Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with carnivore

Is a vegetarian diet man's "intended" diet?

sorrenn — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:30:00 -0800

Does the evidence indicate that man was intended to eat meat, or is a vegetarian/vegan diet the superior and intended one? Is there evidence one way or the other that has surfaced in recent years? What would you say to people who strongly hold the opposing view?

No-carb carnivore cooking and diet tips?

korpios — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:08:31 -0800

What are some cooking and diet tips for an ovo-lacto carnivore? (No, that wasn't a typo.) After reading Good Calories, Bad Calories, I swiftly changed my entire dietary regimen over to a near-zero-carbohydrate diet. I still eat leafy greens — but other than that, I barely touch single-carb foods and refuse to eat anything with more than a single carb per serving. The bulk of my diet now consists of meat, eggs, and cheese, along with servings of spinach leaves here and there. While I've gotten creative with mixing ingredients into omelettes, I'd like to expand my culinary horizons a bit while staying within the boundaries of my chosen diet. Does anyone have any suggestions for doing so? (Examples: ingredients to try, useful cooking techniques, or recipe sources.)

Note: Please do not reply with either moral or major health concerns regarding my diet; that's not what I'm asking for. Minor health concerns, e.g., "you might want to take a Vitamin C supplement", are okay.

All we are saying is give meat a chance.

Item — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:48:59 -0800

After 13 years of vegetarianism - my entire adult life - I've decided to start eating meat. Looking for advice in the form of books, websites, and personal anecdotes. I stopped eating meat for a number of reasons. Rebellion was certainly one of them, as were health and the fact that I was never crazy about meat to begin with. Though I told myself that politics came into play in my decision, I'm not sure that they ever really did. I flirted with veganism for a few periods as well, but could never really buy into it.

As time wore on, my vegetarianism became mostly an issue of discipline and self control, and I was damn good at it. I never cheated. I actually let myself go hungry a few times rather than eat what was available to me at the time when it contained meat, which, looking back, was not only rude but also a bit dangerous (I'm hypoglycemic).

I've done a lot of thinking about it lately and have had some interesting conversations regarding veganism/vegetarianism being a privileged choice, something that is keeping me from experiencing the whole of cultures I'm interested in. I've also been ridiculously low on energy and my hypoglycemia's not getting any better. For these reasons and a few other personal ones I've decided that I want to try giving meat a place in my diet. I broke the barrier last night in a way that I don't plan on making a habit of - with a cheeseburger from a local chain. Damn. I still feel full today, though not sick or nauseated. I don't plan on eating meat again for one full week, at which time I already know what I'm going to have - BBQ. After that, a few times a week at most. I have no desire to eat it every day and seriously doubt I'll develop one. I really dislike fish, for what it's worth, though some other forms of seafood might end up appealing to me.

What I'm looking for is personal stories of going back to meat to gain some insight. I'm also interested in books or other resources that'll help me maintain a healthy diet integrating flesh and non-flesh.

One last thing: currently, I am a manager of a very strict vegan restaurant, a successful place that is employed by carnivores and herbivores alike. They know I'm not vegan - should I mention my new, carnivorous ways if it won't hurt my job security? I know, you can't answer that unless you knew every last detail about the place and the people involved, but throw me an opinion if you'd like. Though it hasn't really played into my decision, I've always been for personal choice and have never approved of militant vegans, something I come into contact with now on a daily basis. Any suggestions as to what to say should I 'come out' other than 'it's a personal matter' are also welcome here.

VegetarianFilter

bad grammar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:07:48 -0800

Can I call myself a vegetarian if I only eat meat 10% of the time (approximately 10% of total calories)? I realize, AskMe and Metafilter being what they are, this question is possibly redundant and likely to summon forth the political vegans and the unrepentant, obligate carnivores.

Attending a work-related barbecue party, I was turned off by the huge amounts of grilled dead animals and had a vegeburger instead. When asked, by someone I don't know well, I said that I was a vegetarian. I did this because I didn't feel like explaining why I didn't want to eat an entire hamburger, a hot dog, and an entire half of a chicken, besides all the sides, that day.

I now feel morally put on the spot and obliged to convert the partial lie into truth by becoming a vegetarian. (I feel guilty over lying to this person. I do not fit in well at this workplace, and intend to leave in two years.)

Overall I would say that meat comprises no more than 10-15% of my total consumption. I already don't eat meat at my routine breakfasts and lunches. My breakfast is usually cereal, and for lunch I have nuts, cereal bars, fruit, or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

However, I am currently living with and cooking dinners for people who do eat meat, and who would be quite unhappy were it taken off the menu, though many of our dinners use meat Asian fashion, more as a condiment in small amounts than a large staple. Once or twice a week we have steak, but I don't eat more than the recommended 4 ounces.

I don't think I could become a total vegetarian without causing disruption in this living situation and without feeling deprived and climbing the walls. Am I effectively a vegetarian by American standards and hence I don't have to eat my words?

Vegetarian Meals for a Steak-and-Potatoes kind of guy?

Alabaster — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:28:57 -0800

Vegetarian meals for a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy? I'm an unabashed carnivore but--for philosophical and nutritional reasons--I'd like to eventually go vegetarian (or at least to make meat much less prominent in my diet). I'm looking for vegetarian meals and snacks that can be as filling and savory (and proteinlicious) as a steak dinner or burger...

Meat substitutes are ok (I actually like some of the Gardenburger and Boca brands), but I'm more interested in "legit" vegetarian meals that don't involve tricking myself into thinking I'm eating meat.

P.S. I hate mushrooms with a passion and I have already dismissed the "try a portabello mushroom, it's almost like steak" suggestion, so feel free to skip over that one.

That Goat Has Devil Eyes!

TheWhiteSkull — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:12:56 -0800

Goat is delicious. What are some other ways to cook it? I enjoy eating goat, but I've mostly had it in various stewed, curried or braised form. Often the cut seems to be mixed pieces of rib or back. Is there such thing as a goat chop? I've seen a couple of recipes for roast leg of goat, but that's more goat than I want to cook. Is there a cut that works well for pan frying or grilling (perhaps with a cumin seed rub of some sort)? Could I find something like this at a halal butcher?

Bonus points for recipes or recipe ideas.

I am not a conspiracy theorist, but. . .

exlotuseater — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 23:37:34 -0800

What kinds of high-technology things exist now but will only come to light 50 or 100 years from now? Speculative, but asking for concrete answers. I was thinking about Scientific American's "50, 100, 150 years ago" column, in which the magazine revisits earlier articles, some speculative, some cutting-edge, current science. Some of it seems silly or absurd in retrospect, but only time provides this lens.

In a sort of reversal, I was thinking about high-technology now, and how some things only come to light many years after the fact. The whole cloak-and-dagger CIA history, with poison darts and exploding cigars, the real James Bond stuff. The military did all sorts of unethical testing (radiation, chemical, etc) on human subjects, and of course we only found out years after the fact through FOIA requests and research.

What about satellites? We know they have a certain resolution (Terraserver, Google Maps, USGS, etc) but that resolution is at the level deemed acceptable for civilian use. What don't we know? Same with GPS-- military GPS is more refined than what you can get on your Garmin or whatever. What other capabilities do you think that they might have that we don't know? What about Eschelon, and Carnivore? What else is there? We know about Raytheon's pain-ray, because they're deploying it now-- what about the stuff "they" don't want to tell us?

Obviously the military-industrial complex is a prime source for this sort of stuff, and I understand that part of the problem of the very nature of my question is this same time-lens that we don't have yet--but we can speculate based on what has come before. If you can come up with ideas, please try to suggest antecedents or why you think that technology X is being used or developed today.

I am looking for answers in any field, particularly science--psychology, biology, physics, cartography, geology, etc.

What shady business is going on that we'll find out about after the fact?