Vegetarianism Within PS, Pros and Cons

[temp1]

as per bilbous's suggestion... cont'd from http://hydlaa.com/smf/index.php?topic=30054.0


i think it's a good point that not everyone would be able to afford meat, but there are also religious reasons why people in planeshift could be vegetarian. Animals wouldn't be treated as cruely on medieval farms compared to the modern livestock industry, and in Planeshift's time there isn't the same culture of overconsumption and man-made chemicals that we have today, so there are fewer reasons to be vegetarian.  Then again, there are races like the enkidukai which are half animal so maybe there's actually more reason not to kill animals unless it's necessary for survival.

[Ver]

Remember -- this also means no wearing of leather armor or other leather items. The exception is death from natural causes.

*edit*

But I am pretty sure that eschewing leather products is an intrinsic part of vegetarianism. All vegetarians abstain from consumption of meat, which requires an animal to be slaughtered for precisely that purpose. I don't see how leather items are different in this regard, except for the fact that they are worn rather than eaten.

[bilbous]

Well Endikudai may be cat-like there are no other feline creatures around. I would think your idea of them being half animal is not quite right but even if it was I would assume they would be more likely to eat animals and not less.

I do not believe vegetarianism really belongs in Planeshift but I certainly would not have it forbidden. If that is how you want to play your character, knock yourself out!

[Ver]

I imagine it would be most popular on the first and highest level of Yliakum, where plant life is so abundant and survival is hardly more difficult than it is in the surface.

[Raa]

Well Endikudai may be cat-like there are no other feline creatures around. I would think your idea of them being half animal is not quite right but even if it was I would assume they would be more likely to eat animals and not less.

Also, if Enkidukais were considered half-animal, that wouldn't work out too well with Yliakum, since cats don't exist there. Either they are all animal and everyone else is, too (scientifically they are), or none of the races are animals. In my opinion, every living thing is an animal, unless it's a plant or has been classified as, erm, not animal.

[Parallo]

I'm a vegetarian in RL but I don't see it working in PS untill the settings are more fleshed out concerning foodstuffs. As far as I know there isn't any tofu

[Raa]

Tofu is freaky...

What I hope, in the future, is that people will be able to make their own dishes. Then there would be a wider variety of vegetarian foods.

[Parallo]

Tofu is freaky...

But delicious marinated in sherry and fried on a pan of black olive oil from a fresh jar of olives imported from Greece.

[Raa]

Mustard in vegetable soup would taste better than that. 'Sides, I don't think the people of Yliakum need tofu... They'd be happy eating a more natural alternative, such as... flowers.

[Parallo]

Whats unnatural about tofu?

[Raa]

Let's see, do you find big blocks of whitish material in the wild? I know I don't.

[Parallo]

And you find lean beef steaks? Its processed. The process may be different but its a process none the less.

[Raa]

I don't eat lean beef steaks.

 

...Or do I? Maybe... I eat ribs and brisket.

 

[Kieve]

Raa: Yes, but it turned out to be rock. Highly unappatizing, and the texture was a bit gritty...
Parallo: No one's claiming Yliakum has lean beef steaks either. Or even beef...? I have yet to see mention of a cow. But carving a hunk of meat from something seems a bit simpler than processing a protein cube.

[Parallo]

That it may be but if people felt it a moral obligation to not treat animals as objects then maybe they'd go that extra bit. Let me think of an example of where that happened before. Oh yes, Earth