i think aside from eating animal friendly, i think it is so important to purchase products from worker friendly commerce. though it is sooo hard to do now these days, i strive to purchase products that are made in america. don walker had brought up some great points about this in a bike manufacturer thread awhile back. if i can't buy something made in america, i try to aviod buying things from china, or other places with slave labor.

in addition to the non-explotative human element, i feel it is so important to support local/national economy. i make the forging dies for craftman, rigid and now snap-on tools. when someone buys some cheap crappy chinese made wrench, they are really are affecting my job stability by giving companies positive feedback that cutting wages and workers and jobs is ok as long as the consumer gets the best deal. that's what drives me so crazy about walmart. many people who shop there do so due to their low incomes... often times these patrons are working manufacturing jobs themselves. they are shooting themselves in the foot and supporting their low wage by shopping from a place that buys goods from overseas places trying to put them out of a job... all of these grocery store strikers really should be picketing walmart, rather then their employer, since walmart is the reason the stores have to lower costs to compete... grrrr... i'm rambling now. i'll stop.

i hope you and the rest of you people never stop! we may be "fighting" wars in afghanistan and iraq but dont forget that there is a battlefield right here in our daily lives too. and of which we are in total control.

err...I'm a veggie-tarian too, for environmental reasons.

That said, I think I've eaten meat 3 times in the last 6 years: The most recent was from sushi a friend brought at a noisepop show, which had shrimp in it, which I didn't know. I'm also allergic, so that was not fun. One was in Italy, where I didn't realize that I had ordered elk that the owner/manager/waiter had killed himself the day before -- I couldn't really understand him, and the nod and smile thing was a failure. The last was visiting a friend in Switzerland, whose family had made a huge, 5-course meal to celebrate our arrival, all of which had meat except dessert. I wasn't going to be that rude, after they'd spent all day in the kitchen preparing it, even using some of my favorite foods.

broth not meat. yea. oops.
but once the product was (accidentally) purchased, itd have been wasteful not to eat and it didn't affect anyone (or any animal) but myself.

j-jus-just shuddup ok?!

str8 up dehydrated chicken my friend! and i believe that the store you bought it from has a return policy. ugh, your lack of devotion disgusts me!

veggie since '93. no exceptions.

for the same reason for why i ride: it just makes more sense.

that would make a good jingle... "meat free since '93"

There are no absolutes... Like I mentioned with the insects, everyone eats SOME bugs. Especially if you are eating organic, because that implies a slight increase in bug matter because of the avoidance of pesticides.

Here are my definitions, based on my experience:

Vegetarian: One who makes an honest and concerted effort not to eat things cut off the bodies of dead animals. No fish, no 'meat', no poultry, etc. Ovo-Lacto Vegetarians eat eggs and dairy. Ovo = just eggs, Lacto = just dairy. I am ovo-lacto vegetarian.

Vegan: One who makes an honest and concerted effort not to eat animal products of any kind, or use things made from animal products.

Pescetarian: This will be a handy one to some of you! Someone who would fit the category of Vegetarian, but who eats fish. My girlfriend is this.

Some other interesting categories:

Janite Buddhists: People who make an honest and concerted effort not to eat anything that harms or kills the originating lifeform. This means fruit, free-range eggs and dairy, but no carrots (since it kills the plant). They even sweep the ground in front of them as they walk to prevent stepping on bugs. More strict than veganism in many ways, but less in others (like free-range eggs and dairy being OK). Purely ethically based. If you meet one of these people, give them mad props.

Raw food: Any of the above categories can also be 'raw only'. Again, an honest and concerted effort to eat uncooked foods only is what distinguishes.

Hunter/gatherer: People who only eat meats or animal products that they caught themselves. I know several people who are basically vegan with the exception of their semi-regular bowhunting trips that yield the only meat they will eat during the year.

Etc. Etc. Etc....

The point of all these designations is that they are for convenience only. There are as many different diets as there are people on Earth. I think the thing that makes people fit these categories is the effort they put into it, and their honest intents and desires to eat a certain way. If a vegan accidentally gets some honey in their muffin, I won't revoke their 'vegan' status, as long as they are doing what they can to prevent it from happening.

peace,
sam

Interesting question - you might not know the answer - can a raw foodie overlap with a pescatarian - i mean can they eat sashimi? I have always wondered that. raw foodie has always called out my name - but wow what a time-conuming, expensive diet if you want to stay nutritionally balanced and have also a variety of food.

Also - i think its important to add a semi-veg (more than just because little ole me is one) because even if half the people cut back to one hamburger a year, half the wasted (imo) land and water resources that go to cattle industry are diminished. And I think its important to recoginze when ANYone is doing their part - as evanyc noted, its great when people make some kind of effort, its not an all or nothing choice.

A few other categories:

Fruitarian: Like Janite Buddhists, only completely vegan. Only consume the fruit (or nuts) of plants that will not kill the entire plant.

Freegan: Only purchases vegan food or products, but will consume/use animal products if they would otherwise go to waste. (See dumpsterdiving)

one of the defintitions for 'raw' food i've seen is 'nothing heated over 115 degrees F', so technically you could eat sashimi, steak tartar, whatever, as long as it was raw.

i think just being conscious about what you eat/consume makes a big difference. our society tends to be so hurried that there is very little time, or motivation, for thoughtfulness or reflection.

i find that when i make an effort to slow down and pay attention to the things i do that my inclination is to simplify.

people do this in different ways, i know a couple of folks who eat pretty much everything, but the only fastfood burgers they'll eat are in 'n' out because they use niman ranch beef, and pay a decent wage.

it all helps.

Vegetarian, beer elitist, fixed-rider here. Scotch elitist as well.

I am friends with a 70 year old vegetarian that hasn't eaten meat in over 30 years. He claims health reasons, but spends over 40 hours/week in a smokey pool hall. If he can do it I can, too.

I've gone 4 years without meat. My fridge has a strict policy of not allowing dairy to enter it. That said, I am by no means a vegan. I love honey and can't resist some birfday cake.

what about vagatarian?

(goodness i couldn't resist...)

i've been a vagatarian for 22 years. my mind and my body thank me.

My thoughts on the correlation:

1. Veganism and fixers are both popular in urban centers, among young, liberal people, etc. They share meme turf, so are more likely to intersect in a single mind than, say, curling and playstation.

2. Veganism is somewhat of an extreme in that it necessarily becomes a rather significant part of a person's life. Riding a certain type of bike isn't necessarily as intrusive on other aspects of one's lifestyle as veganism is, but as a meme it does seem to embed itself pretty deep.

3. Most vegans I know went from a normal diet to vegetarian to vegan, just as most fixers had the freedom to coast when dad's hand let go of the seat. In other words, for the most part both are individually evolved lifestyles.

4. Vegans are notoriously holier-than-thou. There is certainly a significant portion of fixers who are, too.

Basically, vegans and fixers strike me as the kind of people who go head-first into particular things, and who tie particular ideas so strongly to their personalities that they become hard to separate. As a vegan who doesn't coast, and as a skeptic, I do worry sometimes that my mind is wired like a religious nut's. Fundamentalism sucks any way you slice it. Sadly, I think it helps explain the correlation of vegans and fixers.

I've rambled, but I've been thinking about this lately and thought I'd share. YMMV.

i am a fixie...but i am a meatetarian

I like everyone, except for those who try and preach that their way of life, eating or whatnot is better than someone elses...ride your bike, eat what you like.

i'm a fish and veggie person, mainly because i don't have the responsibility needed to supplement my diet. however, when i did try to eat only vegetables i never identified myself as "vegetarian." something about going to the trouble of labeling yourself over what you eat seems pointless to me. i feel the same way about straight edge. some people drink, some don't. some eat meat, some don't. i wouldn't feel like either label somehow defined me as a person, and find silliness in the need to do so.

on another note, i come from a very traditional italian family, so i've never been able to stay too far from dairy (cheeses) and on occasion i do now eat meat again because my dad/uncles make homemade salsiccia. unfortunately the latter gives me "digestive problems" because my system isn't used to metabolizing meat anymore. though i conversely have not eaten fast food in over 10 years.

im a human being! **** sapiens sapiens to be exact!

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Superfamily: Hominoidea
Family: Hominidae
Subfamily: Homininae
Genus: ****
Species: H. sapiens

hey!! me too! whaddaya know about that?

I think we all have alot more in common then we realize, were all a bunch of bike riding ****. . . sapiens!

resisting... mayo... joke...

sorry guys.

I've been Union my hold entire working life, and I still work and I'm not drinking PBR's

Freegan.

i'm vegan and have food allergies to garlic, bananas, peanuts, flax seeds and red and white beans. my partner is gluten intolerant so i don't eat wheat much either. i love food.

of course you don't have to be veg*n to broaden the variety of foods you consume (and some veg*ns do eat like crap, on the other hand) but i grew up in a pretty traditional food family (steak, chicken, pasta, pork chops, and fish, were bascially all we had for dinner) so by limiting myself to only plant foods i actually learned about so many different types of foods.

PBR : The working class beer for those that don't have to work.

(Yes, I'm a card-carrying union member.)