Rumble in veggie land

I may be quite new to all this, but I’m beginning to notice that in the blogosphere there is a distinct divide between vegetarians and vegans. Now, I’ve always considered them, us, as nearly them same, kindred spirits, birds of a feather. But it seems I may be wrong.

Most of the best blogs I’ve come across have been vegan blogs, I have to admit. And I reckon this is because vegans are more marginalised and more extreme in their views, and hence more conscious of and vocal about their beliefs?

Despite the fact that many vegetarians stopped eating meat because of cruelty to animals (though not me, I was born veggie, remember), in most cases, in my experience, it was largely an emotional response. They just couldn’t face eating the lovely lambs that gambolled so gaily in the fields, that kind of thing. Many vegetarians also say they never really liked the taste of meat.

But vegans, well, they usually begin their explanation with: “The more I found out about …” This is only my experience, but it seems veganism is more of an intellectual response. I mean, eating honey isn’t so obviously “wrong”, emotionally, in the same way as meat is, which is obviously a dead animal that was once living. It is only when you learn how it is produced, and think about it, that you begin to go off it.

I only say all this because I’m trying to understand the distinct sense of antipathy vegans in the blogosphere [is that a word?] have towards vegetarians. And I think it may be because they see us as half-arsed animal lovers, maybe even a bit soft because even though we can't face eating meat, we’re not strong enough to follow the argument through to its conclusion and realise that it’s just as bad to eat other animal products.

But, you see, as a vegetarian, I’m not following an argument. I just don’t like meat and don’t want to eat meat. I have an emotional palate. Is that bad? Are we the New Labour to the vegan’s Socialism, wanting a fairer system, but not willing to completely rewrite the rulebook? Maybe. But I think vegans should realise that the emotional response is important, and while they may be the real embodiment of civilisation I claimed for vegetarians in an earlier post, our hearts are all in the same place. So let’s be friends, hey?

Vegetables are good for you shock

The story that US scientists have "discovered" that vegetables are good for you, after experiments on mice genetically modified to be susceptible to heart attacks, leaves me shaking my head in weary disbelief.

We know vegetables are good for you. They worked that out bleeding years ago. And they probably used mice to prove it. So don't go doing it again! Leave the mice alone. You only have to sit down and eat some vegetables to know they're good for you. You can feel it. The science world's obsession with trying to prove everything (except the efficiency of childhood vaccinations, incidentally, which they can't test because it would be unethical to run human trials, the final and only conclusive step of any medical experiment) is beyond belief, at times. You know, they only banned stag hunting in the UK after scientists "proved" that it caused the stag distress. Like, you thought they enjoyed being chased by wild dogs and being mauled to death? It almost makes you think they should do a study to determine the link between scientists and stupidity.

Still, at least they didn't find out that vegetables are bad for you.

Attack the vegan activist

It has been a while since I commented on Heather Mills McCartney and how her campaigning, which included a lot of promoting vegetarianism and veganism, was getting on many people's nerves, for some reason. Well, since then the tabloids have bitten her ankles like a rabid dog and refused to let go, to the extent that she's now being accused of being a former prostitute who took part in mass lesbian romps, or something like that.

Of course, it's not just down to her vegetarian preaching - gold-digging accusations, general personal dislike and a kick-em-while-their-down-cos-it-feels-good-and-sells-papers mentality are all at play - but I'm sure it all began with her telling Canada to stop killing seals and telling people to stop drinking milk. Which is all pretty scary, really, that you can invoke such hate for such blameless, virtuous sentiments. And it's hard to imagine many other issues that would provoke such a reaction.

It all links back to my even earlier point about the primitiveness of eating meat. It seems to me that people are unconsciously indulging their basic primeval instincts when they eat meat, which is not necessarily bad. However, it seems they may react in kind, with biting attacks, if you tell them not to. It's a lesson for any animal rights activists thinking of marrying a multi-billionaire rock star and then using their newfound fame to further the cause. For the rest of us, we'll just get the ever-so-slightly-annoyed raised eyebrows as usual.

No news is good news, right?

All quiet in the world of vegetarianism, it seems. No new breakthroughs, reports, polls or surveys to comment on, but I felt I should say something or it might look like I didn't care or something. A bit off subject, but only a bit, did you see that Spain is planning to give legal rights to apes?

It's quite a step, but one that the animal rights activists among you will regard as a mere nod in the right direction. It is a less than straightforward idea, though. I mean, do apes then have to behave according to human laws? And what about other animals? Where do we draw the line on giving rights to the animals that are "most like us"? Could it spell the end of keeping pets, or at least ones you have to tie on a leash? And is it merely philosophical dribbling, without any substance? I mean, according to the reports, zoos will still be able to keep apes in cages. Hmmm.

Elsewhere, I've been eating a stunningly hearty and delicious breakfast recently. Grated apple, oats, mixed seeds, blueberries, strawberries, sweetened soya milk, honey and hazelnuts. Yum.