Going Vegetarian

[strawman]

7 minutes of pig decapitation via robot (pigs already deceased). Amazing that we can use machine vision and robots with such precision these days. Pretty soon we won't need much human intervention beyond raising them and loading animals into the factory, which is good because our national consumption of meat is only going up.

http://thedailywh.at/tag/robotic-hog-head-dropper/

Of course, we can go the other direction. Mark Zuckerberg (of facebook fame) has decided to forgo eating meat - unless he has killed the animal himself - for one year. He says he wants to learn to be thankful for what he's eating, and that it's too easy to pick up a burger and eat it without thinking about the animal that gave its life for the burger. If people had to kill the animal they ate, and we went back to an agrarian economy, well, things would certainly be different. You'd have to legislate it to make it happen though. And McDonalds has enough cash to buy out each and every public official several times over, so it's not terribly likely to happen.

http://www.google.com/search?q=zuckerberg+meat

Fortunately, we have a great deal of choice in what we eat, and a low meat diet is significantly healthier than the amount of meat the average American eats. So people can pretty much choose what diet they will have.

I applaud your choice - it's not an easy road you've chosen, but I certainly wish you luck.

 

[DarkAudit]

I saw Food Inc.

It made me hungry for a burger.

But... did it put you off corn?

 

[Dave]

Google.com search Zuckerberg meat? No, no I don't think so.

 

[Dave]

I knew I'd regret saying that.

But I'm shocked. Even with SafeSearch off, Googling "zuckerberg meat" in images doesn't give me anything dirty.

Guess I'll have to try Yahoo.

 

[strawman]

Soon searches for Zuckerberg's meat are going to end up here.

 

[Covar]

If people had to kill the animal they ate, and we went back to an agrarian economy, well, things would certainly be different. You'd have to legislate it to make it happen though. And McDonalds has enough cash to buy out each and every public official several times over, so it's not terribly likely to happen..

That would be horrible, do you know much better off we are as a society when everyone doesn't have to spend all our time growing and killing our own food?

 

[GasBandit]

If it wasn't panicking in fear of the prospect of its own death, I don't enjoy eating it. Not saying I WON'T eat it... but the musk of terror is such a delicious spice.

 

[sixpackshaker]

In my experience, they never see it coming. First they are pecking at the ground looking for grubs or seeds...

Then they are running around like a chicken with their head cut off.

 

[Frank]

Having actually slit the throat of a pig and hung it from the rafters of my grandpa's shop while we separated the guts into different milk crates depending on what he wanted to do with them when I was 10, I fully, fully continue to enjoy eating pork, beef, chicken, horse (once, it was ok, Like super bitter beef), fish, crustaceans, mollusks, rodents on occasion, ungulates in general and the occasional bear. Just put me down for most mammals, lizards, birds or even an amphibian or 2.

 

[GasBandit]

Having actually slit the throat of a pig and hung it from the rafters of my grandpa's shop while we separated the guts into different milk crates depending on what he wanted to do with them when I was 10, I fully, fully continue to enjoy eating pork, beef, chicken, horse (once, it was ok, Like super bitter beef), fish, crustaceans, mollusks, rodents on occasion, ungulates in general and the occasional bear. Just put me down for most mammals, lizards, birds or even an amphibian or 2.

Well, I will say that frog meat is a little too sweet for my palate. But for most of the other stuff, I'm good to go.

 

[Shannow]

Add bbq sauce and good to go.

 

[HCGLNS]

The only problem I have with killing animals is digging all the shot out of fowl. And though I prefer the bow, I don't like the damage it does to the meat as opposed to a shock death.

 

[Fun Size]

If it wasn't panicking in fear of the prospect of its own death, I don't enjoy eating it. Not saying I WON'T eat it... but the musk of terror is such a delicious spice.

I assume you're kidding, but there is a steak expert that can tell you by eating a steak if the animal died in fear or not. Logically, it makes sense, since the fear response releases chemicals into the bloodstream which would potentially appear in the meat. Quite interesting, really.

Nick, feel free to PM me for any guidance I can offer. I've been through most of the pain in the ass stuff, particularly with regards to weeding out meat substitutes that suck.

 

[Chibibar]

I assume you're kidding, but there is a steak expert that can tell you by eating a steak if the animal died in fear or not. Logically, it makes sense, since the fear response releases chemicals into the bloodstream which would potentially appear in the meat. Quite interesting, really.

Nick, feel free to PM me for any guidance I can offer. I've been through most of the pain in the ass stuff, particularly with regards to weeding out meat substitutes that suck.

The Morning stuff is not bad. But if you want decent meat sub, go to Asian market, they have nice stuff.

 

[GasBandit]

I assume you're kidding, but there is a steak expert that can tell you by eating a steak if the animal died in fear or not. Logically, it makes sense, since the fear response releases chemicals into the bloodstream which would potentially appear in the meat. Quite interesting, really.

Seems to me that the deer I've shot that didn't die instantly (and I subsequently had to track it for half a mile) should have been pretty damn terrified. Still tasted good. Now, I'm no medical expert, but seeing as how one of the first things that we do is to drain the blood, for the adrenaline or what-have-you to change the flavor of the meat, it'd have to be soaking a lot longer than just a few seconds of fight-or-flight. I could easily believe that an animal that lived it's life in fear could taste different, but a few seconds of terror before being completely exsanguinated?

 

[Fun Size]

It isn't, and he didn't say it tasted worse - just different.

And yes, when you kill a cow, you prompty drain all of the blood from it. This is why it makes no real difference if you cook the steak rare or well done.

 

[GasBandit]

It isn't, and he didn't say it tasted worse - just different.

Ohh I see, I misunderstood. It's kind of a "wine tasting" thing where somebody can guess the year and vineyard.

 

[Fun Size]

Precisely.

 

[strawman]

Ohh I see, I misunderstood. It's kind of a "wine tasting" thing where somebody can guess the year and vineyard.

The expert deeply inhales the steam from the steak, carefully cuts a small part off the portion, inspects the grain briefly, then chews thoughtfully for severeal seconds.

Carefully patting his lips with the linen napkin and removing the piece from his mouth, he declares with some authority, "This animal was shot through the left ventricle of the heart, and, after stumbling for many seconds, lost consciousness. The hunter immediately dressed the animal without waiting or moving the animal long distances. The fatal wound, having killed the animal quickly, suggests a large calibre weapon."

The small gathering claps politely while another platter is placed before him...

 

[Covar]

aaannd now I'm hungry. Thanks stienman.

 

[Chibibar]

The expert deeply inhales the steam from the steak, carefully cuts a small part off the portion, inspects the grain briefly, then chews thoughtfully for severeal seconds.

Carefully patting his lips with the linen napkin and removing the piece from his mouth, he declares with some authority, "This animal was shot through the left ventricle of the heart, and, after stumbling for many seconds, lost consciousness. The hunter immediately dressed the animal without waiting or moving the animal long distances. The fatal wound, having killed the animal quickly, suggests a large calibre weapon."

The small gathering claps politely while another platter is placed before him...

That is how I imagine it.

At best, I can taste frozen meat vs fresh meat (it does taste different) but that is the extent of my tasting skills.

 

[Baerdog]

Well, I will say that frog meat is a little too sweet for my palate. But for most of the other stuff, I'm good to go.

I think frog tastes fine, my problem is all the fiddly little bones that you have to eat around. I propose engineering chicken-sized frogs to solve this problem.

 

[sixpackshaker]

I've seen frogs of that size. I was walking down a stream and saw a frog that was a little bit larger than a football sitting in the middle of the creek. I thought it was some porcelain trash, from its size and the way its green skin was glistening in the dappled sunlight beaming through the forest. I poked it with a stick intending to flip it over to see where it was made... It then leaped nearly a dozen feet down stream... and I nearly crapped my pants.

 

[GasBandit]

I've seen frogs of that size. I was walking down a stream and saw a frog that was a little bit larger than a football sitting in the middle of the creek. I thought it was some porcelain trash, from its size and the way its green skin was glistening in the dappled sunlight beaming through the forest. I poked it with a stick intending to flip it over to see where it was made... It then leaped nearly a dozen feet down stream... and I nearly crapped my pants.

What was it eating to get that big, I wonder... other frogs?

 

[sixpackshaker]

yes.

 

[Emrys]

Or small children.

 

[makare]

squeeee!

 

[fade]

I'm firmly opposed to vegetarian diets, because I don't believe they're as healthy as those that contain meat and fish. "Lacto-ovo" vegetarian is better, since milk and eggs can provide many of the same nutrients as meat, but trying to balance a purely vegetarian (or worse, vegan) diet to get the essential fatty acids found in meat is difficult, if not impossible (depending on your existing health).

Nick, while I support you wanting to do this for moral reasons, I don't think it's a wise choice from a health perspective. Just my advice.

Hasn't this been fairly strongly disproven by multiple studies? I will find some links.
Added at: 02:23
I don't know how to say this without hurting feelings or without it feeling like I'm attacking, but I have an idea that the veg = unhealthy argument grows out of people who feel defensive about their decision to continue to eat meat. Every vegetarian I know has been attacked verbally at some point by meat eaters, sometimes viscously. I think it's because people view their decision as a condemnation of the meat eating lifestyle (and it is, really, whether they mean it to be or not).

 

[figmentPez]

Hasn't this been fairly strongly disproven by multiple studies? I will find some links.

And those studies were disproven by other studies, which were disproven by... and on and on. Meat is part of a healthy diet. Vegetarian diets can be healthy, but they take more work and are not a viable option for all people.

 

[Covar]

And those studies were disproven by other studies, which were disproven by... and on and on. Meat is part of a healthy diet. Vegetarian diets can be healthy, but they take more work and are not a viable option for all people.

I was just going to mention. If you have to take Dietary supplements and Vitamins to make up for nutritional gaps you're not eating a healthy diet. Doesn't matter if it's carnivorous or vegan.

 

[Mathias]

Hasn't this been fairly strongly disproven by multiple studies? I will find some links.
Added at: 02:23
I don't know how to say this without hurting feelings or without it feeling like I'm attacking, but I have an idea that the veg = unhealthy argument grows out of people who feel defensive about their decision to continue to eat meat. Every vegetarian I know has been attacked verbally at some point by meat eaters, sometimes viscously. I think it's because people view their decision as a condemnation of the meat eating lifestyle (and it is, really, whether they mean it to be or not).

99.9% of the time it's usually because the vegetarian is being smug about being a vegetarian.

 

[Covar]

If we're throwing out anecdotal evidence, I've never met a Vegan who wasn't a pretentious douche about it.

 

[Officer_Charon]

Meat-eaters attack vegetarians because that's how the food chain works.

 

[Hailey Knight]

I eat meat.

The only thing that pisses me off is when someone throws it away. If something's gonna die to feed you, have the decency to eat it properly. Goddamn kids, throwing out half their Whopper, cost me $4.50 for that Happy Meal, dammit!

 

[makare]

whoppers are from bk and bk has Big Kid's meals not Happy Meals >.>