# Why do you eat non-veg? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 12, 2016, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737 "2016-03-12T13:52:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/41 "2016-03-12T17:49:40Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > True. Is your point that animals are more cruel so it is OK to consume them? The counter can be that most animal that people eat are bred in farms by humans. Meaning they wouldn’t even be born into this world otherwise . > > I don’t feel arrogant. I feel sad. Then, I have to tell myself that it’s not my fault. > > I have stopped eating non-veg and using leather products since I was 10. But I would use gelatin based capsules whenever I have to, I feel guilty. I don’t feel guilty (I think) in killing mosquitoes though. You don’t have to eat gelatin based capsules, you choose to. Mosquitoes are animals too, you choose to kill them without feeling guilty. Did someone already say hypocrite? ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/42 "2016-03-12T17:52:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Try this: if you substitute the word “human” for “animal” in your argument, is your argument unchanged? Nope. My argument is people need to eat meat to be truly healthy. Some animals need to eat meat to be truly healthy. Something has to die in order for others to live. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/43 "2016-03-12T17:58:43Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Really? Brussels sprouts? Steamed broccoli? Macaroni and cheese? Rice? Baked potatoes? Salads? Asparagus? Asparagus with Béchamel sauce? Toast? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Polenta? There’s plenty of vegetarian dishes that are absolutely delicious. That’s why I eat dead animals _and_ dead or alive plants! hopefully he’s talking about those vegetarian/vegan “meat substitutes” like quorn which are execrable. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/44 "2016-03-12T18:04:20Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > hopefully he’s talking about those vegetarian/vegan “meat substitutes” like quorn which are execrable. I actually like Boca Burgers. Gardenburgers[sup]®[/sup], not so much; although I do like the ones at Subway. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/45 "2016-03-12T18:07:28Z")
If God did not want me to eat animals, then He would not have made them out of meat. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/46 "2016-03-12T18:08:34Z")
> [@rsat3acr](#): > > You don’t have to eat gelatin based capsules, you choose to. Mosquitoes are animals too, you choose to kill them without feeling guilty. Did someone already say hypocrite? Probably correct. I don’t know whether I feel guilty on killing mosquitoes but I kill them anyway. I am far from perfect. Maybe am hypocritical as well. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/47 "2016-03-12T19:26:12Z")
I eat very close to vegetarian. Not because I don’t like meat (although I don’t like beef), but because the conditions under which animals are slaughtered are horrendous. Even taking animal rights out of it, I haven’t done any research on this but I’ve wondered: how do the hormones of terrified animals affect their meat? If they could be transported and slaughtered humanely I’d relax my opinion a little, but there are still the effects on the environment. It takes something like 1,200 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef. “Manure lagoons” is an interesting Google, as well. There’s also the (non-)sustainability of a meat-based society. There are many, many issues. I’m actually surprised a place as generally aware as this board has such a fifties mentality on this topic. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/48 "2016-03-12T19:33:11Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > A lot of the arguments here are pretty terrible. Try this: if you substitute the word “human” for “animal” in your argument, is your argument unchanged? > > Unless your argument either explicitly condones cannibalistic murder, or explicitly distinguishes between the morality of eating animal flesh and the morality of cannibalistic murder, it doesn’t address the concerns of animal rights. Murder and cannibalism are separate issues. Humans are not solitary creatures. We are pack animals. When we operate as part of a group, our odds of survival increase. In the struggle for survival, it is in your interest to make friends, and to avoid making enemies. Murderers make enemies. Therefore, it is in your interest to refrain from murder. The social prohibition against cannibalism exists mainly because it is rare to acquire human flesh without committing murder. The emotional taboo against cannibalism is mainly an aesthetic preference. In an emergency, if you are faced with a choice between starvation and cannibalism, I will not criticize you for eating long pig. As for animals, I have as much right to eat another species as any wolf, bear, tiger, or shark. My mouth contains cuspid teeth. My stomach contains enzymes that are of no use to an herbivore. Nature built me to consume any source of nutrients that crosses my path. To refuse to eat Bambi would be unnatural. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/49 "2016-03-12T19:59:14Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > A lot of the arguments here are pretty terrible. Try this: if you substitute the word “human” for “animal” in your argument, is your argument unchanged? > > Unless your argument either explicitly condones cannibalistic murder, or explicitly distinguishes between the morality of eating animal flesh and the morality of cannibalistic murder, it doesn’t address the concerns of animal rights. I like the taste of animals and they will either die or not be born without me. I like the taste of humans and they will either die or not be born without me. My argument is completely changed by substituting in humans. Humans are carnivores and it is reasonable to assume their flesh is at least a poor tasting as bear and considering the junk we eat probably worse. Further while humans will die without my interference they are not being bred specifically for my pleasure and would not see massive reduction in head counts if society switched to purely vegetarian. Now if we start breeding humans for meet consumption I’ll probably have to reevaluate my stance but so far it even made sense to me in separating my pet dog from the meat dogs I ate in Korea. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/50 "2016-03-12T20:09:48Z")
You want an honest, simple answer? I love animals too, but I don’t have to see the ones I eat actually being slaughtered. Ignorance is bliss… ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/51 "2016-03-12T20:17:25Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Probably correct. I don’t know whether I feel guilty on killing mosquitoes but I kill them anyway. > > I am far from perfect. Maybe am hypocritical as well. So basically, you object to eating anything that has a cute face. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/52 "2016-03-12T21:02:04Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > … consider the freak of nature that is the giant panda. Here’s a carnivorous animal which for whatever reason subsists mainly on bamboo, and gets so little nourishment from it that it eats around 30 lbs of food a day … Bears are omnivores, not carnivores. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/53 "2016-03-12T21:08:40Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Bears are omnivores, not carnivores. That’s ok, pandas aren’t bears. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/54 "2016-03-12T21:13:09Z")
Short answer, I grew up an omnivore. Long answer, I find it difficult to get all my nutrients as a vegetarian. I’m not a huge fan of a lot of vegetables. Frequently eating beans and tofu and eggs (assuming you are talking vegetarian and not vegan) gets dull. I don’t tolerate wheat well, so seitan is out, as are pasta dishes unless I’m using gross gluten free pasta. I cook for omnivores, so limiting my diet means making multiple meals. I don’t eat tons of meat, but I like having it as a component of my diet. And I think lamb is gods gift to meat eaters. Not a huge bacon person. But those cute baby sheep are delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/55 "2016-03-12T21:17:14Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > And I think lamb is gods gift to meat eaters… those cute baby sheep are delicious. I wish I could convince Mrs. L.A. so. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/56 "2016-03-12T21:32:09Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Thanks. Is the agony that one feels while drowning in water similar to what a fish feels when it is taken out of water? That’s why you smack their heads against a rock. Where’d you learn to fish? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/57 "2016-03-12T21:35:36Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Poor animals are bred in farms only to be slaughtered for your food or maybe to make your shoes or your jacket. How cruel is that? So it’s not ok to be cruel to animals but it’s ok to be cruel to plants? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/58 "2016-03-12T21:37:52Z")
From a moral standpoint there are two options. 1. Humans are animals like all other animals. Being an omnivore is therefore being true to one’s basic structure. 2. Humans are special and are in a separate classification from animals. Eating animals is therefore not more morally objectionable than eating plants or minerals. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/59 "2016-03-12T21:44:26Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > That’s ok, pandas aren’t bears. explain? ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737/60 "2016-03-12T21:49:12Z")
Animals in the wild typically don’t get very old. Killing them humanely for food at a comparable age they’d reach in the wild isn’t problematic, in my opinion. However, raising them in a factory-like manner is not so great. I’m all for laws that require farmers to treat animals well. The trouble with the current system is that people who care about this pay a lot more money for their meat, and most of that money is extra profit for the “organic” farmers. (Stupid terminology, by the way, it’s not like the other farmers raise rocks.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-eat-non-veg/748737.md?page=4)