My friends' kid is a vegetarian...

Hmm only "bad people" eat meat. Ya know one of them dang vegetarian fruitcakes gave my daughter a comic book with a big picture of a fisherman on it ala the 50's pulp comic style with a huge caption that read "your dad is a murderer" or some such nonsense. She was all upset because she has been hunting and fishing with me since she was 3. She eats food that she has killed, dressed, and cooked. Now an "adult" at her school tells her that she and I are both wrong and mean. Once I found out who the wacko was that tried to brainwash her, I shut them up real quick by explaining that if they ever approached her again, I would eat them. Meat is a part of our diet, we are meant to eat it. I raise, or have raised cattle, hogs, and chickens. I have spent time slaughtering and preparing the same,as well as wild game. Never have had a single qualm about "being cruel". Besides, the best tasting bacon is one that was squealing about an hour before...

 

Food is already a battleground. Kids are subjected to all sorts of advertising on TV, at school, and practically everywhere.

It is parent's responsibility to help their kids cope with that advertising.

For every advertisement, there is probably a better choice that does not get similar advertising. Sometimes the advertised product is best, but not very often.

Teach kids to ask themselves what the alternatives are to the advertised products. Teach them to wonder why the advertiser spends so much effort with a particular product.

Teach them that real food found in the produce department is better for them than anything in a box, a can, or for that matter, a restaurant.

 

All this talk is making me hungry. I am in fact having a nice slice of Kobe beef steak tonight. My wife is a semi vegetarian. She converted herself and eats fish and chicken but will occasionally "taste" a bite.
Why? Because it tastes good. I'm having it rare BTW.

 

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You may not realize it, but not everyone who is trying to improve their health by going vegetarian is trying to interfere with your bonding with your daughter.

There are many reasons for going vegetarian, such as health, environmental concerns, saving money, and, yes, reducing cruelty. Reducing cruelty was not the driving force for me, but I do find comfort in that aspect.

Carnivore is a well established niche in the animal world. Without carnivores, the herbivores would overpopulate, and destroy the plants that they depend upon.

My dog eats raw grass fed beef as part of his diet. He also would eat dog poop and poison oak if I didn't stop him. None of these choices particularly appeal to me.

Just as the Prius helps with extending the world supply of oil, eating vegetarian helps extend the available food supply. The ratio varies, but I've heard that you could feed about 15 people with the corn that you feed for one person's supply of pig.

Enjoy your meat. Just be thankful that there are people who don't compete with you for it.

 

Now I know that not everyone of those weirdos are trying to interfere with my daughter, but all of them that I've met are on some freaky anti-meat crusade and seem to view it as a holy mission to convert others. It's America, be damn odd if you want to, just don't force it on others... As far as not having enough to go around, well, not really worried about that either. As I stated earlier, I raise my own. There is no competition.