Our rass likes knawing on chicken feet. They're a delicacy here.

And Mr Marx!

One thing I've never understood about the phrase 'ethical conditions' when it comes to keeping livestock, at the end of the day they are killed in the same way

It's not as simple as that - but I don't eat meat full stop. Won't keep pets either (but that's because I hate them!)

But these are modern farming methods! You could of course go organic!

Note here that it's another 322 days to Christmas.........

Major sacrifice there Mr Bastad!!

Is that 'cos you're a heathen??

but you never eat at home at any time of year.........

I do buy organic meat whenever I can, but again, the fooker still gets killed in the same manner, not with I blindfold and a ciggie as I once imagined

It's all (in my opinion anyway - this is one of those areas where I'm not sure there's a right answer, so do my thing and keep it at that [most of the time!]) about the extent to which you think animals have rights or interests. I think that you could make an argument for giving animals a limited range of rights (such as being kept in ethical conditions) but still see no problem in eating them. You recognise a limited range of rights in such a situation. At the moment, I don't think that eating animals is justified (but I'm never sure on this one) so I'm a strict vegetarian. But I'm never sure, so I'm eating fish at the moment (it's a long story)! At other times, I've been near enough to vegan!!!

There are other reasons for thinking about the food we eat - Factory farming has affected the quality of what we eat and the distribution system really adds food miles. The majority (that's right majority) of all those trucks that piss you off on motorways are actually transporting food!!! If you're a farmer near a supermarket, if you want to sell to that supermarket, it's likely your produce will first be moved half way across the country.

Additionally, there are sustainability issues. It takes an awful lot of food to feed animals - this limits overall food production and puts pressure on farmland, thereby increasing the drive to factory methods and deforestation in some parts of the world.

In short, the ethics of food production is rather complex! For a good read, try:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-Label-What- ... F8&s=books

It's OK really, I mean you can get Hollands cheese and onion pies.......

I'm veggie (though not strict) mainly bacause I just don't like the texture of the stuff. However if I did eat it, the factory farming methods employed would make me feel rather sick.... could always look for Farmers Markets etc, answers some of the ethical type questions (local farmers, easier to check on production methods etc)

I agree that you can get round many (tho not all) of the ethical meat issues by buying local and/or organic. Might cost more, but you can get round that by eating less of the stuff.

Another animal rights thing is pharmaceutical testing which is pretty grotesque to say the least. A majority of medical conditions can be treated by natural methods without side effects, but the pharmaceutical companies have the market sewn up with their pills and potions, all first tested on animals in awful conditions.

The NHS spends 24 billion pounds a year on proprietary drugs. They could spend a quarter of that on the same thing in different packets but then the backhanders would stop.......

Funniest thing was when I tried to buy four packets of aspirins in Tesco's. The lass on the till said I could only have two. That's the rules she said. And it is!! They downgraded cannabis but you can't buy a big load of aspirin!! Even though the deaprtment of health says take an aspirin every day to prevent strokes and heart attacks. stupid stupid stupid

It's fu cking crazy.......

The reason for the aspirin rationing, as with paracetamol, is that so many people were using them to overdose that it was decided to limit the number you could buy at any one time.
OK you could plan ahead and buy from lots of different chemists, but the hope is that if you had to do that, the urge to end it all would wear off in the meantime.

(Erm,you ARE OK over there in the Orient, aren't you?)

I'd like to be a veggie, 2 problems, I like meat a lot - preferably organic, 2nd I haven't really enjoyed the vegetarian dishes I've tried, they seem to lack texture & don't suggest that quorn stuff, with the exception of the sausages which aren't bad, generally speaking in mings & tofu............

My eldest decided to be a veggie a couple of weeks ago & is sticking to it

Like Mr FB I admire those who can do it though

It's hard at the start because the taste of meat is so strong. I was a huge carnivore, but over time I think my taste buds are more subtle, so I notice flavours more and don't rely on a big chunk of meat to flavour what I eat!

I've never eaten meat for years .... since I got married .....f**k knows what she does to it ........ Ah well.

Never really liked meat and have been a vegetarian for about 30 years. Similar to Karl Marx I've drifted from Vegan to being more lax such as eating fish. I'd rather not eat fish but I run out of things to eat - cheese is not good for you in large quantities, I don't like Tofu, don't like eggs and there's only so many ways to eat fruit and vegtables. Plus there is a school of thought that says that fish is good for you. I used to eat Quorn but am not so sure now after reading Professor Parmo's write up last week.

A famous vegetarian was the late John Peel.

with you most of the way here.

cheese is the down fall as there's not a great deal more you can put in a bun is there?

pepper and cucumber sarnie just aint very filling.

I do a bit of quorn bout once a week and fish about once a month but not enough really

"pepper and cucumber sarnie just aint very filling"

At the end of the day, avoid processed foods and eat what you like in moderation. Will being a veggie guarantee you a longer life...er, no. The Japanese diet gives them the lowest level of heart attacks in the world, sadly it also gives them the higest rates of stomach/bowel cancer. If you like it, eat it sensibly and in moderation.

nowt to do with trying to attain a longer life - just personal choice - if i were going for the longer life thing i would avoide pizzas, ale and wine - and cheese and bread and other processed wheat products - frying as well. you can still be a veggie and have a good old coronary - alas!

I classify vegitarianism the same way as I classify jogging ...it comes under the WHY...? category........... like jogging it's adherents become the Jesuits of their calling and acquire a subconcious need to convert everyone to their cause ...much like cookers when North Sea gas first came along I suppose.

Just don't do meat as I don't like it. I'm quire happy for people to eat what they want and regularly cook meat dishes for the wife and kids

Very true if it was down to being a veggie then John Peel would still be with us. Diet contributes to health but other factors such as exercise, life style, alcohol (to excess), smoking, drug use and the most important 2: wealth, as poverty impacts upon the other factors as well as education & healthcare plus of course inherited genes.

Same thing happenned to me recently wanted to buy 2 different types of medicines, four packets in total, the lass had to ring 2 through, give me my change, and then put the other 2 through as a seperate sale stupid

On the subject of Vegetarianism, I tried going without meat for a month, a couple of years ago, and lost a stone. I would fade away to nothingness if I didn't keep up my intake of meat
It might have had something to do with giving up alcohol at the same time though. All part of a 'cleansing' process that was supposed to make me feel healthier. Apart from the weight loss, didn't notice any change.

Oh yeah fine ta. No I wasn't trying to buy the farm I was being careful about strokes and heart attacks, like a good little sheep. My mate had a coronary at 39 and I got briefly concientious so I started taking vitamins and aspirin. Mind I was drinking like a fish at the time so I probably didn't retain much!! I've gone holistic now I live with Chinese pharmacist.

I love meat, all of it...and fish
Lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, duck, beef, rabbit, kidneys, livers the lot
I like to eat meat on the bone as well, gnaw it like a dog
And I like to cook fish whole and have them on my plate like that.
Someone gave us 20-odd fresh mackerel last summer and I was well chuffed with that.
One of my many jobs has been as a fishgutter in Greece about sixteen years ago. I pulled out the perfect skeleton of a seahorse - still have it.
Anyway, not saying above to be offensive, its true.
Always try and buy decent quality and would rather have less on my plate and more veg. Would prefer them to live humanely before being chopped up preferably. We get a whole lamb at a time (already chopped), organic from the Shetlands from friends of the inlaws - the most beautiful meat ever.
Not into Veal or Foie Gras shit mind. I do have some morals.
But overall yeah, love it, black pudding as well.

I must say that I do love meat. I can't imagine not being able to gain access to meat.