I'm curious as to WHY people eat meat?

Question

Hi everybody, I am a vegetarian (obviously) and I am curious as to why you eat 'meat', and why you feel it is 'okay' to eat farm-animals and not 'companion' friends. I am not looking to start a 'war' just curious.

There was a post about 'what tastes better, cat or dogs' and many people thought it was a sick question - WHY is this sick? Aren't animals just animals?

Looking for proper answers, and none of these 'smart-****' answers.

No I don't wear leather shoes.

The question I really would like answered is why society finds it acceptable to eat 'farm' animals, but not 'companion' animals.

Ice, good answer. I am not trying to be judegemental, I want to start a real discussion and understand why people find it okay to eat certain animals, that is all.

As for B12, the reason vegans cannot get B12 is that all the vegetables that are grown now are washed, covered in fertilizers etc etc and all the dirt has been removed. The reason meat-eaters don't have to worry about lack of B12 is that the animal they eat has eaten grass etc from the ground, abosorved the dirt etc, and therefore the human ingests the B12 as a result.

I do not think a carrot compares to a cow. A carrot does not have a central nervous system, whereas a cow does.

Answer 1

AMERICANS don't eat "companions" as we have been conditioned to think that they're a member of the family, and that would be taboo. There are other cultures that don't have those restrictions, so they wouldn't think twice about cooking up a dog or cat.

I wouldn't eat a pet-type animal, but some of the more "cute" animals I've had include kangaroo, rabbit, suckling pig, veal, and quail.

And humans are omnivores, like stated above. Eating to survive is one thing... eating to maintain a certain level of fitness and health is another.

Answer 2

OK, humans R primordially carnivores but we're blessed because we can also rely on veggies, fruits, plants and grains. Some feel more fulfilled by meat it's OK, some don't It is OK. Their R others and also situations where Cannibalism is preferred or had occurred. ( so U would end up eating bobby and sue[ just N example]) after all aren't we just animals? At the Top of the food chain.We R spoiled we live in the USA where dogs+cats r Friends not a choice 4 supper because everything else is to expensive, we can choose : Meat or Veggies. The point 2 it is Don't judge just Live N let Live.Respect that's all we all need at the end we all end up in the same place. Let me also say a lot of animals eat humans N don't gimme that " It did it because it was scared of U" thing think of all those kids elderly N just those other people that have been attacked it's a jungle out here even now.

Answer 3

I think that depends how we were brought up. Caveman ate meat and farming came much later. I don't think dogs or cats are not food, that depends on the culture, we keep them as pets and some cultures look at them as food. Some cultures eat rats.
I think it comes down to survival in the differents countries.
I do eat meat, but could live as a vegetarian without a problem if it wouldn't mean cooking several meals a day. I limit my meat intake to two servings per week. Not because I feel sorry for the animals that had to die, but because of all the hormones etc. that animals now receive.

Answer 4

People are omnivores. We have canines, which are for "tearing meat", and we cannot live without b 12 which can only be derived from animal sources. When the question concerns companion animals you probably don't know this being a vegan, but meat is meat, and different parts of the world consider different kinds of meat as off limits. In some countries, dog is a delicacy, in other countries they won't eat pig, some hold cows as sacred animals, and some will slaughter and eat primates, sometimes raw. You are hypocritical if you claim not to consume animal products but are taking a b12 supplement. Guess it's a matter of whether you actually do the grilling or not, eh. Just because people give human characteristics to animals doesn't make them human. We are a group that fights like hell to save a dolphin who washes up on some beach, but commits tens of thousands of dogs and cats to die every year in shelters. You don't see people in submarines searching for dolphins who are dying in the ocean so they can give them first aid, only the ones who end up on shore. There is no explaining all human thought processes, after all, we are still evolving, but pretending that we are nobler somehow because we don't consume what we have to to live is silly.

Then there's the "christian" slant that says that everything on the earth is for our consumption, but that's a different story entirely.

Your question comes off as judgemental, like you are somehow 'better' than other humans because you don't admit to consuming any animal products. I hope that's not the case, but if it is, you are wrong.

Answer 5

Well, we don't eat meat because eating meat is supporting the mass of animal slaughter and cruelty. Every time you take a bite out of a burger or a hot dog, your increasing the animal cruelty. It is the reason why they get killed; to become your meal, hair product, makeup and clothing which is unfair. I love animals and i know that they have emotions and they can feel the pain also. If your ever get the chance to watch video clips of animals being abused in the slaughterhouse, you will understand why some people choose to become a vegetarian.

Answer 6

I'm not a vegetarian but I'm writing a persuasive speech for a class through which I'm going to persuade the audience that vegetarianism is the most logical and most healthy type of diet. It's actually been shown in a study by the American Dietetic Association that vegetarian diets can help lower cholesterol and prevent certain diseases when planned carefully and when they include a vitamin supplement. My reasons for not being a vegetarian: it's too hard to get all the protein I need without meat (I don't eat red meat, though) because I eat in a college dining hall (and I hate beans and eggs and stuff like that), plus I really like the taste of chicken.

Answer 7

Well you need at least one Smart-**** answer.
How many parakeets should I buy to feed 10 people at Thanksgiving. We eat meat (farm raised) because that is what we where taught from the beginning. When we started fending for ourselves we made choices,what do you want on your pizza, some continued the habit that we where taught some went the other direction. Hope you enjoy that milk the next time, that cat was a bear to hold down

Answer 8

Well, you already had enough Vegetarian hater comments so I won't leave any. Actually someone else already used mine :( J/K..haha. Anyways, I think many people eat meat because we are supposed to. If we weren't supposed to be omnivorius we wouldn't have evolved with the teeth we have today. As far as eating meat..it's up to the individual. I enjoy plenty of vegetarian dishes, but I have also eaten dog while in South Korea, and my neighbors on Oahu used to grill one every couple weeks..man did that stink. By the way, I was tricked into eating the dog.

Answer 9

1) We have rule over the animals

2) Meat is the only food that builds muscle

3) We don't want to spend half of our lives measuring vitamin pills

P.S.-"There was a post about 'what tastes better, cat or dogs' and many people thought it was a sick question - WHY is this sick? Aren't animals just animals?"

if you are a veg., why are you asking if this is sick...do all animals taste the same?

Answer 10

I like the flavor of meats.
Meat has a higher density of nutrition.

We all eat things that were living. Is there is a significant difference between eating a cow and eating a carrot? The cow may be a higher order being, but I doubt the carrot wants to die.