Less Meat!

[dcb]

This is the kind of thing a non sadist might want to avoid:

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted by dcb

This is the kind of thing a non sadist might want to avoid:

dcb, do you know anything about bow hunting? taken a hunting course lately?
Shots like that aren't taken by a bow hunter, just because someone bought a bow(or gun) and some camo doesn't make them a hunter. I can't see how a legitimate lethal shot at a deer could end up like that...

The short story of my hunt is that I waited 10 or 15 minutes with the doe in range, eventually coming into 18 yards and waiting for it to turn broadside, and stop moving so I could make my best possible shot. It went 50 yrds, and dropped, and was dead in approximately 2 minutes. I'd think most hunters would be OK with that using any method.
I do think about the balance between lethality and giving the animal a sporting chance, bow hunting is a compromise that I'm good with. With bow hunting you have to take full responsibilty for your shot, its broadside vitals or nothing. I've watched quite few deer farther than 30 yrds or behind some light branches over the last 2 years without taking off the safety.
Its the hunters job to understand the limitations of their weapon, its just as easy to make stupid shots with slug gun, gut shot deer don't die fast no matter what you are using.
I find that we eat a bit less meat and appreciate it alot more now that we raise or hunt it ourselves. Meat in general isn't the problem, its how its raised, I like to back up that point of view when I can. I think people on this forum can understand and support this distinction.
Ian

[bennelson]

I butchered a deer last night.

My father is a hunter. A while back, I mentioned that I would be willing to do butchering in exchange for meat.

He hasn't actually got a deer yet, but the son of his hunting buddy did. That family has a good sized section of hunting land, and far more deer than they know what to do with.

The deer was a huge buck, and shot as a trophy. (I think that guy has WAY TOO many trophies already! The deer was shot with bow and arrow - a very good shot - about as swift and efficient as an arrow could be)

It was dropped off at my dad's for meat.

I went over there and my dad and I strung it up in the garage, skinned, and quartered it.

Most of the meat was ground and freezer-bagged into reasonable-sized portions. Tenderloin was cut into "filet mignon", other nice sections of meat were cut into steaks, stew meat, or fajita slices.

Cutting one of God's creatures into little pieces is not one of my favorite jobs. Some of it wasn't too bad, but there were a few times there when it was sorta gross and making me turn a little green.

But, it was my choice to participate. I figure I know where my meat is coming from, and it gives a person a much better connection with their food.

At least all the meat was coming from one animal. (You don't want to know how many cows are in your hamburger!!!)

Anyways, I now have a supply of free-range meat in my parents deep-freezer which should last me a pretty good while. (it was a BIG deer!)

[blueflame]

I recently became a vegetatarian though i have been to friends and out to dinner and made allowances. Heres some food for thought videos...CAUTION they are fairly disturbing Prevent Animal Cruelty by Adopting a Vegetarian Diet | ChooseVeg.com

I was eating mostly fish which I had caught myself.

However, my skin and energy has improved so much in these last weeks without meat or fish.

I'm 32lbs heavier than I was in my 20's and now 45 years old.

I met some vegans recently. The girls has such nice figures, great skin and smell. The guys were lean and hard but quite light. Seemed like it made sense unless you need to train, be strong and work hard....most people are fat like me

PS: the videos are disturbing

[Formula413]

I stopped eating meat in '96 and cut out dairy and eggs back in February. Too many good reasons to list. Ethics, health, environment, you name it. I find more and more tasty vegan stuff all the time. Burgers, hot dogs, pizza, sausages, bacon, ice cream, egg rolls, chocolate milk, you name it I've got it. And all much healthier than the "real" thing. But my main motivation is ethical.

[order99]

I've been a Vegetarian for about four years now, but its not so much for ethical reasons as health concerns...I got tired of not knowing how many Super-Antibiotics and Growth Hormones were in my food, or how many Mad Cows crept into my hamburgers...

I still eat eggs and cheese, and slip in some Seafood twice a month or so for the Omega3(Doctor's orders!). Luckily I have an all-year Farmer's Market only 15 minutes from my place, and shopping there has enabled me to cut down on my Pesticide levels as well-everything there is local and I get to quiz the sellers at will! Best of all, they started carrying Brown Free-range eggs this year, so less fish now...

The only bad news-they opened a Bakery there too. Must...resist....cookies...

[Christ]

My wife won't even eat green vegetables. So I make her take supplements.

She will eat corn, and baked beans. But only Bush's. Other than that, we eat alot of Chicken. I'm not willing to give up meat entirely. I have teeth that are specifically designed for eating meat, so I will continue eating it.

I have, however, made several attempts in my life to eat as healthy as possible, including eating home-grown vegetables and fruits as often as possible, choosing fresh over preserved/canned, and drinking more coffee/water/milk/chocolate milk/tea than soda. I eat starchy foods during the day to lessen the mass of my intake, overall, while providing enough energy from sugars to keep me "alive and active" during the day, and eat several smaller meals during the day rather than 3 large ones.

This enables me to actually save food and money, since on an intake basis, I eat less per calorie of energy acquired, which means that on average, I use less energy to extract that energy. (Chewing, swallowing, etc.) I also net a lower intake due to refueling more often, and in smaller intervals. Using this method, I haven't felt "hungry" in years. Instead, I've developed a "feed me" feeling that doesn't need to be tended to immediately like actual hunger does.

I've even begun checking what the nutrient intake of some of the retail foods I eat is vs their mass, hoping to get more nutrients in less mass, thus being more efficient, since less digestion is required to get more fuel/energy/good stuff.

I also try to eat foods that are easily digestable, more as a comfort thing than for any real purpose. I find that foods that are light, basic, and easily digestable, (not beef, definitely), tend to make me less lethargic after eating.

I do enjoy some dried beef on occasion though, and still consume a hefty amount of salt, as a means to help control my blood pressure without medication (It's been chronically low since I was a kid.. I'm 23 now, and often, my BP readings are ~100/55 or less, and it's been as low as 70/30 before, but only for a brief period) . Doctor said it's OK, as long as it doesn't adversely affect anything else.

So, as you can see, I'm not willing to completely give up meat, eggs, cheese, dairy milk, etc. (although I do enjoy goat cheese and milk occasionally, from farm-raised stock) but I have cut back on them alot, while introducing other, still satisfying foods, and changing the way I consume food to begin with, allowing me to effectively consume less food with the same result.

[IndyIan]

Bennelson,
I'm glad you posted your story, and I agree there are some parts of butchering that are not much fun... But I think in the end, its worth it for the reasons you listed. How do you find the taste of the buck? I assume its from a farming area so maybe its not to strong? We have only eaten does and they are quite mild in flavour.

Originally Posted by Formula413

I stopped eating meat in '96 and cut out dairy and eggs back in February. Too many good reasons to list. Ethics, health, environment, you name it. I find more and more tasty vegan stuff all the time. Burgers, hot dogs, pizza, sausages, bacon, ice cream, egg rolls, chocolate milk, you name it I've got it. And all much healthier than the "real" thing. But my main motivation is ethical.

I'm not going to defend the mainstream meat industry, I have ethical problems with it as well, but there more alternatives all the time to industrial chicken, and feedlot beef.
We have goats and chickens who get to do what goats and chickens are meant to do. Graze, sleep in the sun, we even take our goat herd for browsing trips through the woods. They browse like deer and have a great time. We still will eat them though, otherwise they are expensive pets with no purpose.
I'd much rather do this than support the over processed veggie food industry. I like my foods to have only ingredients I can pronounce, not 17 compounds trying to simulate something else...
The milk I drink in the morning has one ingredient, milk, from Wendy(our dairy goat). And the chicken I had for dinner was, a chicken. That grew up eating bugs and plants off my front lawn.
I doubt any soy "milk" or veggie "meat" could be any less damaging to the environment or healthier for you.
There are huge companies with big advertising budgets pushing veggie food as healthier, just like there was for hydrogenated vegetable oils, and I think eventually most synthetic food will be shown to be not better for you.

People in France eat way more animal fats, drink more but on average are much healthier than North Americans? How can this be?!
Maybe because they only eat stuff they can pronounce.
Ian

[i_am_socket]

Maybe because they only eat stuff they can pronounce.

Reading the ingredient labels these days, it might help to speak French

I know some vegetarians that could stunt double for cows. I haven't had a hamburger in ... I actually have no idea how long and I've cut out bacon quite a bit as well, but I'll eat pretty much anything. If I didn't live the in central Megalopolis area, I'd probably buy locally, but there aren't too many farms around Newark these days.

Could most people benefit from a vegan/vegetarian diet? Probably, but just eating sensibly for your amount of activity is what's needed. If a nutritionally complete veggie diet helps people cut calories that would otherwise go to waste (waist?), all the better.

[MazdaMatt]

I take offense when i see something labelled bacon that is not from the flesh of a pig. You can shape your veggies in the form of thin brown strips, you can cover them in whatever combination of veggie grease makes them seem almost like some semblance of bacon, but it IS NOT BACON and please don't call it that. That goes for turkey and chicken too.

This has been a public service announcement for MEANA (Meat Eaters Association of North America)

I have just moved to a more "rural" town and I will be finding all of the local farmer's markets in the spring when the good stuff hits the shelves.