Sunday, September 12, 2010

WOULD IT MATTER...

WOULD IT MATTER IF I WAS GONE???  After all I'm just one of many.  There are so many more like me.  So many that can do the same thing as I do.  Am I really any more special than any other cow?  My birth was for one reason and for one reason only.  (This is a dairy cow...I couldn't bring myself to take a photo of a cow that would be harvested for its meat...)

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Sunday we ride...

Sunday I think...

I gave up meat (other than fish and crustaceans four years ago) because my daughter did.  I wanted to make sure she was getting enough nutrients.  So I adopted her chosen lifestyle.  I cook meat for my husband...no big deal.  But when we ride...and I see animals penned up awaiting their doom I get sad.  I know they were put here for us to use, but I can't get over that feeling...

Are there any other vegetarians/ mostatarians out there?

36 comments:

  1. I eat meat because my husband does and it's easier but I'd rather be vegetarian. I don't eat much meat.

    CD

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  2. hi miss sharon! mostly my brothers sebi and jason do all the cooking and both of them dont eat cows or animals. i like veggies lots. we eat lots of salads. we shop at the farmers market mostly. i love brussel sprouts the most and after that brocoli. my only meat is a mcdonalds happy meal. one time i gave our pet raccoon a mcdonalds hamburger and she wouldnt eat it. we gave her a wendys and she ate the whole thing. so i think mcdonalds is made from some really strange stuff. i love animals and i dont like to think on how so much of them get killed off but i think maybe god put them on earth so people dont starve.
    ...hugs from lenny

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  3. I'm a flexatarian :)
    I don't usually eat meat, but I'll eat fish sometimes and I love to make my quiche with bacon. But most of the time I get my protein from eggs, beans or yogurt.

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  4. I don't really eat beef anymore--but then I found out both my husband and I have a B12 deficiency and it is from that I'm sure. Not good. We eat everything else and have tried adding beef back in--but it kills my stomach after not eating it so long.

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  5. Oooohhhh this is so close to my heart. I was veg for many years until I got pregnant and now, though I eat meat sparingly, I feel awful everytime I do. I'm slowly trying to get back to my roots because I can't look into an animal's eyes and eat them:(

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  6. I don't really like veggies, which is why I've never been keen on veering off my meat-eating diet. I'm always afraid I'll end up having nothing I like!

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  7. I'm not a real big meat eater ~ and it really is sad when you see the animals waiting to end up on our table. But better a dairy cow then a cow raised to be slaughtered. Very sad.

    xo Catherine

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  8. Ummm, no. :) I eat meat. My six year old son, however, claims he's a vegetarian. Except he eats McDonald's cheeseburgers but NO other meat! He lives on mac and cheese and cheese sandwiches! Luckily he loves fruit too.

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  9. Our humans hardly have any meat too, they much prefer veggies and other things. Besides, look at that sweet moo face!

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  10. Clarissa--My husband is a meat eater, but quite often he gets vegetarian "meat."

    Lenny--I'm glad your brothers watch what you eat. It's important to eat good food and only have fast food once and a while. The raccoons probably didn't like the smell of the dehydrated onions on the mcd's burgers...

    Sherrie--We get most of our protein from beans, soybean product and dairy...

    Terri--I take (DON'T LAUGH EVERYONE) adult gummy vitamins...they have B12 in them.

    Candyland--Your body probaby still needs the meat...when you are ready to go all the way back you will...I ate some meat the first year when I wasn't with Katherine and slowly just quit completely other than fish...

    Sangu--There's always potato chips...LOL...

    Catherine--I didn't used to think about it, even when I switched over, but now when we ride and I see them penned up I really think about them as animals...

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  11. Kelly--Thinking back...Before Katherine became a total vegetarian, she pretty much only ate mcnuggets and mac and cheese...

    Brian--I would have guessed that about your humans. :)

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  12. Ooo, Lenny, I LOVE brussels sprouts! I thought I was the only person in the world who did. :) I love most other veggies too, but I'm NOT a fruit person. blech.

    We eat meat, but mostly venison. My hubby gets a deer every fall and we live on the meat all year. I think wild meat is much more humane than breeding animals for meat. Plus, where we live, we actually need the humans to keep the deer population at healthy levels. But we do eat free range chicken and 'happy beef'.

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  13. I gave up meat and chicken just over two years ago. I'm still working on giving up fish, although I don't eat much fish (only hake, trout, tuna, kingklip and sole) Husband and rest of family all eat meat, and I cook it for them. I feel better for not eating red meat, for lot sof reasons. Those cows and sheep being transported to the abbatoirs is one of them
    Judy

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  14. "Mostatarians" - I like that!

    I feel bad about eating meat. But I like it. My son tried to be a vegetarian for a few weeks, but he couldn't keep it up. In my house, I try to cook meat only two times a week, and the rest are vegetarian. It's something.

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  15. I did vegetarian for a while, but I couldn't sustain it. I'm afraid my youngest may be heading that way as well ...

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  16. I have a hard time because I'm anemic. Sometimes I crave a good hamburger.

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  17. Hi Sharon, Thanks for your comment :o) We are fine. Geoff has gone back to work this week. The council buildings in christchurch where he works as an engineer were deemed unsafe so he couldnt go to work for a week. Some of the council staff have been relocated to a different building. It was nice having him home :o)I will look forward to what you have sent :o)))
    Re: meat.. we eat our own sheep/cattle but I find it quite upsetting. I don't eat the amount of meat that I use to. But it is so much better eating something that you know where it has come from and how it was brought up. Our meat tastes heaps better than supermarket stuff.

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  18. I love my vegies but my husband loves his meat. I find it difficult to make two separate meals so I try to mix it up.

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  19. We don't eat much meat, but not because we're vegetarians. I can't stand beans or tofu. Usually we only have meat 2 days a week (and salmon another day).

    And I can't anything that used to be cute. Like lambs and rabbits. ;)

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  20. Hi Sharon,
    Looking into this cow's eyes make me want to cry. They're such noble animals. I've been a vegetarian for 12 years and so has my sister. I don't miss meat at all. My husband and I are animal lovers. I'll stop here because it's a difficult topic for me to talk about (and it could turn political).

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  21. I admire vegetarians--better for the environment, for our health, and the health of the nation. I, personally, cannot live without meat. I'm very thin, and I get very, very hungry without it. On a side note, I play a fun game on the first day of class where I ask if anyone's a vegetarian (or a vegan). I used to get almost no hands for the last five years, but this year, a surprising number of my students don't eat meat. Is it a trend? Is it an offshot of our green economy and interest in sustainability? I don't know, but it's fun to think about. Thank for your post--very thought-provoking and engaging.

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  22. My daughter periodically says she's giving up meat, but she's not big on fruits and veggies so it doesn't last long.

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  23. I wish. Like so many others, I cook & eat meat because it's easier to do one meal. My daughter eats very little meat - and she does have to worry about her protein levels.

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  24. I'm a vegetarian. Been one for 17 years.

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  25. I gave up meat almost 15 years ago (Oct. 13) for my 30th birthday, but still eat seafood...Cows and pigs have adorable faces, I just couldn't do it anymore...Happy week, Sharon.

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  26. We've been trying to eat more meatless dishes the past few years. We feel better when we stick to a meatless diet for a few days. I love fruit smoothies, so that helps. Bean and cheese burritos with quacamole and salsa too.

    Stephen Tremp

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  27. Amy--You are right. Wild animals have to be harvested to keep the herd healthy.

    Judy--Thanks for stopping in! I don't eat much fish/seafood either. I think maybe the reason I still eat fish is because of tradition...I spent most of my life in the South and in the South we have fish fries...

    Theresa, Susan, and Carolyn--We eat a lot of Bocca and Morning Starter meat replacement food. It's high in protein and not too high in fats or calories.

    Niki--I'm glad you guys are okay...I was starting to get worried! I'm sure harvesting your own animals is very hard, but it has to be a healthy choice. It's just like growing your own veg...

    Lynda--I cook in bulk. When I make two versions of something I make big batches and freeze them with the names of who can eat them on the bags. LOL...When I do chowder, my daughter does it with no seafood, but with onions, I do it with seafood and onions and my husband does it with seafood and no onions...

    Stina--I don't care for tofu in the raw package you buy in the deli, but I really like Bocca and Morning Starters' products which are soy based.... (tofu)

    Claudia--Thanks you for stoppingin and joining in on the conversation. If you have a blog...I couldn't find a connection to it.

    I don't really miss meat either. I still like the smell of brats and food grilling, but my husband grills our vegetarian versions and they taste great...with no guilt or remorse.

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  28. Samuel--Did you ask your students what constituted meat? I had someone tell me they were vegetarians and then cooked a dinner with pork and chicken in it for me... They didn't eat red meat...

    Vicki--Umm, what does she eat? We love beans and rice, but you can only eat that so many days in a row...

    Jemi--My hubby eats vegetarian versions of meals all of the time...It depends on my energy level if he gets meat or not. (Sorry Honey!)

    Medeia--Wow, 17 years! That is wonderful...

    Jacqueline--WTG! 15 years...I don't think I'll ever switch back to meat...

    Stephen--I think it's good to go meatless (if you are a meat eater) a few times a week. I adore bean burritos! Watch out for those smoothies...They have lots of sugar in them.

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  29. LOL band-aids!!! Just what we need hehe...Thanks Sharon, I love your parcel. I feel very special :o))) XXXXXX

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  30. Niki--I'm glad it made you smile. :-) I've been worried about you...

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  31. I could live on rice and beans if only my family would let me ;)

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  32. Such a sweet post. I'm a country girl, so eating animals does not bother me *IF* they are used sparingly and humanely. (Yes, veal ticks me off.) I also believe that every meat-eater should know where meat comes from--not be able to think it only comes packaged in styrofoam at a store.

    I did try being a vegetarian once in high school. I think in those few weeks my mother made every meal she could think of where it was impossible to pick all the meat out. Ha! What did I expect being raised by multi-generation ranchers?! :o)

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  33. Hi Sharon .. I'm a mix - but I really do not like too much meat .. and can go for a fortnight or so .. with fish, veggies or pasta .. quite happily - then a little meat craving comes in - then goes out again!

    @ Lenny .. I'm coming over - I love Brussell Sprouts and they're about to come into season .. delicious! Good for you .. interesting about your raccoon refusing a big Mac.

    Thanks Sharon - we all seem to be veering in that direction .. I've been this way since I was a kid .. Hilary

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  34. Awwww! You see I love cows - I think they have the prettiest lashes and eyes!! They could also be very protective of their young and are far from the docile creatures we think they are if they think their young are in danger! The bull just looks exhausted! LOL!

    I'm hoping that compassionate organic and free range small scale farming will be the future.
    I hope so anyway!

    Take care
    x

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  35. I came over from Shannon's blog fest. :)
    I'm not a vegetarian, but I do try to eat less meat and more organic veggies.

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  36. Popped over from Shannon's today and want to say: Goooo Cows! :) I stopped eating beef when I was in high school. More recently my husband and I went full veggies. I'm a big fan of not eating animals.

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