Meat While Travelling?

So I was just wondering how everybody felt about meat eating while you are experiencing different cultures.
For me, travelling helps to put in perspective the many diverse ways of life across the globe. Do you eat meat to be polite and to be open to all aspects of the new culture, so that you can acquire a more complete and accurate opinion of where you are visiting.... Or is it not necessary to try it because this one angle of "putting yourself in someone else's shoes" becomes irrelevant toyour experience?
-thomas

 

i aint a veggie or vegan but i would only eat what i would normally eat, accordin to my likes n dislikes.. I absolutely despise fish and seafood so therefore wouldnt eat anything with it elsewhere,,,,,

 

I really haven't gotten the chance to travel much, but I plan to, and when I do, I know I will continue to follow my vegan diet. I understand your point.. and why you'd be interested, but I don't feel as if I should have to compromise my morals just to experience a different culture. I highly disagree with meat-eating, and the thought of it pretty much makes me ill. I don't think it is at all necessary to eat meat to fit in, or truly learn about a new culture, but of course, to each their own.

 

I would not change my morality on this point any more than I would get a clitorectomy should I enter a country that practices that.

 

My thoughts exactly.

Except I have something else attached to my groin. :H

 

Doesn't make any diffrence to me.
I do not want to eat meat, have no reason to, and therefore don't do it.
That stands in every corner of the known universe, have never been anywhere that didn't offer some kind of veggie food.

Got nothing against other cultures, but can think of better ways to appreciate them that consuming food that repulses me.

 

I have been in so calles third world countries, where meat is extremely expensive for ordinary people, so they barely eat it. But if they have guests they do. I was invided for tea a couple of times, but if it was for a supper, I would have not declined the meat, as it would be very offensive to them, if I had declined it. And in a country, where hospitality to strangers and travellers has a great tradition, or even is a religious duty, I believe it is wrong to not at least try it. I surely would eat a whole plate, as probably there wouldn't be much anyway, but I would at least try it, to accept their hospitality.

Consuming meat there has nothing to do with consuming meat in europe or the US. Declining it is simply totally arrogant, in my oppinion. These people don't understand why one is vegetarian, as for them it is a sign of poverty, to not eat meat. For them, any European, or American is EXTREMELY rich. I am not saying that it is not worth explaining, but you can be happy if anyone spoke some broken english, so how do you want to communicate about deeply philosophical things if you don't speak arabic?

 

This is more of what I was getting at. How do you refuse a meal to someone who has worked all day to provide it when you cannot properly communicate the reason. I was visiting some of the poorer areas of Mexico (in and around Cuernavaca) and we were invited to a lunch at one of the homes of the village people. (Not unusual... the people (women and children mostly) are very warm and welcoming). So declining this invitation would have been comparable to declining meat at the dinner. We went into their "house" later on that day... which comprised of several plastic lawn chairs, 1 brick wall, dirt floor, no running water or electricity, and a half dozen dirty kids running around crazily. They first taught us how to make pita bread... then they sat us down (no table, they sat on the floor) and gave us each a bowl filled with curry like stuff in which there was either a chicken wing or leg. (the meat was pretty much the entire meal) I wasnt a vegetarian at the time, but to have said no to these people (who were obviously starving) would have been unacceptable.

So once again... Is the morality really worth the shame... They WILL remember and you ARE representing your country... or will you take the chance and hope they understand

 

Err.... no. I'm not representing any country. And is the morality worth the shame? Is that a serious question? What shame? I'd be more ashamed to compromise the moral core of my spirituality to appear "nice" to strangers. It's not arrogance, it's asking me to give up my religious beliefs.

 

I find it extremely offensive that you would say people who would decline meat are arrogant. Having my own opinions and beliefs, and actually following through on them, no matter the situation is arrogant? Fine, say what you must, but I think it's wrong for you to judge those of us who simply couldn't compromise our ehtics. Yes, I am against factory farming - the main part of the industry we have in the US, but I'm also against killing an innocent and beautiful animal, in general.

Tommyboy - morality is rather important, and my morals, especially those regarding animals and meat consumption are extremely important to me. I refuse to compromise my morals. I really don't understand the shame comment.. Yes, they would remember, but also, I could teach them more about my lifestyle while they were also teaching me about theirs. I really don't think it's necessary to eat a dead animal to truly understand a person's culture - I think you're kinda just grabbing at straws with this one. Also, if I would travel to another country, especially a third world country, it'd have nothing to do with my country - I really wouldn't be concerned about representating my country, rather I'd be more concerned about representating myself accurately.

 

I find myself giving up on the Vegan side when i'm out or travelling, because sometimes it's just too hard to find vegan dishes. But eating meat is not even an option regardless of the culture of wherever i am visiting.

I want to volunteer in poverty stricken countries, and i know i'll have to eat meat when i do, because you are basically provided with 1-2 meals a day, and they do not/can not cater to your preferences....i think that's the only time i will ever do it....and that will be merely a matter of survival.

 

I wouldn't even CONSIDER eating meat while traveling.

The beauty part of it, is that the US is larger on meat than basically anywhere in the world, so I'm GUESSING that it would most likely be EASIER for me to find things I like, and stay from animal products in other countries....but that is just a guess, and anyone of you can correct me if I'm wrong.

If I was in a poverty-stricken land, where the only thing they really had to offer for eats was beef or something... I honestly would eat grass or tree leaves if I had to. No joke. I could never bring myself to eating an animal, I would rather starve to death.

I'm already used to skipping meals because of a lack of options the way it is.... if I haven't made enough money one week to do grocery shopping and there is nothing around in my dad's house to eat, I just won't eat.

Call me crazy, or a real stickler, but I just could never bring myself to do it...

I don't find *meat* as a real part of ANY culture anyway. A culture consists of SO many different things aside from food, I don't even SEE food as a big part of culture. I know a lot of people do, but to me... food is just something you eat to keep yourself alive. I'd much rather go to Mexico to learn about traditions, and see the different landscapes than to eat a burrito.

I love to try new things, and different experiences, but to me, meat and animals products just aren't options...to me they aren't new experiences...

Fuck, I'll go to an african tribe and let them put a disk in my lip for all I care [I just watched a program about that last night, tis why it came to my mind...] but if they offered me cows blood, I'd POLITELY decline.

 

lol. travelling out of the country is probably one of the very BEST ways of getting acquainted with meatless dietary creativity. my husband's grandfather, though, who's a vegan, was offered a "grand" meal containing beef, which was AMAZING. he ate a little, since even though he was vegan through his religion, because he didn't wish to insult or hurt his host. he didn't consider the lasting personal harm to be worth the morality.

 

Have fun with that while i suckle on my beef nipple rather than dying of starvation. I think if you were actually placed in a situation where you hadn't eaten days, and you were becoming seriously mentally affected, you would eat anything that came your way.

 

Jesus Fucking Christ...

 

fuck uuuuuuuuuuuu
and
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and howwwwwww
this biiiiiiiiiiiitch
ruins
everythiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing.
i'm ouuuuuuuuut of these stupid forums AND ALL THINGS ON THE INTERNET BECAUSE IT FUCKING WRECKS LIVES. thanx.
paaaayce.

 

That's what I figured....

Sheesh, I wasn't trying to offend anyone, and I pretty much just had the same idea as mynameiskc ... And I'm sure there's different vegetation in other parts of the world, that I have never even *heard* of or knew was edible, that would be an "experience" to try as well.

I really just don't even consider meat as food. If someone offered me a pair of pants to eat, I wouldn't eat that anymore than I'd eat an exotic fish, or something.

 

By the way, I was not personally attacking anyone, I was responding to the base of the thread, I rarely even read people's responses to a thread I haven't yet replied to anyhow.

 

well, i didn't think so, anyway. people all have their different ways of responding to things, their different standards to uphold. diplomacy and a sweet smile can get you through just about any cultural shock.