Foods that we eat...

I eat meat, I don't associate it with cuddly little animals, they are bred for food. Unlike my pets, they are a cuddly part of our family, they too eat meat. I come from a farming family and is is part of my way of life. I couldn't be vegetarian, I would starve!

farview you state that you are not "having a go at anyone" when quite clearly you are. The comment about looking into the eyes of young animals was emotive to say the least.

Go stroke a puppy or kitten if you want cuddly.
Animals are bred for meat and I have no problem at all with that.

sodapop I was not having a go at anyone
Maw I don't think anyone else was offended by what Missadventure said..I certainly wasn't..

Did I say I was offended Farview?
I was shocked at an adult’s absence of table manners yes, and the example to a grandchild of emptying her mouth at the table, certainly, and indeed the apparent pride at this rather disgusting lapse of manners, but “offended” ?
Each to their own.

I didn't do it "at the table" though.

Oh BradfordLass Dear little fluffy lambs - love them, too cute to eat
Bullocks - not so cute, a bit stroppy, might have a steak.
Haddock - who can love a haddock? Pass the lemon wedges.

Made me laugh out loud! You cut to the chase right there.

Actually I agree wholeheartedly with all your post so no need to add anything really except just to say I wish all livestock were treated well before slaughter - pigs are supposedly highly intelligent and sows love their piglets. It makes me sad if I think about it too much. So I don’t.

Pass the sage and onion stuffing please.
?

I eat meat, fish, dairy products and do not shy away from their origin. I try to eat ethically raised meat wherever possible, but not having raised and slaughtered the animal myself I can't always be 100% certain. I'm happy for people to be pescatarian, vegetarian or vegan if that's what suits them personally. What I do object to is being lectured about farming animals for human consumption while they cheerfully feed farmed meat to their pets! And how many vegetarians wear leather shoes or carry leather handbags? The dairy industry is as bad as anything that occcurs in meat production, what do vegetarians imagine happens to chickens that have stopped laying, or cows no longer milk productive?

MissAdventure - You said you did!
My grandson once said something about a chicken being killed whilst we were having dinner, and I had to spit out my mouthful

Not at the table?
Where then?
Do you not eat at the table?
You obviously thought it an amusing anecdote or something to be proud of

Should have added, I don't have any pets now and I don't find myself gazing into the eyes of lambs, calves or chicks on a regular basis either. But if I ever did, I suppose I wouldn't want to pick that particular one for slaughter, same way I love lobster but don't want to look in a tank and select my dinner! If that makes me a moral coward so be it.

I am with BrafordLass and MOnica on this. I do sometimes feel a bit guilty and I saw that programme on Monday about how awful massive intensive farms in America and Brazil are for the planet, but I am fortunate to live in a country area where we can buy meat from animals raised and killed locally. If meat were banned, what would happen to the livelihoods of all the rural workers involved in the trade?

Well, that calm, measured post escalated quickly!

Shortlegs ?

The discussion on this contentious topic has been measured and thoughtful, from the OP to the responses. It is so nice to discuss a contentious issue like this without rancour and hectoring.

May be an inherent human survival thing. Animals were around before crops hence humans ate then to survive. I know we have moved on but the instinct is still there. And, yes I love animals apart from snakes!

In spite of your caveat farview, I read this post and I DO feel judged. We all have our reasons for eating/not eating various foods. Can we just leave it alone? It's nobody else's business and don't need to be called on to explain ourselves, thank you.

Quiz Queen....why shouldn’t vegans or vegetarians eat mock bacon or sausage? If the person stops eating meat because they don’t want animals killed, but like the taste....then why on earth shouldn’t they eat a vegan sausage? It’s not like it looks like a pig is it? Plus those mock items are made of soya or myco proteins so replace the meat part of the meal for dietary purposes. I think trying to be too ‘pure’ just confuses the issue. I love veggie ‘meat’ and see no reason not to enjoy it....

I am unappologetically a meat eater, I was raised in the countryside & have worked in both farming & dairy industry. I like to buy locally sourced meat rather than from the supermarket, eat fish & lots of vegetables for a balanced diet.

I respect any-bodies right to become vegetarian/vegan but please don't try to convert me. I have been involved in the raising of calves & lambs so I am very aware of welfare issues which are more important to me than whether it's ethical to eat meat, heavens knows what would happen if we didn't raise animals for food by grazing the land, land would revert to scrub

Too many people on the planet for a start. Supply and demand has become unmanageable in part in that some farm produce has to be " helped " along by either hormone injection or in feed. This is cruel ! This is wrong ! This is detrimental to human health !

Hormones used to fatten up farm animals are causing cancer in humans.We don't need extra hormones in our body as there are enough in the human makeup to maintain a balance.
Babies born to meat-eaters will contract these extra hormones thus putting them at risk to becoming cancer-sufferers as they grow up. My own conclusion of why there are so many childhood cancers.

In the 40's/50's childhood cancers were comparatively rare because meat was more difficult to obtain because of expense and less farming and so less demand.

Stop this kind of breeding. Fowl, providing they're not " forced " and are left free to run on pastures is a far safer bet.The same as the eggs, known free-range ones are much safer.

I have been a meat-eater all my life but where possible I've been particular regarding the source of the meat,etc.
Present day, because so much of it is mass-produced and age-wise there's not the same need for it as when growing up I eat less and less and it probably wouldn't bother me if I only ate it once a week.

I really do think that people should think about reducing their intake of this mass-produced product and to also think about the distance the product has travelled. Support local farmers ( markets ), yes, it could be more expensive but better for you and a once or twice a week visit would be sufficient to keep a balance of vitamins and minerals in the body without overload.
As we age we don't need to overload our organs especially the heart and kidneys and the process of digestion of meat weighs heavier on an older body.

Unless meat and other such produce are from a local source there is no taste, the texture is horrendous and to be quite honest, it's off-putting to how I remember meat many years ago and it's this change in flavour of most meats that would put me off completely if you were to compare the flavour of how it used to be.

----------> am now going to hide !

Well said Solonge! Yes, we eat vegetarian bacon, sausage etc because we like the taste, but don’t want to eat an animal.

Like others have said, I don’t connect real animals on a farm/elsewhere with what I’m eating. For many years now, eat very little meat, partly due to chewing issues, Irritable Bowel Syndrome etc. I also couldn’t bear the texture/digesting of most meat. I also have many long term conditions & complicated life, not prepared to spend limited mental energy in thinking up no dairy/vegan/other lifestyles. Though I defend anyone else’s desire to do so.

The other factor is, (I know I will likely be in a minority on this) I don’t feel all emotional and “gaga” over pets/animals generally. I’ve never got any pets & have kept to that, can’t stand dogs & fail to see why anyone wants the mess/smells/hairs, hours dog walking/vets & kennel fees that many accept? A friend says, “ now you’re on your own, maybe get a dog for company”. So a dog will debate politics, books & music with me? I couldn’t physically do the walking & think it’s very strange people walking around with bags of dog poo.? Gone off subject a tad now, but you see what I mean, vaguely!

I think BradfordLass has put it very well. Another point is that the animals we eat are specifically bred for eating and those that want to enjoy a fully rounded diet don't usually look the live animal in the eyes then kill it. They are not pets. The wellbeing of the animal is important and what they are fed on means the taste of the procuct varies considerably.
Putting ethics to one side I think a vegetarien or vegan diet is very restrictive in terms or variety & availability, I enjoy vegetarien food as well as meat and often combine recipies a wide range of menus that contain quality healthy food and avoid anything that is overly processed .

There's another compelling reason to eat less meat, especially red meat. Raising animals for food is slowly killing the planet. For the sake of our grandchildren, cutting meat down at least, is for their futures too.

Also want to say and sorry if a bit contentious but I love a visit to a lovely country farm shop, with everything including a good butchery that has the full provenance of the meat on sale. Often a cafe, plants, etc..do veggies miss out on these places?

Hmm - interesting debate. Environmentally, the beef industry is not great - huge amounts of methane (sorry, don’t have exact figures) as well as significant damage to the substructure of soils by their hooves. Looking at the figures, the agricultural industry is one of the highest producers of carbon. I’m fine with game (rabbit, venison, wild boar, pheasant) as they are reared in the wild. Over here there is quite a debate over using kangaroo meat far more. Less damage to the environment, low fat, high protein and free roaming. I only use organic eggs as the amount of chemicals chicken are given is in concentrated form in the eggs produced. I probably, thinking about it, really ought to be using organic milk too. I agree, it’s not just about meat, it’s about the provenance of it and animal welfare standards involved in production.

Brought up on a farm - so yes, yum, yum. Maybe that's the hunter V gatherer? - Natural selection, resources etc. But, I could not imagine myself killing someone in a war situation, but someone is doing that somewhere in the world right now.