Meat eating DUers... could you kill for your food?

[redqueen]

Just curious. I know I could.

[jpgray]

1. In a few grocery store lines, I've thought exactly that. (nt)

[redqueen]

9. Soooo... could you?

[NuckinFutz]

2. yup...n/t

[kerrywins]

3. no....i could never kill an animal

but i can eat one thats already prepared...

[Silverhair]

4. Already have. Many times.

I grew up on a farm.

[soothsayer]

5. yes, i think I could but I don't really want to try it

[Burma Jones]

6. Can, and have done so

Everything from Oysters to Steers..............

[Tsiyu]

69. Finally. !!!!!!!!!

The stupid browser wouldn't let me post to any but this one. You're the lucky one, new_beawr.


It's funny you should ask, redqueen. I was just reviewing some old airchecks ( Watch out. I'm thinking of getting back on the radio.) and one of the topics of one of the old tapes i had was "Could you kill what you eat?"

Basically, the non-meat eaters said the meat eaters were cowards for not actually partaking in the death of what they consume, and the meat -eaters said the non-meat eaters were wusses for not consuming meat at all.

But then there were all sorts of comments in between. It all started because a cow kept getting loose, nobody knew whose cow it was and I was going to take it home if no one claimed it.

My kids said, "Why?"

"To eat!" I replied, which made them mad.

It was a great talk show topic....that's why I've had so much trouble adding basically nothing to your thread!


On edit: meat eating and the number of this thread. Since this IS the lounge....*bhg snickers*

[redqueen]

84. hahahahahahaha

meat eating indeed! :9

[dubyaD40web]

7. yep

have before..

[MissMillie]

8. sure

and I have, actually. Anyone who has ever caught a fish and ate it has.

[RevolutionaryActs]

10. Fish and poultry, yes.

I don't think I could kill a cow, even though I'm not a fan of them, but I seldom eat red meat, or pork anyway. :)

[cags]

11. Only if I was starving

[sniffa]

12. sure

for food, sport, boredom, or keeping them from taxing my tea.

[StopTheMorans]

21. i'm with him

:thumbsup:

[progressoid]

13. Sure, no prob

[tridim]

14. No.. And I can't eat animals that still look like animals on the plate

Like lobster, crawfish, unpeeled shrimp, whole fish, etc. It's very psychological. Hamburger certainly doesn't look like a cow, so I can eat it.

[MrModerate]

15. Yep, if I had to.

Father used to go on regular bambi hunts to kill cute animals that had never done us any harm. Accompanying him, I once successfully put a lead projectile through the body of an innocent creature, eviscerated it, rode home with it barbarically displayed on the hood, arranged for it to be professionally dismembered and packaged, and cooked and ate it (1) over the next several months.

Ick. Sounds bad even to me, after all these years.

(1) actually, my mom did the cooking, as I didn't master the skill until I was much older.

[Mizmoon]

16. No

[rbnyc]

17. Yes.

I'd rather kill a chicken I raised myself than buy a chicken in the store. I'd feel much better about it.

I don't think I could kill a rabbit, but I don't eat rabbit anyway.

I have killed many fish! :9

I don't know about shooting a deer. It seems to me that there just isn't that much habitat left, and that hunting might not make as much sense as it used to. I'd have to think about it.

But I would love to someday have a little land and raise my own chickens, maybe keep some bees, and grow my own vegetables.

[redqueen]

25. I think I know what you mean about feeling better about it.

American Indians used to thank their prey. I wonder if people would feel less guilty about eating dead animals if they had a more personal relationship with the animal in the first place. I wonder how many people even feel guilty about it ...

[rbnyc]

27. I have loads of meat guilt

But it's industry related. It's not that the animals die, it's how they die, and how they live.

[redqueen]

29. Same here.

:hi:

I was thinking more of people who feel guilty about eating meat.

[Billy Ruffian]

36. No problem

as far as this goes, though I don't know about shooting a deer. It seems to me that there just isn't that much habitat left, and that hunting might not make as much sense as it used to. I'd have to think about it.


I'm moderately sure that deer are thriving throughout the US. Mrs. R has to be careful in her commute, as she sees deer very often at the side of the road. A deer hit the side of my car two weeks ago.

There are some locations where the municipal gov't has police and/or paid hunters killing deer.

They are antlered rats ;-)

[Lone Pawn]

18. Nope, but I also could not build my own car or produce my own electricity.

[redqueen]

24. hahahahaha

You probably won't need to, ever. Those things are not as necessary as food is.

[monobrau]

19. I have

I haven't hunted for years, and have no interest in it anymore, but I have eaten what I have killed. I have also killed a domestic chicken and prepared and eaten it.

[Liberal Veteran]

20. I would prefer to kill my own food.

If given the choice, I'd much rather live out on a farm again and raise my own food (meat and vegetables) and know exactly what the animals have been eating, how they were treated, and their general state of health.

[redqueen]

26. My thoughts exactly.

:hi:

[WilliamPitt]

22. I can and have.

[cmf]

23. Fish definitely

and of course shellfish. Birds, I'm not sure. I think that if I was very hungry, I could kill birds and small furry animals for food.

Pigs and cows, not so much. But I don't really eat those as it is.

[mike_c]

28. can and have....

It's a necessary part of life, and while I don't enjoy killing, I do occasionally slaughter an animal for the freezer. I do not hunt for sport. Humans are omnivorous heterotrophs, so killing plants and animals is a necessary aspect of life.

I do occasionally point out to vegetarians who get self rightous about it that at least meat-eaters usually kill their food before cooking or eating it. Most vegies are alive up until the moment you pop them into the pot or your mouth....

[redqueen]

32. I've thought about that, too.

Are you sure the fruits veggies are alive in the grocery aisle? They're certainly still nicely-colored enough as to seem so...

[mike_c]

38. oh yeah-- they turn brown and slimy when they die....

Of course, they're usually undergoing severe and prolonged water stress while they await the coup de grace of consumption, so their suffering is hard to imagine.... :evilgrin:

[progmom]

76. I can't and won't eat anything I think is cute.

How dumb is that? Cows are borderline. Pigs....I will rarely eat pig.

[Maine-ah]

30. yep, no problem.

[kick-ass-bob]

31. I have...

That lady in the store would not relinquish the last bag of Lays.

:silly:

[redqueen]

37. haha...

:spank:

[Solly Mack]

33. Yes

[Ready4Change]

34. Fish and crabs.

I've killed and eaten fish and crabs. Nothing more "advanced" than that, but I believe I could given enough motivation.

I'd hesitate at far larger animals, such as cows and pigs, not so much from compassion so much as waste. I don't have the know how or skill (at this point) to make full use of such a mass. I feel enough compassion about killing that, if I am to do so, I would intend to do so with as little waste as possible. So, a chicken, rabbit or squirrel I'd do ok with. But I'd hesitate with anything larger if it weren't an absolute emergency.

Frankly, I think there is very little difference in importance between plant and animal life. I can't rationalize making a big distinction between the two. Instead I look at what we, as humans, seem biologically equipped for, and that is a mixed diet. We're omnivores, and a totally vegan or totaly carnivorous life style goes against our design.

All imho.

[Misunderestimator]

35. I could kill a fish... but that's where I draw the line.

I don't eat much red-meat as it is, so I would definitely do without before killing anything, even a chicken. Plenty of other things that fulfill our nutritional needs than red meat.

[SarahB]

39. If I had to.

Actually, I find hunting more humane than commercial agriculture (and I grew around farms).

[arwalden]

40. Whom Did You Have In Mind? And How Much Food Would I Get?

[redqueen]

42. hahahahahahahaha

:hi:

[Mr. McD]

41. Would, could and have.

A guy's gotta eat.

I grew up on a ranch, we butchered our own meat, a couple hogs and a steer every year. And around 500 chickens. Had to feed the hired hands.

No big deal.:)

[redqueen]

43. I'd love to have a ranch.

How many hired hands did you have?

[Mr. McD]

48. It varied , there were usually 3 year round and

up to 12 during haying season.

[redqueen]

50. Thanks...

sounds reasonable... I may just go ahead and move this fantasy from daydreaming to planning. :)

[DS1]

44. Yeah. I've never killed anything for sport, but I'd pull the trigger,

loose the arrow, spring the trap in a heartbeat if I had to eat.

[cally]

83. Same

I could kill an animal to eat. I choose not to, but it's not because I don't know that someone else killed the animal.

My first choice would be deer. We have so many deer where I live and, well, I could hunt deer.

[mojavekid]

45. Would and have,

and a bit more humane than the factory farm meat I consume....guilty.

[Lilith Velkor]

46. Of course.

That was my reply when the vegan I was dating asked me that, and he was dumbfounded. He already knew I'm an omnivore. Sheesh, some people.

[murielm99]

47. I live on a farm.

We never slaughtered our own animals. We took them to a local slaughterhouse that is much better than the big commercial places.

We only grow small grains now. We don't raise livestock any more.

When we did raise cattle and hogs, we only had a few at a time. They were raised much differently than on the big commercial operations.

My father butchered hogs when he grew up on the farm during the Depression.

We have hunted deer that helped the food budget all winter. And we get pheasants once in awhile.

We don't fish much. We have a garden.

If you are closer to the soil, and it is your livelihood, it is a different matter.

I don't have a problem with vegetarians. Live your lives and I will live mine.

[xmas74]

90. My best friend's husband is a hunter.

He hunts deer, rabbit,pheasant, turkey, duck-nearly every type of bird. Plus, he fishes regularly (he has promised to take my daughter fishing for the first time this summer w/ his daughter). They freeze it and it lasts the whole winter. It is the cheapest and freshest way for them to squeeze their food budget. They save a lot of money (and fresh turkey tastes great!)
I don't have to hunt since they always offer me extra, if I want it. I get the extra tags every year (I know, illegal) and if I want anything, they use my tags for deer season.
I would rather my daughter know where her food really comes from than have her think that it comes wrapped in cellophane.

[Worst Username Ever]

49. I have killed rabbits and pheasants for food.

Nothing larger than that, but I am sure I could.

[Freebird12004]

51. "Charred Flesh"

You bet I could kill my food. I love the taste of meat fresh off of the grill and :beer:

[Redstone]

52. Have. Don't now. Could again. No problem.

Redstone

[warrens]

53. Nope

But my meat comes from ribeye steak trees and veal chop bushes, not from animals.

[hollywood926]

54. Everything we need to survive can be found on trees and in the ground...

So no. I wouldn't kill for food unless there was no other food source available and then I guess I'd have to. I'd have to start with the cockroaches like Dustin Hoffman did in "Papillion."

:-)

[northzax]

55. you are correct!

in the trees we have birds, lemurs, monkeys and koala!
on the ground, deer, pigs, cows, bison, rabbits <mmm, rabbits>, elephant, water buffalo <too stringy> did I mention the rabbits?
in between are the quail, pheasant and game hens...

[calico1]

56. Only fish (If I knew how to fish).

I have been offered lambs and rabbits and chickens before but I know once I spent any amount of time with them they would become my pets!

[northzax]

57. have and can

why is it the cutest animals are the most tasty?

[redqueen]

59. Are they?

I've never tried rabbit. I don't think chickens, cows, squid or lobsters are cute...

[northzax]

65. oh, cows are cute

and crustaceans don't count. I give you lamb, veal, pork...but especially rack of lamb...paging Clarice Starling, Agent Starling please pick up the white courtest phone...

[solinvictus]

58. Yep..

Have done so before with fish and small game. However, I believe if I ever really met a pig, I'd likely swear off pork. I've heard they can be friendly and tame, like a dog.

[bearfan454]

60. I do.

Every year.

[Ariana Celeste]

113. Ohhhh that looks so good!

I haven't had a decent venison steak burger in a looong time! :9

[El Fuego]

61. No I am a hypocritical weenie.

Ribeyes come from the grocery store.

But, come to think of it last night I killed 2 pounds of mussels by dumping them into boiling white wine and butter.

[yvr girl]

62. Beats starving

I don't think I'd like it, especially big animals - too much blood.

But I have cleaned several fish, and it didn't bother me at all.

[RedstDem]

63. A Fish Yes, Anything Else Someone Else Do The Killing & Cleaning

I'll Cook It & Eat It

Lose My Appetite Otherwise

[SmileyBoy]

64. Of course I would.

I've always wanted to try it, too.

[Kellanved]

66. sure

Will you ask Milk-Drinking DUers that question next?
Or - as proposed by Maddox - vegetable-eating DUers? (yes, animals die on farms, even on organic farms)

[redqueen]

74. Is there really any doubt about that?

Is milking a cow as abhorrent to some as killing an animal is? I wouldn't think so, but now you've made me wonder...

As for veggies... heh... okay... you're joking. :)

[Kellanved]

82. I would not call it abhorrent

But just think about it:
Do you think cows/goats and so on give milk all the time, or is there something that has to happen first?

Do the math.

[redqueen]

85. They have to have a baby.

What are you thinking about?

[Kellanved]

89. well

About half of those are male. But a farm does not need more than a few bulls (or even none at all).

[redqueen]

91. I'm completely confused here.

The cow / goat / other mammal you want milk from gets pregnant, then has the baby. After the baby's weaned, you keep taking milk from the cow to keep the milk production going.

I don't see where you were going at all.

[Merope215]

93. I believe that where he was going

was the fact that those babies don't stick around, especially the male ones. And that's where veal comes from, and that's a large part of the problem vegans have with milk.

on edit: didn't mean to sound quite so snippy :)

[redqueen]

95. Ah, I see.

I had no idea. I thought milk production was primarily stimulated by synthetic hormones, actually. So the veal connection with milk is news to me.

Thanks for the info... and no worries... I completely missed whatever snippiness was there before.

:hi:

[Merope215]

97. Sure

I'm pretty sure they haven't figured out how to do that yet, although most dairy cows do get artificially inseminated, I think. To the best of my knowledge, there still needs to be a pregnancy. And thanks for not thinking I was snippy (I know how these threads can go sometimes, so I just wanted to make sure!).

:hi:

[WMliberal]

67. stand in my way and find out!

:evilgrin:

oh, you meant the animals... I'd rather not to.

[noonwitch]

68. If I had to-I have no problem with hunters

I just don't want to be the one to shoot Bambi. I'll eat him, but I don't really want to shoot him.

[BikeWriter]

70. No problem. Just point 'em out. I mean, uh...

;)

[Technowitch]

71. Could and have

I used to go hunting and fishing with my father, when I was just a wee Technowitch.

On a solo trip in my young adult years, I underestimated the amount of food I'd need. Late in the 2-week 'venture, I killed and ate a rabbit. (Roasted, of course, for the first day, the remainder stewed the next.)

[Ganja Ninja]

72. Can and have!

In fact I'm getting a little hungry right now.:smoke:

[progmom]

73. Nope.

I am very close to being a vegetarian. I eat very little meat, and am quite squeamish about it. Couldn't kill for my food.

[plcdude]

75. spending 6 years in the

central highlands of Papua New Guinea the answer is yes I have.

[redqueen]

77. Wow...

wonder what that was like. What sorts of animals did you eat there?

[THUNDER HANDS]

78. i could kill a pizza

possibly a salad, but definately not a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

[Bertha Venation]

79. If killing it were required, I'd be an instant vegetarian-no fish, either.

No doubt about it.

[dean_dem]

80. If my food is being held up by...

The minivan in front of me at the Taco Bell Drive-thru, who can't decide whether she and her nine screaming kids want Nacho salsa or Fiesta Salsa.....then yes, I could.

[texasdem99]

81. If I had to n/t

[xmas74]

86. I've been fishing

so yes, I can.
And I used to work in a slaughterhouse (so I guess that I could all the way around).

[ernstbass]

87. I've caught alot of fish in my time

but I couldn't kill a mammal unless I was starving

[mattclearing]

88. Only if absolutely necessary, and I know it makes me a hypocrite.

But it's something that I recognize, which is more than I can say for a lot of people.

[uppityperson]

92. Killing people would be difficult. Animals, yes

Of course. I don't believe in sterile prepackaged plastic wrapped store meat from questionable sources. So yes, I do. Though I also eat meat only a couple times a week, partially because I do kill my food.

[RevCheesehead]

94. Nope.

Just saw "Roger and Me" this morning. And I cried like a baby when that horrible woman killed that bunny.

Can't eat rabbit, or venison either.

[redqueen]

96. Was she horrible?

I thought she was just poor.

I haven't tried rabbit. Have tried venison sausage and liked it alright... not more than pork, though, which makes me feel bad. Pigs are fairly intelligent. So are octopi, and I like those, too.

[realisticphish]

98. yes

if i had to, yes i could

[wideopen]

99. never have

but I feel I really should. I think it gives one more respect for the animals that feed us and a better perspective on the circle of life. I get asked to go hunting regularly by some of my friends, one day (hopefully) I'll have the balls to take them up on the invite.
I really have an aversion to dead things.

[Dave Reynolds]

104. Good take on the respect issue,

I have had a hard time getting people to believe that I love to watch deer, I think they are beautiful animals. I also shoot them with arrow and gun. I thank them for giving their lives to feed me and my family. (I'm a weirdo that way, I guess). I cringe when I hear of people not making clean kills.

In my neck of the woods it's harvest them or watch them starve or get smacked by cars.

By the way, welcome to DU!

[wideopen]

105. Where I'm at

lots of businesses shut down on opening day of gun season (semi-rural KY) we have an enormous deer pop. and almost everybody hunts. I feed the deer that pass through my yard and enjoy seeing them. Even though I don't hunt I do cook a lot and take every opportunity to show my children that what we are eating is a animal that had to die for us to eat. Their comprehension sometimes is astounding.

[wideopen]

108. hey thanks!

Your only the second one to welcome me. Tough crowd here it seems.

[Dave Reynolds]

114. Yep, can be.

I got my official New Yawker greeting fairly early on, and just got my second a couple of days ago after 200-some posts.

Us new kids kinda get lost in the shuffle of 65,000+.

[redqueen]

115. It's not really...

but lately everyone's testy. Living under an increasingly fascist governmett can make one a bit testy.

:hi:

[enigmatic]

100. I have...

I worked in a slaughterhouse for 3 days; it was a profound experience for me.

[sendero]

101. If need be...

... you better believe it.

[Maddy McCall]

102. I can and I have. (Have killed fish I have caught and fried 'em up.)

And I could do it whenever necessary, if my family depended on it.

[Dave Reynolds]

103. Yep.

Done it, and will continue to do it.

[skygazer]

106. I have

I would far rather raise an animal myself, with love and good care, kill it quickly and humanely, and eat something that I know was treated well and contains no additives or nasty things.

I've raised and butchered cattle, pigs, rabbits and various poultry. My animals got the best of care, veterinary treatment as warranted, lots of love and when it was time, they were killed cleanly and quickly with as little pain and fear as possible.

I'd far rather eat that than what you get in the grocery store - meat from animals packed into pens and fed all kinds of crap to make them large.

[MissMarple]

107. I watched my great grandmother wring a chicken's neck.

A little later I watch quite carefully as my grandmother cleaned it, and cut it up, and fried it. I was maybe five or six, I didn't eat chicken for a long time after that. Dinner that night was mashed potatoes with (chicken) gravy and green beans.

But could I do that? Yes, absolutely. Now shooting things, like a deer, I would need a little practice with a rifle.

:shrug: You have to feed the kids.

[jeffrey_X]

109. There wouldn't be a need for me to kill...

there are plenty of other items to eat where I would get my protein and calcium.

Meat is just not necessary.

[MissMarple]

110. Assuming they were readily available and in sufficient quantity.

That may not always be the case. :-)

[RetroLounge]

111. Sure, no problem...

RL

[Nikia]

112. If that was the only way I could get meat

I probably would. I am kind of squeamish though, despite being a biology major, so I probably would cut down on my meat consumption. I'd probably go a couple of weeks or so vegitarian between finishing meat from the kills. Of course, I might get used to killing things and it might eventually not bother me so much.