Actually, thinking about it, vegetarians eat eggs but not caviar, could they explain why??

[spiderslegs]

Really 'tis inconsistent......

[Kitty81]

Not SURE about this, but don't they have to kill the fish to get the caviar? Whereas chickens are not killed to get the eggs? That might be the distinction.

Some veggies won't eat eggs etc... ime the place that people draw the line varies. When I was veggie (for 12 years) I wouldn't eat or use any part of a body, so no meat or fish, or anything that the animal had to die for us to obtain; ie no fur or leather. I was pretty strict; no animal flavourings unless I could guarantee vegetarian (eg beef crisps) and no polos for ages while they were still using gelatine. But I would eat eggs, and drink milk, although I battled with my conscience and was very fussy; free range, organic etc etc only. Figured the money I saved on not buying meat was well spent on pricey eggs. Well, that's what I told myself, especially when I was a student and had spent all my money on free range eggs and had to walk to work in the freezing Worcester winter as I couldn't afford a bus pass...

[DiveBomb]

OP, would you eat a kitten? A monkey? A horse?

[spiderslegs]

Yes, yes & yes.

As a carnivore, to make a moral distinction is fallacious. Meat is meat. I'd eat it all up.

[DiveBomb]

Hey, fair enough then. Far better to indulge in equal opportunity cruelty than to do what you can, however inconsistent, to avoid making animals suffer and die for you dining pleasure.

I applaud you. At least you're not that worst of moral failings... inconsistent.

[spiderslegs]

& You Dive, you are a moral arbiter??

[VajazzHands]

I dont have to cut a chicken open to get to its eggs

[PrivetDancer]

I think you can 'milk' (ie squeeze) the eggs out of a fish without killing it, fairly sure I've seen that on tv.
But it sounds disgusting, that's why I wouldn't eat it!

[HecateQueenOfTheNight]

I think the difference is that eggs (eating eggs) are unfertilised, so they had no potential to be life, whereas caviar is actual babies.

So really, when you think about it, doesn't that make eggs, sort of chicken periods?

[HeadfirstForHalos]

Because chickens lay their eggs, whereas the fish are stunned, cut open, have the eggs removed from their ovaries, are sutured back up and chucked back so they can be tortured used again.

[MarieFromStMoritz]

HecateQueenOfTheNight is right. Caviar is tiny unborn babies whereas eggs (as they are unfertilised) are just a waste product from the chicken.

[HecateQueenOfTheNight]

really headfirst, is that how it is done? I always thought the fish laid the eggs and the eggs were just harvested.

Does that mean caviar is not 'live' either? Not that it matters when THAT'S how they get it! But it does blow my chicken period v fish baby theory out of the water!

[HecateQueenOfTheNight]

x-post mary.

[JanMorrow]

Yes, eggs are chicken periods. As a vegetarian I do struggle with the whole eating eggs and drinking milk etc. I do only eat free range eggs but premade stuff containing eggs, well you can bet those are battery farmed.. and milk and cheese.. they keep getting the cows to reproduce to have babies so they're in milk.. those babies if male get eaten.. so yes, moral quandry.. in an ideal world I'd be vegan but I don't think I could cope.

[HeadfirstForHalos]

It's literally a fishy c-section They did used to kill the fish but then they realised it was kinder more economical to put the fish back after.

PrivetDancer is right, it is possible to milk the fish, but it requires a skill which is currently lacking in the industry so is far less common.

[pushmepullyou]

Caviar isn't fertilzed, fish eggs are fertilized on exit and caviar is taken internally. I am pretty sure that they do typically kill the fish to get the eggs out. Sturgeon are under threat as they have very slow reproductive cycles and lumpfish are also under a fair amount of pressure.

From a nature conservation pov you are better off with salmon or trout roe, which is similar but orange

[HecateQueenOfTheNight]

That's horrible. Really horrible. It must really hurt the fish.

Over and over and over again? What an existance and for something as pointless as caviar? Just so people can show off that they are the sort of people who eat caviar.

[HeadfirstForHalos]

I've just been having a little read, apparently caviar is unfertilised, fertilised and laid eggs are called "roe".

All of it sounds vile tbh, it's put me off my porridge

[Punkatheart]

Caviar comes from the virgin sturgeon.

Yes, it's a disgusting process. Up there with foie gras.

Whereas my eggs come from four naughty little chickens who are hand fed grapes and cuddled every day...