetarian stuff.

eviltwin

I became vegetarian 27 years ago because I didn't want to eat animals. I have a severe lactose intolerance so I don't eat dairy. I rarely eat eggs so I'm more or less vegan now. I've no problem with people eating meat and cook meat for family and friends. I've no interest in converting anyone.

Necro

Personally, I can't ever see myself taking up a vegetarian diet. Love me some meat with my dinners.

Recently my wife and I attempted to experiment in the home with eating healthier and found the cost much more prohibitive, exorbitant even.

My feelings is that if we are expected to attempt to eat healthier then make it cheaper than the alternatives.

auspicious

Out of interest Necro, what products were they basically?

ILoveYourVibes

I am veggie ..i eat vegan sometimes. My mom went veggie when i was twelve ..so i did ...she went back to eat fish ..i stayed veggie...my bro is veggie too.

I will cook meat for friends though etc. I do my best as a veggie to cook steak/fish for a mate etc.

I respect people's choices.

El Tarangu

Johnnyhpipe wrote: »

Why do you feel its healthier? Would the same meals just with some grilled chicken not be just as healthy, if not more so? I’m genuinely curious.

I actually had the opposite experience of archer - there isn't really anything that provides you with the protein-to-calorie ratio that is as easy to prepare as chicken breasts; I've probably gained (a little) weight since becoming vegetarian. No regrets about it though, and this will probably be offset when I get up to speed with some additional vegetable protein sources, etc.

archer22

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Well you can't just sit around eating onion rings and chips all day and not get fat. You're clearly eating only healthy vegetarian stuff.

Correct, I only very rarely eat any junk type foods and have no liking for sugary drinks.
But in my case giving up meats was the key...the results quite surprised me to be honest

Necro

auspicious wrote: »

Out of interest Necro, what products were they basically?

General supermarket items, fresh fruit and vegetables not sourced from other countries. The stuff in Aldi is absolute kack and we stopped shopping there a while back as it goes off after a few days.

I try and lean away from processed meats as they're the worst of them all but at the same time they're also a cheaper option.

Our budget wouldn't be massive though so sometimes needs must and all.

JohnnyFlash

I’m a complete mucksavage who considers bacon and cabbage to be the finest meal humanity has ever come up with. Even I realise we need to eat less meat. You can do great things with plenty of salt, butter, herbs, and spices. I couldn’t become a vegan though - cheese is so ridiculously tasty that I wouldn’t want to live in a world where it doesn’t exist.

uck51js9zml2yt

I spent the day in my garden planting veggies.
I used horse manure (a by product of an animal) as fertilizer...does that make me evil.

I'll also have chickens in a few weeks.:D

Hobosan

Cows always look very peaceful in videos and you only ever hear about the bad things that happen to them, but when the cameras are off they're vicious towards us. It's pure anti-omnivorism.

I overheard a Cow saying "Moooower're going to drive you into the sea", as I walked past a field today.

Yet we're somehow the bad guys for imprisoning and killing them in self defense?

auspicious

Majority of Adli veg is from Spain and Netherlands. I try to avoid them and look for Irish. Irish tomatoes for example are much tastier than elsewhere.
Frozen veg is good I find, cheap and seasoned well it's grand. I'm a big gravy lover and probably have it 4 or 5 times a week with the veg.
Lentils are something I never used to eat but now are a staple part of my diet. Cheap, and cooked with some spices they go with almost anything and are very healthy.

Thelonious Monk

Lentils and pulses cost nothing and lots of calories and protein in there. There are pockets of people living around the world where people live longer than the rest of us and the thing they have in common is diets featuring a lot of pulses. Sardinia, parts of Japan etc.

Hobosan

Jazmin Some Designer wrote: »

I'll also have chickens in a few weeks.:D

Congratulations!

It's tough going but people always say it is the most rewarding part of their lives.

Necro

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Lentils and pulses cost nothing and lots of calories and protein in there. There are pockets of people living around the world where people live longer than the rest of us and the thing they have in common is diets featuring a lot of pulses. Sardinia, parts of Japan etc.

Boring though. I like variety in my diet tbh. We change our meals up every week otherwise it would drive me mad.

freshpopcorn

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Lentils and pulses cost nothing and lots of calories and protein in there. There are pockets of people living around the world where people live longer than the rest of us and the thing they have in common is diets featuring a lot of pulses. Sardinia, parts of Japan etc.

I'd rather die younger than eat lentils!

strandroad

Necro wrote: »

General supermarket items, fresh fruit and vegetables not sourced from other countries. The stuff in Aldi is absolute kack and we stopped shopping there a while back as it goes off after a few days.

One thing that really helps is more frequent grocery shopping. We are transitioning to this American style of weekly or fortnightly shop which promotes processed or frozen foods because fresh food doesn't last that long. For fruit and veg you'd be better off shopping frequently and using it up quickly. Same as with butcher meat really, it wouldn't last a few days it only does when it's processed and sealed in a packet.

JohnnyFlash

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

I’m a complete mucksavage who considers bacon and cabbage to be the finest meal humanity has ever come up with. Even I realise we need to eat less meat. You can do great things with plenty of salt, butter, herbs, and spices. I couldn’t become a vegan though - cheese is so ridiculously tasty that I wouldn’t want to live in a world where it doesn’t exist.

Mate of mine is vegan and lived in France for years and cheese as he put it was the hardest thing to give up, my missus is vegan also and she said the same thing.

Tesco are doing a range of vegan cheeses now and they taste like actual dairy based cheese from any reports I've heard, both from them and our other friends who aren't vegetarian/vegan. Can't personally vouch for them as I don't like cheese anyway.

An Ri rua

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

What's wrong with not wanting to eat animals? I don't get why it annoys people so much. I don't eat much red meat or dairy at all, don't miss it or need it.

I haven't eaten meat or dairy for 26 years now. It was very tough at the start, I was lifting a lot of weights as a young skinny lad, and could never get enough protein.
The jury is out on whether Quorn and such are without side effects but that is what I've eaten for years.
Just like the person quoted, I've always had people attacking my position. I love meat, just like I love sex, but it's not morally correct (in my view) to jump on every young one passing and, in s similar vein, it's not morally correct to take the life of a fellow sentient being got pleasure/meat-lust.
Some will say it's a necessary part of a diet. It's not. Until s year or two ago, I could pump out more Hindu push-ups and chin-ups /pullups than most 40+ year olds.
Meat tastes great. But even apart from the self-love of stuffing your guts with flesh at the expense of another precious life, it's now simply a case of trying to disengage from the disharmonious nature of it's route to market. It's all that's wrong with this dirty ****ing consumerist world.
Hey look, if you're into masturbating endlessly, self-indulgent spending, hedonistic living and individualistic ideology, then stuff your guts. It really doesn't matter. Every wo/man for themselves. If you want to change the world, change yourself. Be you Hitler, Gandhi, Larry Good man or the Op.

Necro

In fairness my kids are much more health conscious than myself - or at least as much as we can push them towards.

They love snacks of raisins, fruit etc. Give them the odd treat obviously but they generally eat very healthily.

I've already accepted I'm a lost cause in terms of eating healthily but hopefully they won't follow me down the same path.

Johnnyhpipe

An Ri rua wrote: »

I haven't eaten meat or dairy for 26 years now. It was very tough at the start, I was lifting a lot of weights as a young skinny lad, and could never get enough protein.
The jury is out on whether Quorn and such are without side effects but that is what I've eaten for years.
Just like the person quoted, I've always had people attacking my position. I love meat, just like I love sex, but it's not morally correct (in my view) to jump on every young one passing and, in s similar vein, it's not morally correct to take the life of a fellow sentient being got pleasure/meat-lust.
Some will say it's a necessary part of a diet. It's not. Until s year or two ago, I could pump out more Hindu push-ups and chin-ups /pullups than most 40+ year olds.
Meat tastes great. But even apart from the self-love of stuffing your guts with flesh at the expense of another precious life, it's now simply a case of trying to disengage from the disharmonious nature of it's route to market. It's all that's wrong with this dirty ****ing consumerist world.
Hey look, if you're into masturbating endlessly, self-indulgent spending, hedonistic living and individualistic ideology, then stuff your guts. It really doesn't matter. Every wo/man for themselves. If you want to change the world, change yourself. Be you Hitler, Gandhi, Larry Good man or the Op.

Not sure about the endless masturbation and jumping on every young wan passing, i’m only wondering why veganism is becoming more popular..

auspicious

Lentils are amazing. You just gotta know how to cook em. Fenugreek is a really tasty curry spice. First an onion or two diced and garlic and chillies base, then cumin seeds and ginger, tomato paste, veg. cube, tomatoes and other veg., throw in lentils and curry spices and Bob's your uncle.
The spices take weeks to run out.
Plenty of recipes out there.

gozunda

Brendan Delaney wrote: »

We must go vegan to save the world!

Share this message with five other people or else Greta Thunberg will appear in your room tonight and kill you.

.....

JohnnyFlash

DubInMeath wrote: »

Mate of mine is vegan and lived in France for years and cheese as he put it was the hardest thing to give up, my missus is vegan also and she said the same thing.

Tesco are doing a range of vegan cheeses now and they taste like actual dairy based cheese from any reports I've heard, both from them and our other friends who aren't vegetarian/vegan. Can't personally vouch for them as I don't like cheese anyway.

I’ve tried the vegan cheese. Tastes nothing like cheese. Like it’s not unpleasant, but calling it cheese is a real stretch of the imagination. And it was loaded with strange ingredients. I’m not sure that buying hugely processed vegan ‘cheese’ is much better for the animal or the environment than eating a lovely local cheese from Ireland. Not the mass produced stuff, but even that lovely buffalo mozzarella from Cork only costs 3 quid in aldi. Which is far cheaper than meat.

Still waters

Still waters wrote: »

It's amusing to read the farmers on the farming forum complaining about the rise in vegetarians, youd think they were dependent on every human alive eating 3 steaks a day when in reality blaming the few vegetarians for their problems is like blaming a turf fire in connemara on global warming

In truth we would probably all be a lot healthier if we cut down the amount of meat and ate more veg and fruit

Farming a small farm here so I'm all for more money for meat but I don't see a healthy future in the mass production of animals for the slaughter houses

You'll probably find the same posters in AH going on about social welfare etc, also get some funny stuff sometimes like how they would accept a gay in their locality before they would accept a vegan.

Same as there are plenty of annoying vegans online and some true assholes looking down anyone who isn't vegan, or vegans who don't live up to their standards.

Both sides have their share of idiots.