I’m sure this is technically true for all of recorded history, but less so for modern Western diets. Certainly I’ve had more than one friend personally tell me that “it doesn’t feel like a meal if there’s no meat.” This study shows that this is a sentiment shared by 18% of the population. Not a majority for that specific question, but the vast majority of restaurant menus have a vast majority of options that include meat. Meat is just expected at a meal in this country. I hypothesize that most Americans have meated meals at least twice a day and would consider it unusual not to.
eta: To clarify, I suspect that most of the 82% who said that they could consider a meatless meal to be complete probably have their specific exceptions in mind – eggs for breakfast, or a veggie pizza, or pad thai from that place down the street – but still consume meat during the vast majority of their meals.
No, you haven’t. You’ve only known beta-cucks who are totally whipped by their harpy women into pretending to be vegetarian but who secretly eat meat every chance they get, because no man would limit his meat consumption voluntarily. Also, it’s impossible to like the taste of meat while recognizing ethical, environmental, or health costs, and therefore make a choice to eat less without giving it up entirely. Vegetarians are just liars who don’t like meat and make up all these highfalutin reasons to justify their tastes.
I get not liking militant vegans. If someone goes around shaming people for eating meat, that’s reprehensible. I’ve met a couple of people like that in my life, but I assume they must be extremely uncommon because you’d think if they’d congregate anywhere, it would be the Pacific Northwest. And I’ve only ever met a couple of them, ever, over the nearly 40 years I’ve lived around here.
But people who dislike vegetarians are just as bad. What business is it of yours to get mad that someone doesn’t like to eat meat? Regardless of reasons (ethical, dietary, inclination). Everybody has things they don’t like to eat. I sure do. Who gives a shit?
Slowly farmer Hoggett turned, taking in the beauty of the countryside, the smell of the air, and the sounds that always abound on a busy small farm. At last his eyes fell on his most wonderous and faithful companion, Babe. His look was deliberate and Babe could tell that he was choosing his words very carefully.
“That’ll do, pig.”
The pig and the farmer regarded each other… and for a fleeting moment something passed between them…
My understanding of flexitarian is that it describes someone who is actively decreasing the amount of meat they eat by eating vegetarian meals on the regular. For many, it’s prelude to full vegetarianism.
In my experience, ignoring the odd peanut butter sandwich or the like, it is actually quite unusual for Americans at least to eat meals without some sort of meat. I almost included a bowl of beans, but then remembered how most recipes tend to add meat or broth to flavor it up. A flexitarian, on the other hand, is likely to go days without eating meat.
Some people are bad at identifying really good sarcasm. Remember when Stephen Colbert was asked to come say nice things at the White House about George Bush, fils?
I still haven’t figured out that girl who rants for 20 minutes about how she thinks The Spoils of Poynton is dull and stupid, in typical, “why should I read something old” form. She’s a high schooler who insinuates (but does not state) that she was assigned the book in class. It is either the funniest coincidence ever, or else the sharpest and highest example of sarcasm in the entire universe. If it’s the latter, then I want to worship at her altar.
In my experience, the tendency to do that is proportionate to the length of time someone has been vegan or vegetarian. Someone who became vegetarian 2 weeks ago is full of “holier-than-thou,” and delivers sermons at the table. People who have been for 30 years are demure. They push the broth-soaked rice to the side, and say nothing.
And I’d rather just not eat a “burger” if it’s essentially a grain product. Between two halves of a bun, it’s like eating a bread sandwich. Not awful, but not pleasant. I’d rather have a quinoa salad.
I agree, and really dislike fake meat. There are a few black bean burgers I like, because I love black beans, and I kinda like some soy dogs (depends on the brand). I also loooooooooove Tofurky (and never liked turkey).
Honestly, if I wanted meat, I’d eat meat. I’m a vegetarian, because I don’t like meat. Never have. Veggies? Love everything but okra and asparagus. Fruits? allergic to peach fuzz, but really, never met a fruit I didn’t love. Prefer whole grains, but will eat most things that are grains. Love dairy, especially yogurt. Love it plain, with fresh fruit. Like eggs, except poached and soft-boiled, which my mother liked to make me eat (ick!) but really, I am not a picky eater, and was not as a child.
Still, lots of battles at the table, where I sat until bedtime because I wouldn’t eat my meat.
My mother gave up, and gave me cheese or peanut butter by the time I was 7. At age 10, I learned vegetarianism existed, and I knew that was my future.
That was my late sister-in-law, although she was ovo-lacto. When we were on a road trip we stopped at a Chinese restaurant for lunch and she ordered a chicken dish, but with tofu instead of chicken. It came with chicken. She called the server over and said, “I’m not going to send it back because to me, wasting food is a bigger sin, but I’m really vexed.” She left the chicken behind and we all chipped in extra portions of the vegetable part of our dishes.
That’s me and her. I never really cared for turkey so at Thanksgiving I’d try not to get too greedy eating her Tofurky. Once I had to bring it when her local TJs ran out. "Shoulda asked me first. You’re over in Yogaville and they probably were stripped the first week in November. I’m in Geezerville with midwesterners as far as the eye can see and there was still plenty.:
That very evening was Conan O’Brien’s Tofurky hunting sketch. She laughed her ass off.
Some of us do our beans mostly without meat broth. Just sayin’… It’s not that I never combine beans and meat but I like the flavor of beans as beans, I don’t feel a need to disguise them.
I don’t care for fake meats… even the ones I can eat (a lot of them have stuff I’m allergic to). I don’t have an issue with vegetarian dishes being what they are.
I really care nothing about this topic or what CB is doing with their menu. If they are leaving the regular sausage on the menu then adding the meatless means nothing. But my sister, a life long 65-year old liberal, wrote or maybe called Cracker Barrel to bitch about this and said she is done there if they follow through. Point? She is nowhere near a conservative. So I guess it is not just conservatives who are pissed.
