What is your answer when people ask you why are you a vegetarian?

I am a pescetarian – I eat fish. And although I love chicken and (unkosher) pork, I do not eat them. Ever look into the eyes of a cow?

If God created them for food, God gave us other options. Vegetarianism is interesting and gives hope for living in harmony with all living things. I don’t adhere to veganism. I will use honey, milk and eggs. Just part of our stewardship of nature. But I choose not to eat cows, pigs, and chickens, and other animals—they are beautiful, they trust us, sometimes loving as dogs, and cows have faithfulness and trust and sometimes even empathy in their demeanor.

I dont begrudge those who eat cows, because beef, chicken, quail, and pork are tasty and satisfying and all many people know. As a diabetic I do NEED meat and not carbs or sugary things, but I’ll stick with fish.

Fish can be intelligent, too, and do feel pain in their death. But not the slaughterhouse. Eating fish is common in the Bible and in Northern cultures. I am trying to adapt to a pescetarian diet that is Kosher and conforms to the New Nordic precept while meeting my health needs. A tall order, but animals are precious and alternatives are available that are just as good or almost as good.

I am not a vegetarian, but one of my best friends is. His response is “Plants don’t scream when they die.”

I don’t say anything. I just stare at them and chew my cud.

I refuse to participate in the torture and murder of sentient beings that feel pain and fear just to appease my appetite. Either that or I say, “Do you really care or are you just trying to argue with me?”

Vegan here

Primarily, because I don’t like to eat shit. Remember years ago when hundreds of people got sick eating hamburger because of fecal contamination and the “fix” was a recommendation to cook meat longer and at higher temperatures rather than reduce the amount of feces?

Our factory farming is 1) cruel 2) filthy and 3) horrible for the environment. I actually don’t have a problem eating a limited amount of meat if the animals had had a good quality of life and had been killed in a humane manner – I just can’t afford it.

At least shit isn’t sentient and doesn’t scream/die when eaten

pigs are smarter than dogs and most people have been brainwashed by society to think torturing them is okay (but in a more polite way)