Made a vegan meal...

[Alusdra]

because I was trying to be nice to my new roomies and didn't know if they were vegetarian or not... and was totally unappreciated. They like their meat better than I do... however, it was quite tasty and I think had a decent nutritional balance. It was chick-peas, squash, zucchini and yellow peppers stir-fried with ginger sesame sauce over rice from the rice-cooker. The success makes me hopeful that I can have more non-meat meals. Between that Chinese study that says you need what, like 10% from animals max? and my dad going nuts on the grill and my being completely tired of steak and being on this forum... I don't think I'll ever go completely vegetarian, but if I cut back to a reasonable level I think I can get only organic animal products.

Organic free-range animal products would make the cruel confinement/treatment arguments for factory farms moot, no? Personally I don't feel that we shouldn't eat meat anymore than I feel a dog or a gecko or other carnivores should go without meat. But I'd like to eat meat that was raised well, both because it's better for you and better for the animals... plus with the added bonus of being tastier.

[PiggieMamaKelly]

I would just like to point out that we are not similar to dogs in our dietary needs. Dogs ARE carnivores. They have sharp teeth and nails for tearing flesh, and short intestines with strong stomach acid made for meat digestion. Humans on the other hand have flat teeth and nails, and long intestines with stomach acid about 20 times weaker than known carnivores.

Our anatomy is much more similar to known herbivores than it is to carnivores. That is one of the reasons why I disagree when people say we are "meant to eat meat".

I do think it was very sensitive and considerate of you to make a vegan meal for your new roommates, and I'm sorry they didn't appreciate it. It sounds delicious!

[Popcorn's pet]

Just because something is labeled "free range" doesn't mean that the meat was treated humanely. For example, most male pigs (in the US) raised for meat are castrated without anesthesia, to keep the taste of the pork compatible with US taste preferences. Peter Singer and Jim Mason's "The Ethics of What We Eat" is an excellent read if you're interested in learning how our diets affect animals and the environment. Although they do believe that a vegan diet is the most ethical, the book doesn't use radical propaganda to make its points like some vegan-minded literature.