Monday TeaDay 9/22/08 Vegetarian, Vegan, Omnivore, etc?

[Salsero]

... is very tasty ...

As was this puerh! Thanks to all for today's compliments. Nice autumn pic, Henley; it makes me feel the chill coming on in the evenings. Beidao, can we call that the last rose of summer or are more going to bloom up north there?

Now, can someone pls do something about the financial system!

[shogun89]

I LOVE meat and fruits and vegies. So omnivore here.

[omegapd]

I will eat anything

That's me. I'm the unpaid version of Andrew Zimmern on Bizarre Foods. His could possibly be my dream job...

A very nice Magnolia Oolong today that I think Victoria hated.

EW

[Beidao]

Henley: I've got four, pay me the shipping and I'll send one

Salsero: Last rose, yes. They're going away now. It's getting colder each day and in a week or two there'll be nothing reminding of summer.

Wesli: If the goal is to create as much life as possible, I figure wild, unprotected sex every day would be funnier than eating meat. - No, joking. Honestly, I work with animals and am convinced that 99 % of all cats should be castrated, so I don't see the importance of having billions of cows and pigs living. Especially not since I took a course in enviromental problems. But one thing many environmental-friendly vegans forget is how much problems rice cause. So sure, nothing's easy to pin down and those discussions will go on forever.

[Cinnamon Kitty]

I am an omnivore with fun food sensitivities so I tend to eat more towards the vegetarian side of things and only consume meat every so often. I also love seafood but stay away from all dairy except for some cheeses.

Today, I've been drinking a nice blend of Oolong #8 and Orange Blossom Oolong.

[augie]

Same.

That's pretty deep Wesli.

I've tried it all. However, b/c I have a short attention span, I quit the vegan gig. I never felt better in my whole life eating vegan. However, I was frightened when waking in the middle of the night with a hankering for raw hamburger.

however, I wasn't a tea drinker at that time, so maybe things could be different???

[Space Samurai]

I eat meat. I've thought about giving it up, but have found my reasons why not to.

1) Homo sapiens sapiens (and precursor hominids) have eaten meat for their entirety of being.

I don't think this is entirely accurate. IIRC correctly, some of the early hominids had different diets that did not involve meat. Though I will not argue that energy-rich meat had a definitive part in our evolution, particularly in feeding our brains.

2) Homo sapiens sapiens seem to be the first to have fished (earliest fishing artifacts are associated with HSS), and also first to develop art, spaceships, etc. Many anthropologists believe the consumption of fish played a part in early HSS intelligence development.

I've read a few comprehensive anthropology books in the last six weeks, and I've haven't come across this idea.

3) If it weren't for our eating them, these animals would not be born in the first place.

So by my eating meat, I'm giving life. Giving life is what vegetarians and vegans think they're doing, but in reality, they're taking away the need for those animals lives.

These statements sound more than a bit anthropocentric.

Death and birth are only natural, so why not accept them as such, and use them to create a better balance.

There's nothing natural about slaughterhouses. I am all for the circle of life, but we're not talking about scavaging, or about hunter/gatherer cultures. The way meat is obtained and consumed in the US by and large is anything but natural.

Furthermore, through out history civilisations evolved as agrarian societies. We have a variety of cultivated protein sources, nuts, beans, legumes, dairy products, that may not have been readily available to our ancestors.

Perhaps vegatarians and vegans go to far, but we are a culture of consumers, and over consumption is rampant. Someone has to try and balance things.

On another note...

I think its interesting how we polarize this issue, you either eat no meat and are a vegatarian, or you eat meat. Rather black and white.

[Space Samurai]

Tonight I'm drinking some awacha from Shikoku that I received as a gift.



It's interesting, unique yet familiar.

[Geekgirl]

Gorgeous, I love the leaf display in the wood bowl, such a nice mix of textures... and of course, the Seigan. I finally got one of my own! woohoo!

[Pentox]

what's awacha?

[evilive]

I eat meat. I've thought about giving it up, but have found my reasons why not to.

1) Homo sapiens sapiens (and precursor hominids) have eaten meat for their entirety of being.

I don't think this is entirely accurate. IIRC correctly, some of the early hominids had different diets that did not involve meat. Though I will not argue that energy-rich meat had a definitive part in our evolution, particularly in feeding our brains.

2) Homo sapiens sapiens seem to be the first to have fished (earliest fishing artifacts are associated with HSS), and also first to develop art, spaceships, etc. Many anthropologists believe the consumption of fish played a part in early HSS intelligence development.

I've read a few comprehensive anthropology books in the last six weeks, and I've haven't come across this idea.

3) If it weren't for our eating them, these animals would not be born in the first place.

So by my eating meat, I'm giving life. Giving life is what vegetarians and vegans think they're doing, but in reality, they're taking away the need for those animals lives.

These statements sound more than a bit anthropocentric.

Death and birth are only natural, so why not accept them as such, and use them to create a better balance.

There's nothing natural about slaughterhouses. I am all for the circle of life, but we're not talking about scavaging, or about hunter/gatherer cultures. The way meat is obtained and consumed in the US by and large is anything but natural.

Furthermore, through out history civilisations evolved as agrarian societies. We have a variety of cultivated protein sources, nuts, beans, legumes, dairy products, that may not have been readily available to our ancestors.

Perhaps vegatarians and vegans go to far, but we are a culture of consumers, and over consumption is rampant. Someone has to try and balance things.

On another note...

I think its interesting how we polarize this issue, you either eat no meat and are a vegatarian, or you eat meat. Rather black and white.

Beat me to it Space Samurai. I'm a very strict vegetarian.. have been for years now. There's nothing at all I miss.

[rodstnmn]

what's awacha?

Bless you!!

[caligatia]

I eat a mostly vegetarian diet. I'll eat meat about twice a week, because I get sick if I cut it out entirely, but I'd give it up entirely if I could. I love dairy, though, and eggs. So I'd be a lousy vegan.

Iced strawberry black tea right now. Planning on some lapsang souchong later. (I got my days and nights switched again, so I'll be up until dawn. I can't seem to stick to a normal sleep schedule for the life of me...)

[Space Samurai]

what's awacha?

Good question. Wish I had an answer.

I've never heard of it before, but received some today as a gift. It is from the island of Shikoku, the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. I am assuming this tea gets its name from what used to be the provence of Awa, what is now Tokushima. I found one mention of an Awa bancha from Tokushima, so this is probably a fair guess.

It has some stems mixed in with the leaves, a somewhat unique and spicy aroma, and shares some similarites with karigane in both aroma and flavor. It tastes moderately steamed, kind of dry, vegital, hints of cilantro.

It's interesting, and nice to try something different.

[Pentox]

what's awacha?

Good question. Wish I had an answer.

I've never heard of it before, but received some today as a gift. It is from the island of Shikoku, the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. I am assuming this tea gets its name from what used to be the provence of Awa, what is now Tokushima. I found one mention of an Awa bancha from Tokushima, so this is probably a fair guess.

It has some stems mixed in with the leaves, a somewhat unique and spicy aroma, and shares some similarites with karigane in both aroma and flavor. It tastes moderately steamed, kind of dry, vegital.

It's interesting, and nice to try something different.

oh man, I must find some.