Hey guys, So I'm writing an ethnographic essay on vegetarians, and I need some personal input (and quotes!) from people who are vegetarians, or are considering to be. This essay is sort of a description of vegetarians as a sub-culture, so any information you have into this would be great! Pretty much, I would like to know how you believe your daily life differs from non-vegetarians and how you believe that being a vegetarian helps define yourself. Any other information (such as personal diet, personal experiences, trials and tribulations) would be much appreciated! Thanks guys!
Hello Waitingforthesun, Well, I have only been a vegetarian for a little over two years. Don't really consider myself different from meateaters, maybe healthier? I do it mostly for health reasons, keeping cholesterol down and I feel its safer than eating meat. They put so much crap in the feed for animals raised in factory style farms. We raise a lot of our own veggies, can a lot for winter as well as freeze some of the bounty. Also, I hate the thought of something being killed/slaughtered just for me to be able to eat its dead body parts. How cruel is that? Every creature has the right to live, I don't have the right to say which ones can live or which shall be a burger king burger!? Just my opinion, and opinions are like elbows. Everybody has a couple of them! lol Peaceful Happy thoughts your way.... Farmout
Well, I would say that I first went vegetarian sometime in 2003. Then it was for mostly environmental reasons. As I stopped eating meat then I became more open to the animal rights arguments and I went vegan shortly thereafter. I’ve got to say as far as a sub-culture goes, its not all that cohesive, there are plenty of vegetarians who are in it for health reasons or the environment or animal rights or any combination of those. But I would say in general that most vegetarians are seen as counter-culture in their ideals and are often more in touch with social issues and the like. For me, I guess I see other vegetarians as more compassionate and caring than omnivores. Why should I participate in creating a torturous life for an animal to then be slaughtered for the momentary benefit to by palate? I don't like to think of animals as a means to an end (my plate) and I think they deserve far more respect than they are currently given.
i became a vegetarian in 1997 and it was a battle with my parents. they are divorced so my dad made me do research on it before i converted and made me eat chicken and fish to ease me into it...remembering it...yuck! and my mom was freaked out and tried to force me to eat steak and burgers but i told her i could cook for myself which i did. my grandma made fun of me and tried to force me too but i cooked for myself. but they soon all adapted when they saw the health benefits. of course my then boyfriend now husband helped get the point across. i will admit i have caved in to fish once in a while but now it sort of makes me sick to my stomach. but going back to topic now that everyone is cool with it my mom and step-dad are even eating vegetarian stuff which makes me feel good. so is my dad and my sister too. so something that they were all against made them think better about their own health issues. now my husband and i are thinking about veganism. but that may take some time. what orginally made me want to be vegetarian was the health benefits but now even more its the animal rights part and the extra stuff that should not be in there. i love being a vegetarian. i feel a lot better about myself as a person in body, mind & spirit. ^_^
