Vegetarian much? (spam on subject!)

[fable]

When I was growing up (a period that some of my friends tell me was coincident with the development of the Italian city states, and the invention of moveable type), eating veg-only was broadly viewed as the practice of nutcases and Communists. Later, it became associated with hippies, which drove it still further down in public estimation, if such a thing was possible. The meat lobby ran huge billboards and tv commercials extolling the manly virtues of red meat, preferrably served as rare and dripping as possible.

In some areas of the primitve-wilderness-that-is-the-US this attitude remains intact, but in others, the shift has been dramatic. Grain consumption has picked up; where formerly bread was only white or rye and sold with as many preservatives as it could reasonably hold, there are now dozens of bread types, many of them pure, and many sold in stores dedicated to nothing else. Organic food is now available in regular supermarkets; and for large quanitites of it, most urban areas have their own organic-only supermarkets. There are even organic mushrooms, which my wife enthusiastically champions. Go figure that one out.

But the most signfiicant change has been the US' attitude towards vegetables. I grew up as a member of the canned carrots, peas and beets generation. To this day, I quail at the sound of a carrot being crunched; and I run screaming at the sight of a naked beet. But fresh veggies in varieties from all over the globe are extremely popular, with many cookbooks and restaurants devoted to nothing else. Americans in some areas speak openly and proudly of being vegetarians or even vegans--no dairy products, either--without fear of molestation or arrest.

I admit, too, that my own eating habits have morphed over the centuries. Where once I was a confirmed meatarian, I now enjoy many veggies; and red meat almost never appears in my diet. I'm a chicken-and-fish kinda guy.

But enough about me. Where do you fit into the spectrum of meat/vegetables? (We'll leave the rest out of this extremely scientific survey, for now.)

[Volk]

I wont usualy eat meat unless i can i get some salad or some sort of vegetable with it, i prefer meat and i eat both, but i dont find meals to be complete without having some vegetables on the side.

And i do love to eat fruits too.

[Nightmare]

Enjoy veggies, mostly because my girlfriend is one. Seriously, I love meat, but I like vegetables.

I have several friends (including my girlfriend) that are vegetarian. Veggie meat is actually quite good. I'm rather relieved, though, that my girlfriend eats fish, since it makes eating out easier at some places. One of my friends became a vegetarian for no reason at all...she just decided "what the heck", and hasn't had meat for about 2 years now.

[Rob-hin]

A combo makes a dish good.
Too much of anything is not good, 'variaty makes one eat' we say in the Netherlands.

'Better in then out I always say'

[Weasel]

Quote:

I like a mix of meat and vegetables.

I will go with this option, I for one cannot even eat a hamburger without some type of veg to go with it. Blame my grandmother for raising me on home cooked meals.

[Lost One]

I'm a big steak lover. I don't know what you call the meat cuts in english, but I love picanha, fraldinha, maminha, lamb, roast beef, chicken hearts, medallions, sausages...bah, you name it.

However, vegetables are good for one's diet, and I've grown up eating vegetables, so I like them too...particularly lettuce (w/dressing), cauliflower, spinach, pumpkin, corn, carrots, beetroot and those green peas.