Vegetarianism - would you try it?

Canis Lupus · 13-10-2012 10:57PM

I'm a meativore. Most vegetables I eat because I 'have' to. Excluding the wonderful potato I can't think of any vegetable in any form that would make me,ahem, excited like a steak or a pork belly roast would.

I like to think vegetarians are pleasantly deluding themselves about meat but since their vegetarianism means more meat for me then I'm happy with their hipster lifestyle choice.

leaveiton · 13-10-2012 11:02PM

My boyfriend's vegan, so whenever I'm over in his I'll have something vegan and we've gone to a few vegan/vegetarian places together and I do really enjoy the food. I could definitely go without meat, but I don't know if I'd be really be bothered enough to be strict about it. Things like checking that chips haven't been fried in the same oil as anything meaty, making sure there aren't any animal products in things you wouldn't expect, stuff like that. It sounds awful, but I just don't know if I'd care enough to go to that extent, but at the same time if I was to do it I wouldn't want to do it by halves.

PickledLime · 13-10-2012 11:03PM

Scioch wrote: »

I'm a hard worker but on my time I'm lazy as fcuk. I just like the convenient options when eating and going vegetarian wouldnt suit me I dont think.

Haha, fair enough!

You'd be surprised though, stuff like stir frys, cous cous with grilled veg, mixed bean curry, can do one from nothing to the plate in about 20 minutes. As someone else has said, if you cook in batches, it's great. I can do up a week's worth of tasty dinners in around an hour. Freeze them, then it's come home in the evening, bang them in the microwave for 5 minutes and you're fed.

I actually eat meat, but veggie food is so cheap and handy (and tasty) that meat rarely gets cooked

Fr_Dougal · 13-10-2012 11:08PM

dlofnep wrote: »

Some of the veggie-alternative foods are extremely expensive. I buy spice-burgers, and it's like 4 euro for 2 of them.

They contain meat...

jonasjones · 13-10-2012 11:10PM

supackofidiots wrote: »

I'm tempted to go for it after seeing this video which is flying around twitter.

http://hiddenfaceoffood.com/

I went that way for a few (>5) years but ended up going back. People on here will tell you one way is cheaper than the other, but it completely depends on your diet. Will you try to substitute fake meat for real meat, or are you going go hardcore and eat your greens? I was in the former camp and a) it wasn't cheap and b) it was *never* as good. If you're worried about treatment of animals - and it is a valid concern - there are other options (free range etc.) to giving up meat.

dlofnep · 13-10-2012 11:12PM

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

They contain meat...

Er, no they don't. They are vegetarian alternatives, made out of beans and what not.

Raminahobbin · 13-10-2012 11:12PM

Scioch wrote: »

Ok. But its a low more work though right ? I know a couple people and they are kinda whingy about it. Lack of choice in restaurants/takeaways, more cooking involved, checking this and that to make sure its ok to be eatin etc etc. Not a bad thing if it doesnt bother ya. But for the average lazy Joe Soap it would fast become a pain.

Did for the people I know anyway. But then again they could be just missing meat.

Well it is a lifestyle choice to be fair, and it's not for everyone. With every lifestyle choice there are sacrifices / extra efforts you need to make, but before long it becomes habit moreso than effort and it isn't a problem at all.

You have to look at it less like work and more like a hobby / fun challenge- people don't mind putting the effort into something they enjoy. If you approach it like a chore then it becomes a chore.

LordSutch · 13-10-2012 11:13PM

supackofidiots wrote: »

Vegetarianism - would you try it?

Yep, tried liked it and stayed with it! for a few years that is . . . .

You can get nearly everything from a balanced vegeterian diet + some supplements. I felt great too when I was on it, sadly the new missus & kids are not veggies, and it would be too complicated to convert them, so I am back on the meat, although interestingly we have all have cut out Red meat 100%.

kodoherty93 · 13-10-2012 11:16PM

Being a vegetarian on the grounds eating animals due to the abuse of them etc. Is total BS if your meat is Irish.

Has anyone every seen a Irish farm. They're generally tiny about 30 acres is like the average Irish farm size. There is no such as mega farms like the us and mainland Europe here. All Irish farms are small and humane.

Even in the slaughterhouse the person killing the cows is the most experienced person there and the cows barely feels anything.

openup · 13-10-2012 11:21PM

I've been veggie for almost two years now (though I was **** at it for the first 3 months or so) and really love it! I'm just vegetarian in name but I eat vegan when I'm cooking for myself.

The only issue I have with being vegetarian is the non-veg people being assholes about it! That and when people go to loads of effort to make you something special when you're at their house, I always feel so awkward.

kodoherty93 wrote: »

Being a vegetarian on the grounds eating animals due to the abuse of them etc. Is total BS if your meat is Irish.

Has anyone every seen a Irish farm. They're generally tiny about 30 acres is like the average Irish farm size. There is no such as mega farms like the us and mainland Europe here. All Irish farms are small and humane.

Even in the slaughterhouse the person killing the cows is the most experienced person there and the cows barely feels anything.

Unless you're talking about chickens or pigs, or like most veggies I know, you think killing needlessly is cruelty in itself.

tayto lover · 13-10-2012 11:22PM

Vegetables are alright if their accompanied by a large well-done steak. It would take a lot of vegetables to fill a hungry man and he would have to eat about 7 times a day.
I would bet that many vegetarians would succumb to the temptation of meat when very hungry.

darlett · 13-10-2012 11:24PM

Raminahobbin wrote: »

I've had quite a few vegetarian dinners parties and barbeques where my more carnivorous friends have thoroughly enjoyed the food and haven't missed the meat.

Im a meatie. But I like a challenge, and a solution

What would you give as an exciting veg BBQ menu apart from corn in the cob in foil (Which I probably still dont do right!)?

Lets have some recipes. Hell no I wont convert but I will try

Raminahobbin · 13-10-2012 11:31PM

darlett wrote: »

Im a meatie. But I like a challenge, and a solution What would you give as an exciting veg BBQ menu apart from corn in the cob in foil (Which I probably still dont do right!)?

Lets have some recipes. Hell no I wont convert but I will try

Well, one of the things people ALWAYS devour and go mental for is actually one of the simplest things I've grilled on the BBQ- tofu skewers with Jerk marinade. I usually hate tofu. It's horrible and jelly like. But the secret is to freeze the tofu and thaw it out again before marinading it- it completely changes the texture of the tofu and it becomes much more palatable- it also absorbs the marinade much better. Give it a go and see what you think

Aoifey! · 13-10-2012 11:41PM

Raminahobbin wrote: »

Well, one of the things people ALWAYS devour and go mental for is actually one of the simplest things I've grilled on the BBQ- tofu skewers with Jerk marinade. I usually hate tofu. It's horrible and jelly like. But the secret is to freeze the tofu and thaw it out again before marinading it- it completely changes the texture of the tofu and it becomes much more palatable- it also absorbs the marinade much better. Give it a go and see what you think

I've actually never eaten tofu, I really should try it.

tayto lover · 13-10-2012 11:44PM

Aoifey! wrote: »

I've actually never eaten tofu, I really should try it.

What is Tofu ?

darlett · 13-10-2012 11:44PM

LordSutch wrote: »

so I am back on the meat, although interestingly we have all have cut out Red meat 100%.

This might seem like a lazy question, but what is red meat and what is the major significance? Is it just like hams and bacons, or beef as well? Today confused things more for me cos a larger amount of red blood seemed to drain from the chicken I was cooking

tayto lover wrote: »

Vegetables are alright if their accompanied by a large well-done steak.

This is a thread about potential food conversion, and i dont believe Im going wholly off topic, but tayto please someday try a large medium to rare done steak. It wont give you a dose of the ****s

And its just so much more juicy and tender that way. I used to be a well done man myself

Aoifey! · 13-10-2012 11:46PM

tayto lover wrote: »

What is Tofu ?

I don't know, I've never eaten it :P but Wikipedia tells me it's bean curd. I've heard it being talked about as a popular vegetarian dish but never bothered actually trying it.

darlett · 13-10-2012 11:49PM

Raminahobbin wrote: »

Well, one of the things people ALWAYS devour and go mental for is actually one of the simplest things I've grilled on the BBQ- tofu skewers with Jerk marinade. I usually hate tofu. It's horrible and jelly like. But the secret is to freeze the tofu and thaw it out again before marinading it- it completely changes the texture of the tofu and it becomes much more palatable- it also absorbs the marinade much better. Give it a go and see what you think

Well I will!

Where do you get your tofu or what type do you go for? Ive had it abroad in various forms, and some actually quite tasty, but very hard (possibly Im looking in all the wrong places) to get good stuff here. Ive never actually bought it-or like Aoifey even eaten in Ireland!

iCosmopolis · 13-10-2012 11:53PM

Vegetarian myself but only for my own personal ick factor-wouldn't lecture anyone on it, but had to post based on experience today..my husband tends to like stuff that would be extra gross to me (livers etc.), and actually not nessesarily allowed for him(but never pork). He decided to get prepared rabbit to make bhuna with. Got a skype call from his family earlier and he was walking around the kitchen with the web cam on laptop showing the level of childlock we have to do..his sis asked what the hell is that carcass on the sideboard? he said rabbit. She was like, so you say she doesn't eat pork, beef, chicken etc. so if she's vegetarian can she eat rabbit. He say's no. She laughs. His brother comes on..you know rabbits not halal! he says, neither is the bottle of pinot i'm going to drink with it

I know I've been mad at this man but feck, he can be cool sometimes and sure makes me laugh!

darlett · 13-10-2012 11:55PM

tayto lover wrote: »

What is Tofu ?

Aoifey! wrote: »

I don't know, I've never eaten it :P but Wikipedia tells me it's bean curd. I've heard it being talked about as a popular vegetarian dish but never bothered actually trying it.

I spent many months in Indonesia where they love this stuff. In my opinion it must be a bit like Guinness-an acquired taste. Its made from soy bean and available in a mind boggling array of forms, from boiled and fried and other more technically challenging ways of cooking it. I didnt really take to it, but my indonesian friends-who have some delicious foods to choose from- seemed to consider it a great threat so i havent written it off just yet

humbert · 14-10-2012 12:03AM

I don't see any reason to cut a tasty nutritious component of my diet out.

I don't think it's cruel to animals, I do accept that beef production is bad for the environment but I don't think anything will change until it's absolutely necessary (i.e. we are all walking around wearing gas masks) and there's a strong statistical correlation between being a vegetarian and being a dry self-righteous whingy bastard.

Aoifey! · 14-10-2012 12:08AM

humbert wrote: »

I don't see any reason to cut a tasty nutritious component of my diet out.

I don't think it's cruel to animals, I do accept that beef production is bad for the environment but I don't think anything will change until it's absolutely necessary (i.e. we are all walking around wearing gas masks) and there's a strong statistical correlation between being a vegetarian and being a dry self-righteous whingy bastard.

I was wondering how long it'd take before someone came out with something like this. 4 pages, we done well!

humbert · 14-10-2012 12:10AM

Aoifey! wrote: »

I was wondering how long it'd take before someone came out with something like this. 4 pages, we done well!

Only two pages for me and I hope you're not whinging!

Aoifey! · 14-10-2012 12:12AM

humbert wrote: »

Only two pages for me and I hope you're not whinging!

Not really, no

SusieBlue · 14-10-2012 12:13AM

I was a veggie for 6 years, but then I gave up because I'm anaemic.

I'll be honest, I wasn't vegetarian for any noble "save the animals" type reason, I just never really liked meat and the texture of it turned my stomach.

I only eat white meat now, just fish and chicken. I have red meat occasionally, maybe about 4-5 times a year.

kumate_champ07 · 14-10-2012 12:14AM

bogwalrus wrote: »

Veggie abut 6 years now.

No cravings for meet or fish and i was a bacon & steak addict.

Eating a much larger variety of foods that i would never have known about unless i became a vegetarian.

Cooking skills are pretty good now also.

I would like to get back in to eating fish again but it might be a while before i can get my head around it.

The one negative side i would say to being a veggie is that you really have to transform your eating habits not just your diet or else you will become very unhealthy.

I found for the first year that i ate loads more pizza's and chinese takeaway's as meat was excluded from my diet.

It might be difficult if your cooking skills are terrible.

My two cents anyway

that's cool but alot of meat eaters know about many alternative veg too

also imagine 100's of cows taken from a field and dumped in the sea were they drown and die. thats pretty much what happens to the fish in reverse

Ando's Saggy Bottom · 14-10-2012 12:14AM

Was practically veggie for about a year due to the missus being one when we first met. Id recommend it to anyone. Really diversifies the palate and makes you a far better and more imaginative cook.

humbert · 14-10-2012 12:18AM

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

that's cool but alot of meat eaters know about many alternative veg too

also imagine 100's of cows taken from a field and dumped in the sea were they drown and die. thats pretty much what happens to the fish in reverse

They bring dead fish back to life (possibly twice), take them out of the sea and dump them into a field :eek:

token101 · 14-10-2012 12:22AM

Raminahobbin wrote: »

I've had quite a few vegetarian dinners parties and barbeques where my more carnivorous friends have thoroughly enjoyed the food and haven't missed the meat.

A BBQ with no meat? Really? I can't imagine charred carrots taste very nice to be honest.

Can understand people being veggies for taste or health reasons, but this animal cruelty stuff is nonsense. You denying yourself a Irish produced steak in Ireland isn't going to stop barbarism in countries with poor animal rights records.

Canis Lupus · 14-10-2012 12:23AM

token101 wrote: »

A BBQ with no meat? Really? I can't imagine charred carrots taste very nice to be honest.

Regardless of how nice everyone calls her food if there was meat on the menu her vegetarian options would be decidly unloved.

Vegetarianism - would you try it?

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