This is a discussion about people approaching veganism. Someone describing their opinion of an animal based food is appropriate discussion for this thread.
Of course I don't, although in my case it is. The deeper point is that if people were to reflect more closely on the origin of their food, this would certainly be a win for veganism. After all, plants are seen as many things but "gross" is not usually one of them.
Disappointed you had to jump straight into censorious mode and tell others literally to shut up.
I'm not telling you to shut up. But I am telling you that you're probably not convincing as many people as you'd wish by telling them that their culture and way of life is "gross".
Also, some of the best plant based food is totally gross. Fermentation is life.
telling them that their culture and way of life is “gross”.
Hard to deny that in most cases. But not all, because people's minds work differently. Personally I rind risible the idea that somebody is attacking my "culture and way of life" when they question my diet. Am I really so rare in my individualism and openness to new ideas?
Because here's the thing: I personally have stopped eating certain foods simply after thinking about what they are. Cheese is literally the congealed secretions of the mammalian reproductive apparatus. Pretty yucky when you think about it like that, right? No rational arguments or statistics required. That's a pretty cheap conversion to veganism. Yes, I know that most people will not be open to this kind of novelty thinking. But presumably some will, especially if it can be done with humor.
Also, some of the best plant based food is totally gross. Fermentation is life.
True. I've always found mushrooms a bit icky too, but I soldier on and eat them anyway because they're so healthy.
I mean, I totally believe people who would find the act of milking a cow to be disgusting have no business drinking milk from the supermarket. We need to reflect on where food comes from, and if that changes people's habits that's probably a good thing.
In part, I think legislation should play a role here. When buying milk you should be able to know what kind of conditions the cows lived under and what they were fed. I don't think there's anything disgusting about cow milk as such. Induatrial farming, on the other hand...
To pursue my point, something is definitely happening on the disgust front. A few decades ago, it was normal in the West to eat offal. Now plenty of Westerners are grossed out when they find bits of bone in their chicken broth at an Asian restaurant. For meat to be widely palatable these days, it has be only the best cuts, if possible in a sealed packet with no indication that it comes from an animal. Part of the explanation is surely a subconscious awareness of the horrors of factory farming. But I think something more fundamental's going on. Something about disconnection from nature, ironically.
Absolutely agree that legislation must bring transparency to factory farming.