Off-Topic: Vegetarianism

I intended to write this post on August 5th after reading an article on the BBC's web site. At first I decided not to, because I've been making a lot of off-topic posts lately. But after being unable to resist writing about bread yesterday I decided it doesn't matter. So I apologise to all my hardcore film fans who aren't interested in anything else but films. Here are my thoughts on vegetarianism.

There are five major reasons for a person to be a vegetarian:

1. His religion forbids eating meat
2. He pities animals
3. He doesn't like the taste of meat
4. He is allergic to meat
5. He thinks eating meat is unhealthy

(1) If your religion forbids the eating of meat, you're right to obey whatever your holy book says. Some religions are selective. Sikhs don't eat beef and Jews don't eat pork. Certain branches of Hinduism advocate strict vegetarianism. It's a matter of your personal conscience within your own belief system. I assume that the majority of my readers come from a Christian background, so let me tell you what the Bible (New Testament) has to say on the subject:

1 Corinthians 10:25 says "Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience".

Romans 14:2 says "One believes he may eat anything, while the weak man eats only vegetables", but continues in verse 3 by saying "Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats".

These verses are significant. The Bible clearly excludes both vegetarianism and the selection of "clean" and "unclean" meat, but it also forbids arguing about it. In the early days of Christianity many Christians thought it was wrong to eat pork, due to a misunderstanding of the covenant made with Abraham. Rather than argue over trivial points of doctrine like diet, Paul says believers should concentrate on the more important points of doctrine that they agree on.

(2) There's not much I can say about pitying animals. Some people think that it's cruel to kill an animal to eat it. This is an opinion held by a minority of people, but it's just that: an opinion. It's impossible to say if they're right or wrong. All I can say is that in western countries animals are slaughtered humanely, so that they don't suffer. They aren't even aware of their death. On the other hand, there are many people, including myself, who are selective in their choice of the animals they eat because of feelings towards them. I have never eaten a dog or a cat, and probably never shall, because I think of them as pets. In England it's not usual to eat horsemeat, but it's relatively common in Germany. And it tastes good!

(3) If you don't like meat, just accept it. Don't force yourself to eat something you don't like. This is very common on a selective basis. Many people only eat poultry because they dislike the taste of beef and pork. Other people only eat fish, no meat at all. Incidentally, some people who only eat fish call themselves vegetarians. There's a certain logic to this, because they say they don't eat meat, but it's incorrect. Real vegetarians, whatever their reason for being vegetarian, are annoyed by them calling themselves vegetarians. The correct word to describe someone who eats fish but no meat is "pescetarian".

(4) The same arguments apply to this as those in the last paragraph.

(5) This is actually the main reason why I wanted to make this post. The most common reason for vegetarianism in western countries is that it's healthy. Even those who are vegetarian for other reasons add, "It's healthier anyway". I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it isn't true. The health advantages of vegetarianism are pure propaganda used to win people over, made without scientific backing.

The most common claim is that vegetarians live longer. Scientific studies are inconclusive, but they point in the opposite direction. The problem is that it's very difficult to get unbiased results. On the one hand, a larger percentage of vegetarians than non-vegetarians smokes. This could be a reason for their shorter life expectancy. On the other hand, people who eat meat have, on average, more active lifestyles and do more sport than vegetarians. Maybe this should be allowed in surveys, because the lack of meat in a diet may lead to more lethargy. Apart from this, is a comparison fair that lumps all meat-eaters together? Some people eat a lot of meat, others eat only moderate amounts, some people eat only certain types of meat, some people eat meat that contain preservatives, etc. There are so many different factors to consider.

The BBC article that I mentioned in the first paragraph is about the cloning of meat; meat can now be grown without needing a live animal. This should satisfy vegetarians in the first two categories that I named. This invention moves us one step closer to Star Trek's food replicators.