Have you ever sighed silently when someone told you they were a vegetarian, assuming they were a dogmatic, tofu-eating hippie? If so, read this essay by Taylor Clark on Slate, debunking various anti-vegetarian myths. No, vegetarians are not (necessarily) dull-palated, content to eat mushy vegetables and Gardenburgers. No, most vegetarians aren't interested in lecturing you about your steak (unless they're just jerks), so feel free to invite them to your barbecue. No, they're not silently judging you. So don't lecture them about how being a vegetarian is silly, bad for your health, or against God's will. And no, just because they're wearing leather shoes doesn't make them total hypocrites - "I'd still say that doing something beats doing nothing," he writes. "It's kind of like driving a hybrid: not a solution to the global-warming dilemma but a decent start."
5-13-2008 @3:29PM J said... The article was a bit immature and defensive, if you ask me.
I'm not exclusively vegetarian, but I generally don't eat beef, chicken, or pork - maybe once a year each at the most. I do eat fish. Don't do dairy. Do eat eggs from a local small farm where I know the hens are very well cared for.
His article does nothing to address the fact that labels don't matter, they are useless. I don't call myself anything, I just politely decline things I dont eat, and give notice to hosts/hostesses when it makes sense to do so.
His definitions, and his additudes about who veggies are and what they are thinking is funny, considering he's trying to point out the opposite.
Also - his opinions about tofu are his personal preference. I love tofu! Raw, cooked, marinated, baked, fried, pureed in soup or smoothies, anything. It's making statements like his - comparing it to lethal puffer fish if it's not cooked right - are the reason why so many die hard meat eaters think vegetarians are so bizarre.
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5-13-2008 @4:14PM Red Icculus said... I came into this article skeptical as well. Even though he may have been a bit harsh on the tofu, it was a pretty good read that I think a lot of vegetarians can sympathize with.
http://red-icculus.com
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5-13-2008 @5:00PM Obvious said... I applaud the article in that it addresses those idiots that care to rag on a vegetarian or vegan. I have many friends that have chosen to make the switch to a meatless lifestyle, and I don't bat an eye at their preference.
However, the issues mentioned turn into a two-way street in many cases. How many times have snotty, brainless hippie vegetarians/vegans looked at me enjoying a steak with a look of disgust?
Honestly, I don't have a problem killing my food, and the idea of ground meat makes me salivate. Call me a savage, but it's human nature... denying the existence of said traits is as far as to deny other instincts (such as the well-defended cravings mentioned by the author). The way I see it, a dietary choice is no grounds for discrimination, in either direction.
As for those that may take up arms to my previous paragraph, in the manner of the corruption and destruction wrought in bringing home the bacon, I try to diligently support more humane methods of getting my meal. I support free-range, natural chicken or beef. The same goes for sustainably farmed fish. It costs me extra, but I will gladly pay... It usually translates to a better product anyway. :)
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5-13-2008 @11:13PM Britt said... This article us great! I can't tell you how many times I've gotten that look from people when they hear I'm a vegetarian. Honestly, I don't think other people should be so judging about things that don't really effect them very much.
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5-14-2008 @7:46AM Gobo said... This is by far one of the most even-tempered and downright SMART articles on being vegetarian that I've ever read. It's one of the only ones that doesn't have a defensive, offputting attitude. I'd send it to my mom if it wasn't for the swearing :)
#1, on labels, I think it's kind of pointless to use words like 'vegetarian' if someone's casually keeping meat consumption down while occasionally eating chicken or turkey, yes. But if someone is actually a vegetarian -- no meat, nothing with eyes, no exceptions -- then the label is very valid and helpful shorthand to tell people what you won't eat.
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5-14-2008 @8:32AM Luke said... I enjoyed this artical but it does not speak for all of us.
When I go to my brother-in-law's house for football games, he is always B-B-Qing. He razzes me for not eating meat and I do the same to him for eating death. It's a joke that is ongoing.
Anyway, I LOVE the Morningstar Grillers Prime burgers. They are the closest thing to a real burger I have had since becoming vegetarian. They have a slightly-greasy-beefy aftertaste to them. Also, to me, even when I ate meat, the burger part of the burger never really mattered, it's always been how you top it. So going to a Red Robin or Chili's (I know gross) is alright when I can order a veggie-burger.
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5-16-2008 @3:20PM Jason Levine said... J,
I've had tofu prepared poorly and prepared well. It is pretty much like the author described. When prepared poorly (like, say sliced and served raw with the barest remnants of a sauce drizzled on top), it is nasty. When prepared well, it can be amazing. Then again, you can pretty much say this about any food.
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