Vegetarianism | Page 2 | Fab forum

paulsbass said:

Just one more thing to pay you great respect for! Well done!

I used to be a veggie for about 10 years, but when I got married to a non-veggie I got weak from time to time…

In my heart I'm still a veggie though, and I see the need for much more people eating much less meat, it's about the best thing you can do for yourself AND the planet.

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Thanks! But I don't think it deserves congratulations. In honesty it's something I rarely think about because I don't see it as a sacrifice. The only time it becomes an issue is when I'm in a foreign country that doesn't really understand the idea of eating meat – then I end up eating a lot of salad or cheese toasties.

I'm married to a former vegetarian who largely stopped eating meat again when we got together, mostly out of convenience (it doesn't make much sense to cook meat-based meals for one), and because she doesn't really mind either way. She still eats fish now and then but of course it's up to her what she does. I always see it as a completely personal choice, and wouldn't do anything myself just because someone else said I should – I can't stand preachy vegetarians who lecture or criticise others for what they do.

But you're right, it is better for the planet to eat less meat. The way I see it, it would be great if we could live without harming animals or using the Earth's resources to feed and breed them. I think every effort is a step in the right direction, but whether that means forgoing the odd burger or becoming a strict vegetarian it has to be up to the individual.

They do here in the UK. In fact, I think they changed the rules a few years ago so the ingredients list say beef gelatine or pork gelatine. When I was in the Jewish museum in Berlin (a really interesting place, incidentally) they were selling kosher Haribo sweets made of fish gelatine.