veggie dilemma

[ionesmum]

I've been veggie since I was 18. Dh only eats chicken and fish but doesn't like most veggie things. Dd is having veggie and fish. Life would be so much easier for me when dd is a bit bigger if I ate fish too, then I could cook just one meal in the evening instead of two or even three. I do like and miss fish but I also have moral principles about eating anything that has been alive. Has anyone else gone back on being veggie? Or do other veggies think this is a terrible thing to do?

Oh, and crystaltips, if your ds is old enough to have soft cheese, whenever we have a celebration roast I have hot camembert in breadcrumbs which is delicious with cranberry sauce, plus all the trimmings, so maybe that could be a roast dinner alternative?

You can buy eggs which contain all the essential fatty acids - can't remember the name but I got them from Sainsbury's. The hens are fed a special diet to make sure the eggs are rich in O3 and O6 acids. They are also free-range and humane etc. I give them to my son as scrambled eggs and he seems to like them. I can't stand eggs myself so can't vouch for taste!

Will he eat quorn or tofu? Otherwise there's a recipe for a beef and potato stew in Sophie Grigson's meat course which reduces the meat to gravy. DS1 has gone off pieces of meat but will happily eat this as he thinks it's mashed potato and gravy.

Are those the Columbus eggs, Melinda, or are they the low cholesterol ones? Here in Indonesia buying eggs is a science, they sell so many types! They all come with leaflets like medicines in the UK. They're written in Indonesian so we've no idea what they say!! Then there are duck eggs and quail eggs and pigeon eggs and Century eggs and other eggs whose provenace I know not what! I stick to the Omega ones and they are fine.

Anais - I never intend for anyone to take my posts seriously! You are entitled to be a veggie/vegan/animal rights protestor, whatever you want. Ionesmum seems more liberal which is why my post was in the lighthearted liberal tone. Just one question though, if you do not eat meat as a protest, would you eat it if all animals were killed humanely on the farm where they have lived all their lives? I'd be interested to know.

And how come whenever you invite a veggie round for a meal you are expected to cook them a veggie dish, but when you go to their house you can't say "I'm a carnivore so please can you cook a great big steak"???

Oh and my MIL has a surplus of eggs at her farm at the minute, from free-range hens that are fed on corn. Pity none of you live closer or I could supply them for free!

Oh and my MIL has a surplus of eggs at her farm at the minute, from free-range hens that are fed on corn. Pity none of you live closer or I could supply them for free!

I'm an an omnivore and although I've never tried cannibalism I'm sometimes tempted (especially when I see animal rights protestors). Ever been in a london commuter train, anais? Organic animals destined for the table are treated far better.

Rhubarb - if you're fundamentally opposed to vegetables your welcome to a tin of spam at our house anytime - we'll have the wild mushroom rissotto, or the broccoli and walnut canneloni with dolce latte, or the cardomon & ginger spiced aubergine with the coconut mushroom curry... shall I go on?

Can I have the wild mushroom rissotto with Spam on the side Janeway? Very impressed that you have Spam for visitors by the way!

sorry, no it's an either or - I'm mean that way - it comes of too many years of "vegetarian choice" on menus at functions - usually something tasteless, overcooked and no choice at all!

Can I just say in the light of what's been happening on the other threads that I mean no offence whatsoever. I do like to have a lighthearted dig every now and then, but would be mortified if anyone found offence in anything I said. I'm not really a facist carnivore who is against vegetarianism! I know a lot of very healthy veggies and I am an animal-lover myself, albeit maybe in a different way than Anais. So that's all I wanted to say really. I'll now back out of this thread and let you all have a sensible discussion without me butting in!!

Rhubarb, sorry if I took your post the wrong way. It's something I feel passionately about, and I am forever being asked to justify/explain my decisions, and I guess I do get a bit carried away... sheepish grin{}

As for your question, no, I wouldn't eat meat under any circumstances as I don't feel it's our right to do so (apart from the fact that the very idea makes me want to throw up...).

i used to be a veggie and then got drunk and had a bacon sarnie and didnt look back! however that was my personal choice i didnt make it an issue for my chidlren or hubbie but i did get anoyed if for instance they didnt consider me, so is hubbie grilled say bacon and veggie sausages at the same time??? and not seperatley cleaning the grill first really annoyed me seeing as i didnt have a shit fit making ham sarnies for 3 kids in t he morning i didnt find it too much to ask. but i think this subject fringes on the wider subject of respect. i respect other peoples choices , if they come to my house and they are a veggie, ill cook veggie, if they dont eat pork or only halal slaughtered meat then fine , ill do my best. however to end on somewhat of a light note, when i was a veggie, i ate those frozen veggie meals or even linda macartney "looks like" meat stuff, as well as beans on toast etc ( am the worst cook ever) but i had a friend who came to my house for tea who was a veggie, only she cooked " proper" stuff and even though i had been a veggie less than a year earlier i had a complete panick about it and had to ask someone for a veggie recipe that i could cook easily that wouldnt mess up on me and was fairly straight forward, i made the effort, burn it a little but my friend appreciated it she really did and i felt pleased that i had gone to the trouble.

Question about wild mushroom risotto!!
I am making it later today for lunch for my veg. pals.
Can I add a carton of soured cream at the end or would that make it horrible?
Ta

I've used soured cream and it tasted fine - in fact I usually it in place of cream when I want a bit more tanginess or depth.

oops there should be a 'use in between usually & it

message withdrawn

Anais, you cannot brand ALL of us who produce meat destined for the dinnner table with what you have seen, that is not a fair justification. All of our animals are treated properly and looked after properly as well. I am very interested in animal welfare myself, as it is not adhered to by all in the farming community, there are those out there who don't tend their stock properly.

Our lambs that are destined for the table are eating lush green grass at the moment, a point though, were the animals you have seen in sheds, being fattened up, without any access outside?

Organically produced meat, just means that it hasn't been dosed for worms, or given any vaccinations against pnuemonia or other respitory ailments, and if drugs are to be used then the Vet has to produce a certificate to say that the animals need the drugs.

We are members of Quality Meat Scotland on both of our farms, and on the larger of the two nearly 3000 acres, our sheep and cattle roam freely in amongst the heather (and the midges!!)

I do appreciate what you are saying and I absoloutely hated it when they were exporting calves for the veal trade, in fact once we were going out for a meal and when we had a look at the menu and saw that veal was on the menu we all got up and left. Also the tie stalls for sows, deplorable things, just goes to show, some of us farmers do have principles.

My sheep, lambs, cows and calves are all happy.

What are your views on animal testing?

anais, sorry to be stroppy, but you say you were vegan, so presumably are not now. You then say you could never go back to eating animal products. If you are not vegan, then you must be definition eat animal products? What are milk and eggs etc if not animal products?

Also, while, as an ex-vegan and now a meat eater, I try not to judge or comment on people's choices, I have to say that I see very little difference between someone who consumes meat and someone who consumes dairy. The net result for the animal is still the same, just the length of time the process takes.

Anais - no probs!

I do not eat meat, was never really that fussed by the taste, and with a friend as a bet at 14, I stopped eating meat and still haven't eaten it to this day. I can't really answer the question why I do not eat meat, I do eat fish, and I rarely call myself a vegetarian, as it provokes so many questions. I don't actually like vegetables that much either, that provokes an entirely different set of questions! My dh loves meat and I do not have a problem with it (he does also eat some veggie food too and admits that it's 'ok'. Ds eats most things and surprisingly he favours vegetables and fruit over everything (unlike me & dh!!). We are all different but isn't it annoying when we have to justify everything that we do/eat?

Tigger2, I do realise that organic meat rearing is far more humane than traditional methods. I guess what it comes down to is that I believe that killing animals for our own greed is wrong and unnecessary.

As far as animal testing - again, very anti, for both cosmetics and medical purposes. We don't have animal tested products in the house, I use very little in the way of make-up anyway as I'm allergic. I also try and use very basic simple products for the sake of avoiding chemicals and the like.

Monkey, I do agree with you - to a point. I am no longer vegan, I gave up when I got pregnant for the first time as I didn't have the time to devote to the cooking. What I meant when I said I would never go back to animal products was meat products, (ie not just meat but all the other things which derive from meat/dead animals).

I still very much believe in veganism, but it's just not practical at this stage in my life, although I will probably return to veganism at a later date. As it is I eat very little in the way of dairy products, don't drink milk, rarely eat eggs, little cheese. The kids eat all of the above, but in moderation, as much as possible.

Anais, point accepted, and aren't more of the supermarkets etc becoming more Anti animal testing for some of their products?