drplokta

Well, it seems to me that vegans "can" eat raw beef for that matter; the material question is whether in interferes with their ideological purity (or, in some cases, their digestion). If the idea is to avoid exploiting animals, then presumably ones that died of old age or at least non-human agency are fair game, and thus, chalk be fine. Though once you make that decision, then I suppose there's no reason why vegans couldn't eat roadkill and anything else that's expired of natural causes, but I reckon you'd want the cause of death well documented, to say the very least.

There's a chalk and cheese joke in all this somewhere, but clearly, as someone who is callously willing to drink juices colored with cochineal, I'm unqualified to make it.

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darth-tigger.livejournal.com

There's a chalk and cheese joke in all this somewhere

*snork*

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there's no reason why vegans couldn't eat roadkill and anything else that's expired of natural causes

That rather depends on whether you consider an animal being run over to be a death of natural causes...

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stevegreen.livejournal.com

What if it was run over by another animal?

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Depends if the other animal was a carnivore, and if so, whether the run-over animal was the running-over animal's natural prey.

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pickledginger.livejournal.com

You fiend! depriving that hungry carnivore of its prey! ;-)

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frandowdsofa.livejournal.com

And some vegans won't eat certain vegetables because of the insect life they harbour - onions in particular - and some won't eat plants that propagate by shoots (root veg, potato) as they each contain the possibility of many souls.

(Jainism)

If I were going to restrict my diet for ethical reasons, veganism is the best way to go. Vegetarians, who eat milk and cheese, worry me - what do they think happens to the baby animal that milk was destined for? VEAL, that's what happens.

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I am not a vegetarian because I love animals. I am a vegetarian because I hate plants.

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If one is going to worry about the collateral death or suffering of animals one isn't eating or wearing, then vegans would pretty much have to give up on anything grown by mechanized farming as well: apparently the death toll by combine harvester can be fairly horrific. (Though even an animal-drawn plow is likely to reap a bloody harvest in field mice, earthworms, moles, shrews, and assorted insects, *and* it exploits the horses/oxen.) And farming that employs pesticides is presumably right out. But even organic farming has its potential moral failings -- blood-, bone-, and fish-meal fertilizers depend on the deaths of animals, obviously. And manure as fertilizer will presumably be coming from exploited animals. And so on and so forth.

And none of it, presuming one can find any morally correct food, may be eaten off of bone china without treyfing the whole deal after all.

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Quite. I will happily support vegetarians and vegans who have made that choice on health grounds, but the ethical argument has always seemed rather unconvincing and inconsistent for the reasons you give.

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rhionnach.livejournal.com

I am a vegetarian because I just do not like meat! Is that OK?

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That's fine by me.

As an aside, I really don't understand near-carnivores (and I've known a couple) who refuse to eat anything *but* meat because they don't like vegetables. That's just barmy!

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For that matter, what do vegans do when invited to eat off Granny's good bone china?

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timill

But the real question: is chalk kosher?

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As you would expect, opinions differ.

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bibliofile.livejournal.com

My friend

marsgov has told me that it's often easier to keep kosher than it is to be vegetarian. I think we were more likely discussing gelatin than chalk, however, as a case in point.

The guidelines for kosher, of course, come in handy guidebooks; rules vary by tradition, but it's all laid out for you. Vegetarians . . not so much.

(Mike, is *this* what started the conversation over at Making Light, or was something else the mutual inspiration?)

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rhionnach.livejournal.com

Why all this picking at what vegans will or will not eat? Can't you just leave them to their choices and let them eat whatever they want?

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tobesv.livejournal.com

NO

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johncoxon.livejournal.com

Well said.

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No, because people who eat meat secretly know that those of us who don't have much nicer meals and are far healthier. Plus they feel guilt-tripped because they're certain we're building up massive karma with every animal we don't eat. So naturally, they have to pick at us with stupid questions like these... :-)

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I don't have guilty feelings about a lack of karma. I get more than enough karma in my diet by eating things that are rich in karma.

(that is how it works, isn't it?)

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Carrots are especially rich in karma.

And Vitamin D.

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Actually, it's the passive-aggressive vegan superiority dance we really enjoy watching. :-) :-)

(oooh, look, I used emoticons. That means no one can hold me accountable for what I say.)

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*big hug*

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*kiss* *kiss*, Sweetie Baby Cookie Honey.

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Darling! *mwah!*

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pickledginger.livejournal.com

:o)

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