The curse of Little'K rages on the back of the DYS

Set, I never thought that tofu benefitted the environment; I eat it for reasons of health and pleasure. I also eat lots of brown rice (with tumeric for its anti-inflammatory functions) not because it is eaten almost exclusively in the so-called macrobiotic diet (I know of one person who became very ill following that diet too strictly). I take no umbrage, unless, of course, it is covered with mustard.

I also eat food for the sheer pleasure of it--as Dys and Diane will testify--and I never pass up the chance to enjoy those wonderous delights described occasionallly by Osso.

Sure, Boss, and i have no problem with that. Cyphercat got her (?) back up because she chose to, not because she was the victim of intent . . .

I get Set's point about an inappropriate mantle of tofu righteousness (I could understand PETA burgers), and Cypher's on righteousness from many quarters and Nobody's Perfect about eating for pleasure and health. Cypher, did you look at my link? We may have run across the same tofu..

I'm sort of out of the fray in that I shouldn't have scads of it for medical reasons.

Since it came only a couple of posts after I said that I loved Tofurky Jerky, it seemed to me the mantle was draped upon me in response to my declaration, but I didn't really take umbrage; I just responded. Plus, "tofu-eating clown" isn't that bad of an epithet, actually; if that were to be my other a2k nickname besides Pooky, that would be fine. It's pretty cute, really, except I don't like clowns much.



I feel the same about people who'll down a fast food burger and say they care about the environment, since one of the biggest reasons the rainforest is being sacrificed is to raise cattle-- to name just one way that meat production harms the environment. In the states, it's well known (or should be) that factory farms are big fat polluters of waterways, etc.

Anyway, blah blah blah, I don't really care about this either; I just thought that was kind of an unwarranted bit of vitriol you came out with, and so I responded to it.

Yes, her, and a lovely tabby-striped back it is too.

I'm sorry if it seemed that I was personally outraged by your remark. I never thought it was certain that it was directed to me, I just thought it possible, coming as it did right after I said I loved tofu jerky (which I actually do not, 'twas said in fun).

I responded to it not because I thought it was directed to me, nor because I "got my back up," but merely because it seemed worth responding to. As I said, I do frequently encounter people who seem rather desperate to attack the idea of vegetarianism without any provocation, so I thought I'd point out to you that vegetarians deal with the mouthy and angry meat-eating equivalent of the self-righteous, macro-biotic-eatin' fools that bother you so.

You've probably had to endure too much vego-related abuse & wise-cracks in your time, cypher. Some folks make a career of this sort of thing, for some reason believing that vegos are fair game. I don't quite know why this is. In my 18 vego years I got rather tired of it, too. ("Are those shoes your wearing leather?", etc, etc, etc ....)

Osso, I have to draw the line with pet burgers.

I've never gone out of my way to interfer wtih or bum out the veggie freaks, no matter how loudly or self-righteously they hollered. I've often got sick to death, though, of having their "macrobiotic" propaganda shoved down my throat, when they so obviously don't know squat about agriculture or the food industry. Since this is all an impersonal place, being online, i considered it an appropriate place to express my contempt for the Vegocrusaders. Once again, if it offends any one, tough tittie.

I think (& I'm guessing here) that cypher's annoyance was in response to lots & lots of anti-vego jibes, over quite a period of time, Set. And like I said, I can sort of understand that, having experienced the same in the past.
The thing is, I never "crusaded" or attempted to make anyone feel bad because they ate meat. It was a personal choice at the time, for me .... that's all. Therefore I could never understand why some folk responded to that choice with aggression or ridicule. That's always perplexed me.

When I first began eating to get healthy, I was subjected to genuine concern from some, to outright ridicule from others. I was at German Fest at the highschool one evening, planning to enjoy the food and festivities with my wife and some inlaws. One kept up the verbal jabs, "Give him a carrot," until I moved to another table. A little joking is fine, but some tend to get under the skin.

I've had my fill of the new Puritans--people who criticize one's diet, that one smokes (whether or not one is considerate enough not to impinge on others), that one might take strong drink (which i don't happen to do myself, but it still irks me to hear it from the self-righteous), that one does not get enough exercise (by someone else's standard).

The United States, at least, is more and more plagued by the new Puritanism, and the Vegocrusaders are some of the worst. I used to frequent a coffee shop because it had good coffee, at a good price, and it was convenient. But i finally quit going. They banned smoking--fine, i smoked outside, no big deal, that's common enough. Going back inside, people would complain of the smell, and ask me to move. So, one day, i was sitting there looking at the four-foot high poster with "Fifteen arguments to use against Meat Eaters" (fourteen of them pure specious crap) and asked myself why i didn't walk a few blocks more and spend a little more to dispense with that. I did, but the lunacy followed, and it continues to spread.

Somebody started a thread entitled: "Are you on the way to obesity?" I responded by quoting the thread title and commenting that if i failed to arrive there, it wouldn't be for want of trying. The author of the thread laughed. Too bad the New Puritans don't have that kind of a sense of humor.

I never held with attacking someone for their choice of foods or smoking - Heck, I've been guilty of every transgression there is.

Not me . . . no one can ever accuse me of having a bean curd obsession, or of eating salad in unhealthy amounts . . .

You think that coffee shop was bad, try spending a good part of your day around a university campus. More than anything else it is a sanctimonious smugness and shock that you would not naturally agree with what ever impingement on my personal freedom they feel is absolute crucial to the worlds well being, that sets my teeth of edge. And I'm not talking about undergraduates here, most of them claim to be fully functional adults.

Having worked for two major midwestern universities, Acq, i have no doubt . . .

Oh hey, osso, I didn't see that link until just now...that sounds like a neat little company! I'll be sure and look for their stuff when I move.

It may be the luck of the land, but I've never come across any of those infamous vego-crusaders either. Back in Holland at times half of my friends were vegetarians, but never has any of them said a word about me eating meat.

On the other hand, Ive heard enough people ridiculing vegetarians, just because. I think its one of those beam/mote things.

I agree. Now that God is Dead, puritans are those who worry that someone somewhere is gaining weight.
A very close friend of mine ate meat everyday for lunch and for dinner. He died of colon cancer. His equally obese wife continued with the same diet, fully conscious of the risks. Now she has type 2 diabetes. I've never said anything to either of them because I'm not sure of the causality. And because it is their choice/life.
And, I loved it when they invited me over to their carnivorous feasts. I'm just glad I did not die in an auto accident rushing to their dinner parties.

All right then.