Vegans and naturally-shed animal products

[Jackmannii]

This steak was shed naturally by the cow, honest.

[Broomstick]

@Dead_Cat

I mean, I only learned fairly recently that a fair number of fruits and vegetables are not technically vegan, because their production involves the use of bees to pollinate the plants.

@CookingWithGas

Virtually all cultivated food products require domesticated bees for pollination.

Well, the grains like wheat, rye, barley, oats, etc. don’t - grasses are wind-pollinated. But fruits and vegetables do need pollinators (mostly bees, but there are other critters involved for some species).

@bump

Why would bees be a problem? They’re just doing their bee thing, and it happens to pollinate the plants. It doesn’t harm the bees unless we somehow harvest the plant with the bee still attached somehow.

It’s a win-win for everyone- we get pollinated plants, and the bees get nectar and pollen.

I think there are concerns about exploiting the poor bees for their honey and wax.

@Hilarity_N.Suze

I worked with a vegan who had a tortoise* shell on her desk, because tortoises were her spirit animal.

Are these shed naturally? I have found them on occasion and I figured the turtle had just died and withered away, leaving the shell.

Nope, turtle/tortoise shells are never shed - the animals’ spines and ribs are integral parts of the shell. But sure, if the animal dies the shells could remain behind just like any other bone/horn/hair/etc.

@Hilarity_N.Suze

I will say she was not fussed about what other people wore or ate.

That’s likely the case with many long-term vegans. Not all of them are the noisy obnoxious sort, it’s just that you notice the noisy ones a lot more than the quiet, low key folks.

@Hilarity_N.Suze

The Reiki master didn’t eat any of it. But she ate Jello. And she had that shell, which was a real shell.

I’m guessing she was a vegan but not a super-strict one. Jello brand gelatin is derived from animal parts. There are vegan “gelatins” but they’re a bit of a specialty item. Becoming more common with time.

@RioRico

Okay, so my old longhair golden retriever Junipero shed fur like crazy. I could have swept all that up and felted it – likely with some of my own fallen hair included. Is it moral to exploit creatures’ sheddings?

There’s a bunch of us spinners and weavers who are willing to spin/weave/knit/crochet doghair. Makes very warm sweaters, the downside being that if they get wet they sort of smell like wet dog…

[aruvqan]

@Broomstick

There’s a bunch of us spinners and weavers who are willing to spin/weave/knit/crochet doghair. Makes very warm sweaters, the downside being that if they get wet they sort of smell like wet dog…

I had a friend back in the 90s that made a project out of “Strawberry Kisses” yarn - her dog was named Kisses and it was dyed with strawberry koolade.

[purplehorseshoe]

Did it smell like fruity wet dog, then?

[aruvqan]

Not really, after a few washings it was like any other homespun =)

[TriPolar]

Can a vegan eat animal crackers? How about wearing a fur coat made from animals that committed suicide?