Special thanks to Leontine from Leontine's Book Realm for the super header.


Tuesday, May 4, 2010

How much meat do you eat?

I've just read a couple of stories with vegetarians and I wondered, who out there lurking or posting on my blog is a vegetarian. I'll still love you even if you are. :-D I got nothing today so thought I'd just do a little poll for fun. You can share your stories if you've tried to go veggie or your philosophy if you are a practicing vegetarian.

43 comments:

Matthew said...

Meat for me, please. Not THAT meat... Well, that too...

Tam said...

Ohhhh, I knew someone would go there . Well done being the first Matthew. LOL

I grew up on a farm where we raised and ate our own meat, so I'm definitely a meat girl.

Jenre said...

I pretty much eat meat every day. Whilst I understand why people might want to be vegetarian and respect those views, I've never really been interested in it myself. I'm also very prone to low iron reserves so I have to try and eat red meat 1-2 times a week, along with iron rich veggies such as broccoli and spinach, or I get ill. I'd rather do that than take iron tablets which do unspeakable things to my insides.

Chris said...

I grew up on a farm, too, so meat was pretty constant. I've done the vegetarian thing, but when I got diagnosed with celiac disease, I gave up on that (meat's gluten free and so many meat substitutes are not). I still didn't eat much beef at that point. But, because of iron and B-12 deficiencies, my doctor basically ordered me to eat beef several times a week.

Kassa said...

I'm a vegetarian.. no meat for me (and yes fish is a meat). I've been one for a little over 17 years now.

Now if we're talking "THAT" meat... well <.< that's just healthy.

Tam said...

I've had to take those iron supplements too Jen. Ugh. Not fun.

We used to eat nothing but chicken when my daughter was younger. Why do kids like chicken so much? But then she discovered pork and beef and we eat more of that now than chicken, although I often throw a chicken in the crockpot so we have in essence roasted chicken every other week.

I've never really tried the veggie thing Chris. I sometimes think "I should try that, it's supposed to be healthier" but .... That's as far as I go.

Tam said...

You gotta get your protein somehow Kassa. ;-)

I suppose once you get in the groove and are used to eating that way it's much easier. I imagine getting started is a bit frustrating and probably time consuming as you try to figure out a healthy diet, not just salad.

Lily said...

I'm a meat lover and I'm not ashamed to admit it! ;)

I eat meat of some kind everyday and even though I know veggies are healthy I rarely eat any.

Tam said...

We do try to eat veggies everyday Lily. Probably not as many as we should, and fruit as well. My daughter loves broccoli and most vegetables so it's easy enough. She enjoys fruit too but sometimes I'm lazy.

Kassa said...

I will say it's easier as you get older. I started as a kid because my family did. My younger sister at the time said animal testing was wrong and we couldn't use any products off this long list. So my mom (thinking to help the situation) says well how is that different from your hamburger?

Thus the family became vegetarians. I've stayed a pretty strict vegetarian while my mom and sister don't eat red meat. I'm not sure if I'd have made the same choice if I hadn't started so young but now it works for me.

I feel for anyone with health problems that affect their diet.

Tam said...

Wow, you had an indulgent mother Kassa. I know some people don't eat meat because of the "moral" aspect of it, and others choose to do so for health reasons, or a combination I suppose.

I'll just say though that I really hate veggie preachers. Don't condemn me for not sharing your beliefs. I'm not saying you can't share your beliefs with me but if I decline that should be sufficient. Nothing worse than Veggie Witnesses who try to convert the masses. LOL

Tam said...

I should add I also think it's respectful if I was having someone to my house who I know was vegetarian to provide some kind of alternative to whatever I was cooking. You don't invite your vegetarian date to a steak house. Seems common courtesy.

Average Reader said...

Interesting post, Tam! I'm especially impressed at Kassa managing to stay vegetarian for so long. I've thought about it, but can never get organized. At my house, there's a lot of chicken on the menu (mainly because my husband is the main cook, and that's what he likes. And I'm just grateful I don't have to cook!).

Tam said...

I'm with ya Val. I'm pretty easy going and if someone else cooks it I'm the LAST one to complain, no matter what it is. LOL

Matthew said...

Re veggie preachers: My classmate was one and one day she said "I don't eat dead animals!" I've had enough so I turned to her and said, "Yuck. You eat them alive?"

Tam said...

ROFL Good one Matthew. Fanatacism is not pretty no matter the cause.

My daughter attends a riding camp on a real working farm which also raises beef cattle to pay the rent. The owner was stunned when one of the kids coming for camp started passing out literature and trying to convert the other campers to the way of the veggie. Honey, if no one was eating those cows in the field you wouldn't be at this camp because they'd be out of business. Pretty gutsy and the owner put a halt to it pretty quickly.

Erotic Horizon said...

I am a variation of it - never had red meat - because I was brought up with no red meat in the house...

Only eat chicken once in a while... Last year I ate chicken 6 times. Most of my family are vegan - but my mom and I will eat some fish and my son and I eat a bit of chicken when I remember.

@Val
It's easier than you would think - there are so many options available now to make creative and tasty meals.

E.H>

Tam said...

I don't think I could live without cheese EH. LOL I could probably be a vegetarian (not vegan) if I had a chef although I think I might every now and then crave some meat.

Erotic Horizon said...

You kinda get used to it and it just becomes a way of life... - I have never had Jello, not even my kids... (every year we make one - put it in the fridge to cool and set, we stand around and look at it - then toss it in the bin)

shocking ain't it..

E.H>

K. Z. Snow said...

I'd live on certain seafood (fish, shrimp, crab, and lobster) if I had someone around to prepare it properly. Chicken creeps me out, and I'm not big on sausage (even creepier **shudder**) or slabs of meat. But greasy burgers? Oh, yum. Can't resist 'em!

Janna said...

We only eat meat a few times a week. My hubby likes it a lot and I love my dairy products too much to become a vegan or vegatarian all the way. But I do think that it would be much better for the environment if everyone would skip meat for just one or two days a week...

Tam said...

Never had jello EH? *gasp* LOL

Chicken creeps you out KZ? That is so odd. What if it's fried a la the Colonel? So I suppose hot dogs also gross you out, sort of like a sausage.

Tam said...

I agree Janna, I think some people, myself included tend to be too lazy to take the time and effort to do something vegetarian. Usually at least once a week we have pasta with melted cheese on top, but I don't make a concerted effort.

Anonymous said...

I'm one of those lazy folks who would probably eat less meat if I actually took time to cook.

Like Janna, I could never give up my dairy products.

Tam said...

We need to get ourselves a personal chef Eyre, or at te very least a slave boy who can cook for us. LOL

Has anyone tasted soy cheese? Ugh.

Chris said...

Low fat mozzarella's about the only cheese I can eat. Most of the others are too much for the lactose intolerance, even if I take Lactaid.

Brie. Oh Brie. Why do you hate and hurt me so?

Tam said...

Gee girly. No cheese either? My heart breaks or you.

Now I want Brie, on baguette. Sorry.

Chris said...

I'd really like a digestive system transplant, please.

I do occasionally bake gf baguettes and get Brie. Some things are worth the suffering once or twice a year.

Anonymous said...

Ah . . . creamy cheese. Hot, cheesiness . . . I couldn't live without it.

Tam, you know I had a personal dietitian preparing 20 meals a week for me at one point. It was good at first, but then the quality started to decline. We went from good, healthy meals to a quarter cup of rice and spoiled broccoli. The price began to outweigh the convenience. I wish I could find something like that again, but from someone more responsible. Of course, I'd much prefer that naked slave boy preparing all my meals and serving me.

Tam said...

My problem is having to feed a kid. At least that's my excuse. LOL Although if it was just me I'd likely survive on frozen dinners and eggs and toast. Not that I don't love nice meals, I just hate cooking them.

Polt said...

I know it's already been said, but i HAVE to say it too...of COURSE I love meat! What kinda gay man would I be if I didn't? :)

And today's hottie...the eyes, my GOD the eyes....he could make me do anything just by looking at me. Even go vegetarian. :)

HUGS...

Tam said...

He is kind of pretty isn't he Polt. Probably gets his way more often than not just by lookin' at people. :-)

Yeah yeah, the meat jokes are endless. LOL

Adam said...

Vegan, Yay!

Tracy said...

haha. Funny. I do eat chicken and dairy...and some red meat but not much. But I do love it when I eat it. :)

Kris said...

Blech to meat. Icky.

Tam said...

*Adam does the Vegan dance* ... all by himself. :-)

I seem to go through phases Tracy where I eat a lot of one kind then get kind of turned off. Right now we are in a red meat phase but I'll probably get bored with that and turn back to chicken at some point. My daughter won't touch fish so that's not really a option unless I cook two things which is not appealing to me.

Tam said...

Yes Miss Fussy Kris. :-P

Eden Winters said...

I love animals and grew up on a farm. Being forced to eat former friends kind of traumatized me a bit, I'm afraid. I simply do not see it as food, and according to Mom, was like that from age 3. I do eat some eggs and dairy, but no meat, chicken, or fish. This is how I am, and I don't expect others to be like me. You can have my share of steak, just pass me the salad and baked potato.

I've had snide things said to me over the years. The one I usually hear is, "Oh, c'mon. You know you want a big, juicy steak."

My standard answer is, "Only to give it a proper burial."

Tam said...

I think it's just as obnoxious for meat eaters to pressure vegetarians as to have someone preach that you are evil for eating meat. There's plenty of room in the world for both.

Eden Winters said...

Actually, I've developed some nice one-liners over the years. And my kids are meat eaters, but joke never to ask me to cook hamburgers, because it's impossible to make a patty that sticks together if you won't touch it.

Sean Kennedy said...

I've been a veggo for twenty years now - for the moral 'how can I eat animals?' reason. Just had too much guilt over it.

And happy (belated) birthday!

Tam said...

Thanks Sean. :-) I'm actually surprised at how many long term vegetarians have spoken up. I've known a few people who've tried it on, maybe even gone a year or too but gradually drift back to meat in some form.

Eden Winters said...

29 years and counting here!! Haven't touched the stuff since leaving home and the parents who thought meat was necessary for good health.