Meat

[captainballsack]

(and I am such a picky eater that I couldn't lose any more items for eating or I may starve).

Boy do I know those feels. I'm the same, I'm reaaally selective though, to the point that I've actually developed a phobia of foods I haven't tried before that's super hard to kick (I'm trying my best to get past it though).

If I wasn't in the shitty food anxiety state I'm in now (and have been all my life), I would probably consider going vegetarian for ethical reasons. I try not think about it though because the guilt will eat at me (heh) and there wouldn't be anything I could instantly do to stop it. So, slowly but steadily for me. I'll face this ethical decision when I actually have the freedom to do so.

I tend to believe in the collaboration of humans and animals a lot though. I feel like our relationship with dogs and horses and the like is something I consider a sort of natural leadership role of the animal kingdom. I think if we spent more time learning to live peacefully with animals, we would reap more benefits. I just need to learn to stop being anxious about not eating them first. :/

 

[jackpipsam]

Do you eat meat?
Yes.

If yes, why?
Because it tastes good and I think it's part of the normal healthy diet for human beings.

Would you eat Synthetic Meat?
I might give a shot, but really I don't go for that kind of thing.
Give me the real deal any day.

Do you have a preference in Meat?(as in both in terms of Animal and individual Dish)
I love Chicken, but I will eat almost any meat.

 

[Timzilla]

I don't eat meat. It's horrible for the environment

If you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you mean by "Bad" for the environment? Do you mean just the animals, or do you mean the trees n' shit (Think that's the scientific definition)? Because one could argue that eating animals helps the environment (i.e. Trees n' shit) in some ways.

 

[MHR]

I don't eat meat. It's horrible for the environment

If you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you mean by "Bad" for the environment? Do you mean just the animals, or do you mean the trees n' shit (Think that's the scientific definition)? Because one could argue that eating animals helps the environment (i.e. Trees n' shit) in some ways.

Eating the animals doesn't help when you're the one breeding more and more of them.

Also, raising animals consumes a lot of resources, feed, water, land, and they create toxic runoff. Vegetables on the other hand consume only a fraction of those resources.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Do you eat meat?
Yes

If yes, why?
I like the taste of it.

Would you eat Synthetic Meat?
Yes.

Do you have a preference in Meat?(as in both in terms of Animal and individual Dish)
I don't really have one just as long it taste good.

 

[Ninmecu]

I don't eat meat. It's horrible for the environment

If you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you mean by "Bad" for the environment? Do you mean just the animals, or do you mean the trees n' shit (Think that's the scientific definition)? Because one could argue that eating animals helps the environment (i.e. Trees n' shit) in some ways.

Eating the animals doesn't help when you're the one breeding more and more of them.

Also, raising animals consumes a lot of resources, feed, water, land, and they create toxic runoff. Vegetables on the other hand consume only a fraction of those resources.

Here's the Caveat with the whole Vegetables only use a fraction of the resources, Veggies need Shit to grow. Shit, sadly, doesn't grow on tree's. Like it or not, the animals we grow and kill and feed, allow the cycle to continue. I will give you the whole "Animal raising uses more resources" but as I've stated several times, if we as a collective society banded together to change a few small issues, we'd be past this and the world would be bettered from an individual health standpoint and from an environmental.

 

[Suave Charlie]

Finally found a good butcher that does 12 good sized chicken breast fillets for £10, and on market day does a ridiculous offer also for a tenner, has like 8 chicken breast, gammon, 3 steaks, sausages, ribs and joints. Bloody amazing.
And butchers are less likely to inject water into their meat.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Do I eat meat...YES! I eat and greatly enjoy Meat. I enjoy the textures and, tastes of all variety of meats from the humble hamburger or, deli meat sandwich to the richness of a medium-rare porterhouse. Then there is the almighty pleasure of crab, shrimp, scallops, eel and, lobster tails.

When it comes to synthetic meat, I can't wait to try some! The thought of cultured beef or, lab-grown foods means (potentially) better quality foods for significantly cheaper prices. If not that, then there's always the chance that these lab-grown super foods will horribly mutate me.

When it comes to a preference of meat, bacon. Followed by Lobster Tails, Shrimp, pork, beef...it all depends on how it's prepared and what it's served with/how it's served.

 

[Arakasi]

Why is it wrong to harm humans? Apply that same reason to animals and that would be my answer.

Well it isn't, inherently. I'd say the only reason why it'd be wrong to harm humans comes down to the social contract. We recognise that man is a deadly animal, so we form organisations to keep each other safe from ourselves. That can hardly be applied to animals.

In this statement and each of the statements below you are absolutely correct. However, you also subscribe to the most depressingly pessimistic brand of existential nihilism there is. Sure, sympathy, compassion and friendship are at their core merely tools for survival as a pack species. However, I think we must give ourselves a little more credit than that. I believe that if we continue to foster empathy for empathy's sake, then we can rise above being the mere deadly animal you're talking about. My whole entire reasoning comes down to empathy though, so if you're the type who would torture their own grandmother for fun and profit if not for the social contract, then there is of course no way I could make you care about a miserable factory farm hen.

Well most of the time it is really not practical to torture or harm others, especially since you do have empathy which, even were it pleasurable to do so, would make it proportionally displeasurable. With animals it's an entirely different case. Also, empathy for empathy's sake I think will lead to very strange outcomes, evolutionarily speaking. Hell, it already has. Birds limp around as if they have broken legs to manipulate free food out of us foolish organisms who can't tell the difference. The more they pretend to be in pain the more we'll want to help, and what's the best way for evolution to make us think an animal is in pain? Actually cause them pain in our presence. This is all of course, just wild speculation, but I think the outcomes of sympathy will end up far worse than any consequence of not having it now.

As for fish, I do empathize with them. And I don't need anthropomorphism or childish comparisons to Finding Nemo to do it. They have brains, goldfish can even be trained to navigate mazes. However, fish get to live natural lives before we eat them. So I would sooner eat a fish than a chicken.

I'd have to ask then, why does 'having a brain' make something better than something else? Computers could be seen as having brains, though made of a different material I'd hardly consider that a significant feature.

Iiiiiii'm not too sure about computers having sorta-brains. We used to think a clockwork mechanism was similar to the brain, but now we know there are quite a few more steps in between.

Many, many, many more steps. But complexity has never been a good argument for their being something more.

But why is something with a brain better than something else? Well, the idea is that it elevates you above a 'thing' to a 'being'. Cogito ergo sum and all that jazz.

If a brain is just a machine, and it is, doesn't that mean that is a foolish step to make? Unless you wish to make the distinction for convenience's sake (when referring to other beings and so on) but in that case it still wouldn't be a useful term in an ethical or moral argument.

Why should an emotional response be the motivating force behind our actions as opposed to practicality? We are not robots or hysterical cartoon characters.

Well in a very large sense we are biological machines. But don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it wouldn't be irrational to not eat meat if it makes you feel more bad than the pleasure it gives you by eating it, I'm saying that isn't a good reason for everyone else (or anyone else) to stop eating meat.

Our actions and emotions have reason and humanity behind them.

Our emotions were crafted by evolution to guide us towards the most beneficial action, that's about the extent of the reason behind emotions. Our actions are undoubtedly influenced by our beliefs and reasoning related to those beliefs, but I'm not sure what you mean by 'humanity'.

By humanity, I mean precisely our ability to act beyond the rational.

Computer often act incredibly rationally, more so than we do. When the chess champion of the world went up against the world's best chess-playing supercomputer he accused it of cheating because its moves were too ingenious. I repeat, a man accused a computer of being controlled by a man.

We often do things that may not feel good or benefit us, but serve concepts like ethics, beauty, meaningfulness, honor, and so forth. Do you think those are evolutionary flukes? Because that would be the pessimism I mentioned earlier!

They may seem in the moment evolutionary oversights, but they are just part of the mechanism to get along in society. Though there may be a few that haven't caught up with modern society, I'm not sure how you'd identify them other than them being simply maladaptive.

 

[rutger5000]

I'm probably the 10th person to say this but:
A vegan is a person who doesn't eat any animal products such as eggs or dairy products. That's pretty hardcore and very difficult to do healthy.
I don't eat meat because I know that the meat industry is one of the largest polluters and a major hazard to the health of the general population. For those that require some explanation. Animals shit, shit contains methane, methane is a very potent greenhouse gas, much more harmful then C02. Most animals in the meat industry regular get antibiotics mixed in their food to prevent infections which would be waste. This will eventually lead to a great number of bacteria that are resistant to any kind of antibiotics. Those bacteria could pose a major threat to health of the general population.
I would eat synthetic meat no problem. Provided that it was reasonable environmental friendly (It should be, no shit).

 

[SKBPinkie]

Vegetarian here.

It's usually healthier. But I understand how some folk may prefer meat for lifestyle / taste reasons.

Also, can I just say - (rant incoming) vegetarian food isn't just salads. It's really annoying when most TV shows or movies (or even random people on the internet) portray vegetarians this way. First of all, it's always expressed with an air of condescension and that's fucking obnoxious. Second of all, you don't know shit about cooking or haven't the faintest clue of good vegetarian dishes if a frickin' salad is the first and only thing that comes to mind.

I'm completely okay with other people eating meat, and will never look down on them or think they're less "moral" than I am, but Jesus Christ, is it too hard to ask for the same level of respect?

 

[TheEvilCheese]

Vegetarian here.

It's usually healthier. But I understand how some folk may prefer meat for lifestyle / taste reasons.

Also, can I just say - (rant incoming) vegetarian food isn't just salads. It's really annoying when most TV shows or movies (or even random people on the internet) portray vegetarians this way. First of all, it's always expressed with an air of condescension and that's fucking obnoxious. Second of all, you don't know shit about cooking or haven't the faintest clue of good vegetarian dishes if a frickin' salad is the first and only thing that comes to mind.

I'm completely okay with other people eating meat, and will never look down on them or think they're less "moral" than I am, but Jesus Christ, is it too hard to ask for the same level of respect?

This gets to me and I'm a Meat eater. My brother is Vegan, and day-to-day his diet is far more varied and interesting than most people I know. He's also much healthier than he used to be because of it. He doesn't even have to try and eat specific things to counter the lack of animal products, just eats what he wants to when he wants to.

The sheer lack of respect for the choice- and the fact that such hatred is so widely accepted is baffling to me.

EDIT: Now on topic, I regularly eat stuff that markets itself as meat replacements, and in general they're not as tasty as the real thing, but sometimes they are miles more enjoyable. My favorite thing (that isn't cake) I have ever eaten was a particularly good curry and- guess what- it was vegan.

 

[Another]

I eat meat. I love a good steak, and I was raised in a family that likes to grill, with a father that showed me how. So it's not only a food thing, but a family and a communal thing as well. I enjoy the act of grilling and cooking it, and then having family and friends enjoy it.

I live in a community that is very into whole and organic foods, so I try to buy local grass fed beef and free range chicken when I can. There are some cuts that are prohibitively expensive (ever try to buy a large amount of grass fed local baby back rib?) and I have to settle for a lesser product, but that normally occurs when I'm trying to cook for more that 2 or three people (myself included).

I would be willing to try synthetic meat, but if the taste and texture is not as good then I wouldn't continue with it. More sustainable meat is a great idea, but as a consumer I will admit that the quality of the end product also concerns me.

 

[Blue_vision]

I don't eat meat, because I don't like the taste, as well as environmental and ethical reasons. I wouldn't eat synthetic meat (if anything, I feel like it taste even grosser than regular meat).
My favourite non-meat protein source has got to be beans; baked beans and gallo pinto are definitely some of my favourite foods. As a good protein source, lentils are also great. In terms of general food, I really like a good stir fry or curry.

Also, since cultured meat is becoming a thing that costs less and less, the vegetarians can finally stop bitching soon, so we can all win there.

As we saw in the other eating thread, there are people who just don't like meat and not just because of ecological reasons or empathy reasons.

The context of the remark was directed at those who do ***** about it for ecological and empathetical reasons. Those who simply dislike meat because of personal tastes aren't usually the ones bitching about the subject.

I'm a vegetarian, and I personally just don't like meat, but I encourage others to eat less meat for environmental/slightly ethical reasons. I'd just like to comment that I think it'll be a very long while before a significant number of people start eating synthetic meat, and I think you'll find that even then, synthetic meat may be considerably less energy efficient than just eating veggies. If the entire world ate synthetic meat, I wouldn't make a fuss about it (I still wouldn't eat it), but I encourage people to eat less meat because I think that's a more reasonable/practical solution to some of the environmental problems associated with meat than synthetic meat is.

 

[Laser Priest]

By the gods, it worries me how much these meat-eaters and vegetarians/vegans seem to take each other's very existence as a personal offense.

ANYWAY:
Do you eat meat?
Yes.

If yes, why?
Because I am not good at preparing meals or balancing my diet, and the only person in the household who can cook likes meat.

Would you eat Synthetic Meat?
If it was remotely healthy, probably. I'm kind of stuck in that place where I can find no decent natural food, but synthetic food always worries me a bit.

Do you have a preference in Meat?(as in both in terms of Animal and individual Dish)
Not really. If I have meat though, I prefer it with things. Such as mixed with noodles and peppers, or in a sandwich. Meat alone isn't very good.

 

[flying_whimsy]

I'm just going to sidestep all of the other (somewhat heated) discussion here and just respond to the OP:

Yes, I eat meat. I've grown up eating it and I like the flavor and texture.

Yes, I would eat synthetic meat and already have a taste for the vegetarian 'fake' meats (though I find them inferior to actual meat most of the time). I look forward to the day I get to try cloned meat grown in a lab.

My main preference is that I can't eat meat with bones in it and I rarely eat pork. While I like meat, I have a hard time with the killing end of it and consequently can't hunt or process my own meat. Meat is not an essential part of a meal for me, so a vegetarian alternative or simply skipping it is always acceptable.

 

[Daverson]

Do you eat meat?
Yeppers!

If yes, why?
Because it's goddamn delicious! I could go into more depth with this, but it'd ultimately only be explaining how, I, as an om-nom-nomnivore, have evolved to find meat goddamn delicious.

Would you eat Synthetic Meat?
I wouldn't refuse to eat it. Though, given the relative infancy of the science, I'd rather stick with real meat for now.

Do you have a preference in Meat?(as in both in terms of Animal and individual Dish)
Roast Pork. With lots of crackling. Yum.

I'm not going to judge someone who doesn't eat meat because they find it distasteful, but people who act like being a vegetarian somehow makes them morally superior make me sick. And it's not just because they were poorly cooked! [http://instantrimshot.com/]

 

[Blue_vision]

Also, can I just say - (rant incoming) vegetarian food isn't just salads. It's really annoying when most TV shows or movies (or even random people on the internet) portray vegetarians this way. First of all, it's always expressed with an air of condescension and that's fucking obnoxious. Second of all, you don't know shit about cooking or haven't the faintest clue of good vegetarian dishes if a frickin' salad is the first and only thing that comes to mind.

I'm completely okay with other people eating meat, and will never look down on them or think they're less "moral" than I am, but Jesus Christ, is it too hard to ask for the same level of respect?

Yeah, I know that feeling. Weirdly enough, a good half of my close friend group is vegetarian, so I'm able to interact really comfortably with them. But then I talk to other people, and I get the weirdest looks and most backhanded remarks. People wondering how I could possibly survive not eating meat, questioning my health and my manliness/status as a human in general. I don't go up to meat-eaters and ask them how they could possibly eat meat. I sometimes engage them to see if they could eat less meat (because I consider it a health/environmental thing as well as an ethical one), but I never criticize, and I never stoop to personal attacks.

Now, I know there are some vegetarians and animal rights groups that get a little more in your face, so I guess it's possible that there's a civility lacking from members of both sides. But I feel like identifying myself as a vegetarian makes me far more open to attack and criticism from others than if I were a meat eater, and I just don't understand what the problem is.