#I am vegetarian for health reasons

[harloqui]

Me: *takes my B12 vitamins*

My body:

Anyway I've found out that if you're deficient in B12 you are not changing into anything. I've only just started taking these vitamins and already there's been a huge difference shifting-wise. Don't take them if you don't need them, but if you're having trouble shifting, maybe check your health?

[she-is-ovarit]

This is for all the younger gen Z women, particularly those of you within the ages of 17 to roughly 23. This is written from an American perspective, things might be a little different depending on where you're from.

I graduated high school with the unconscious assumption that certain systems will take care of me. The medical system would educate me on proper nutrition and health issues was probably my largest underlying assumption, but really I just had trust in institutions generally.

This isn't true. You are responsible for learning. As an example, I have been vegetarian since age 14. Nobody talked to me about proper nutrition, they just told me I needed to eat more protein.

I lived a decade of my life having shortness of breath, sleeping issues, clumsiness, cold hands and feet, having brain fog, extreme fatigue, heightened anxiety, etc. My period was extremely light and brown, it'd last for about 2 or so days. I'd go and talk about these problems, and telling doctors that I was vegetarian was one of the first things that came out of my mouth just with any visit because I knew at least that piece was important to communicate.

There was really no action taken over the span of about 10 years. I was told the period thing was normal, that changes for women. A sleep specialist let me know that feeling exhausted was also normal. The brain fog was probably due to anxiety. Here, try allergy medication (tbh that did help for other reasons). Then one day I just asked them to check my vitamin and mineral levels. Prior to this I didn't think you can make requests to doctors, I thought you showed up and they performed tests on what they recommended. With some reluctance from my primary care physician and some compromise because she said my insurance wouldn't cover testing things like B12 levels (I later found out from a nurse that, they would, she would have just needed to fill out extra paperwork), she did some tests.

I found out both my iron and D3 levels were low. What else could be?

I later learned pretty much all the vitamins common to be low for vegetarians were low. D3, magnesium, vitamin Bs, iron, and healthy fats. Bought some liquid vitamins (because the body only absorbs 10% of the pill supplements), began eating an avocado a day, my period became normal for the first time in nine years, and I am able to function.

Another example of how human systems won't educate you: I don't have feeling in some of my toes due to wearing incorrect sized footwear for years resulting in permanent nerve damage. I'm size 11.5 in women's, and I was relying on someone to tell me how proper footwear worked, because surely the guy in the minimum wage position working the footwear section would know.

Don't trust human systems to guide you through how certain things work. Seek specific specialists and experts when you can, and inform yourself on your own. Don't blindly trust search engines like Google, it's not like how it used to be when I was growing up and many millennial adults will tell you to "just google things" because we're used to finding actual substantive answers when we do. However, now, usually whoever pays is who makes the first page or two of search engines, it has nothing to do with what information is "most correct". Don't be afraid to request certain tests be done by doctors or certain referrals made to different specialists.

Edit: And also, I've found general practitioners are terrible when you walk in and tell them about several different symptoms at one time. They're more used to treating one symptom at a time, and they treat the symptom not the root cause. If you go in with a runny nose, general practitioners are going to throw medications at you to try and treat the runny nose, not look deeper into what's causing the runny nose. It's equivalent to if you're in a boat and it's sinking, they're bailing out water without actually fixing the hole or trying to figure out where it is, with the exception of emergency situations and even then it depends.

[allieebobo]

Okay but this is super funny to me. The vegetarian thing happened to me too.

Like MC panicked and momentarily forgot they weren't vegetarian. Like, "Oh shit, it's the next day what do I say. I hope it isn't awkward."

Shay making breakfast: "Vegetarian?"

MC: "YES,I AM VEGETARIAN"..... fuck, why did I say that!? Now I have to be vegetarian. What if we get married, will I have to be vegetarian for the rest of my life?

HAHHAA.

Joony: So what made you decide to be vegetarian? Health reasons? Environmental concerns? 'Cause animals have feelings?

MC: Uhhhhhh.... Actually it was because I panicked and told Shay I was, and haven't yet got a chance to correct myself.

MC's tombstone: Here lies an accidental vegetarian. RIP.

[angelsdean]

also i would just like to say, to everyone who actually gets mad at dean for "tricking sam into eating real bacon", sam is Not actually vegetarian or vegan, as much as fanon would like to believe.

when sam says "you know i don't eat-- [real bacon]" in 15x04 he Most Likely meant in the sense that he prefers to eat healthy (mr. rabbit food) and not eat regular bacon for health reasons not because he's vegetarian / vegan. i seriously doubt if sam was Actually meat-free that dean would "trick" him like that. but dean Knows sam Does eat meat on occasion (he's literally cooked him burgers and watched him eat them). in this sense it's more like "live a little. eat the real stuff instead of your bland diet health crap" from dean and less "i am willfully tricking you into eating something you're morally against because i'm evil and cruel." it's literally a harmless prank (and it's not like sam is allergic to the thing either or would have serious health problems from one bite.) thee only consequence is sam taking a bite, realizing it's real, and going ew gross *spits it out*. typical sibling shenanigans.

like throughout the series we see sam eat many burgers of the full meat variety. he also eats chicken at jody's. and even late into s15 in last holiday (so well after 15x04) they're all eating a turkey, so even if someone wants to argue he's suddenly vegan / vegetarian in s15, he's literally not<3

people just love to vilify dean for no reason tho, what's new?

[voltstone]

LYCOS | tacet anima mea | Master Content Post

Hello! I'm VoltageStone. I write a lot of fics. This being one of them, and it's been in the works for a while. Since November 2022 "a while".

I'm a shit updater, but life has also been nonstop for the past year. Ergo, updating has been...an interesting journey.

This is a beast of a fic. Both in its size and, given this post, its content. In short, this post will be linked to in future updates for this fic, and will serve as an ultimate introduction to LYCOS as far as Tumblr's concerned.

This fic is a Wenclair a/b/o. Extremely violent. Wednesday is unhinged to borderline demented. It does explore sexual content, both healthy, and in the healing of related traumas.

It's Dead Dove, basically. In the name of catharsis, but ultimately because of how...unwell Wednesday is.

...she is honestly the prime reason why it's Dead Dove. I dunno what happened. She just keeps being...really fucking weird, and wants to eat Enid? Like? Literally? In a heartfelt, non-vegetarian way.

Anyway, for those interested, the following is the summary. For the tags and specific warnings (none should be spoilery), keep reading. The tags will have what is on AO3, then I will specify/call attention to important tags and themes, and also add stuff that I know will come in later chapters.

I really do love writing this fic, but I know that it won't be everyone's cup of tea. Ergo, I felt like having a post that gives a glimpse to anybody new.

If you read, I hope you enjoy. If you don't, have a good one.

:)

-- -- --

Wednesday is waning. In her dreams, or by touch, she has been locked to one moment. Her visions know no peace. There is Enid, beneath moonlight, skin a dying shade. Then there's herself between the trees, drenched in blood, with the knife at hand… Her true nature writhes. This is…just what happens when someone like herself snaps. It's happened before, will happen again. Because Enid and Ajax have been together through several moons. And he knows his way around her heats. And Enid seems…happy, until she isn't, and Wednesday has to put her back together. Enid has been stuck in a heat for a while now. And she smells good. She smells really, really good, and Wednesday will kill for it.

or, wednesday still doesn't know what to do about enid, and enid's biology really doesn't help matters. she is going insane.

(there will be bodies.)

General Warnings:

Gore, Extreme/Graphic Violence, Fights, Murder(s), Cannibalism (feat. Autocannibalism), Dismemberment, Drug Overdose (past/mentioned), Body Horror, Sexual Deviancy (mostly sadism/masochism).

Mental Health:

Alexithymia/Emotional Blindness, Grief/Mourning (a murderer's guilt), Addiction (alcoholism, pills, sex), Familial Dysfunction, Dissociation, Identity Crisis, Depression, PTSD, Medical/Sexual Trauma(s), Self-Destructive/Suicidal Tendencies, Psychological Horror.

Other Tags (less concerning):

Demisexual & Aromantic Wednesday, Sun/Moon Motif, a (slight) Gomezification of Wednesday Addams, a Morticiafication of Enid Sinclair, no i am not tagging enid's dynamic you figure that out yourself, Dark Humor, Poe-isms, a very unreliable narrator, healthy depictions of discovering sexuality i promise please the addamses raised wednesday right, that being said, weirdass "courting" behaviors (ex: stealing laundry, then stuffing it into a bed after it was shanked open), addams-flavored terrorism for funsies (gotta teach someone to smile in her headshots!).

Also: Unhinged chapter lengths. None will dip under 20k.

AO3 | Ch.1 Tumblr Post

[vegautistic]

Hello! This is a blog I started so I could have a more comfortable place to talk about my newfound vegetarianism and everything related to it

I am a vegetarian for both health reasons (I cannot eat meat or dairy without getting incredibly sick) and for animal-loving reasons (what gives me the right to decide how worthy another creatures life if based on my own desire?)

I’m hoping to follow more vegan/vegetarian blogs and learn more about animal activism and welfare :D nice to meet you!

[emerald-dragonflame]

I do really appreciate that you care about the humane and respectful treatment of animals, it is a wonderful trait for a person to have that they consider the well-being of animals, and I do mean to send this ask in good-faith, and I don't mean for this to come across as judgmental, I only mean this as a conversation in response to your post. So, while it's true that humans have historically been hunters, our understanding of ethics, empathy, and sustainability has evolved to a point where we can recognize that basing our behavior on animal actions or the historic human role as predators can lead to moral inconsistencies. Today, for many of us, we have the ability to choose diets and lifestyles that do not involve the exploitation of or the taking of animal lives, especially considering the environmental and ethical concerns associated with animal agriculture. It is important that our care for animals extends beyond temporary respect before consumption, to a more compassionate approach that involves respecting their Rights of Life (life, liberty, happiness), and recognizing that they deserve to be able to live independently of our dietary choices. This approach aligns better with our current understanding of our ethical responsibilities as humans. Since humans have the capacity to reflect on the impacts of our actions this means that we can make conscious decisions to avoid causing harm as far as is reasonably possible when alternatives exist. The notion of "humane killing" is contradictory, especially when we have the option to nourish ourselves with plant-based diets that support animal welfare and environmental sustainability, and the concept of "humane killing" is also often misunderstood, especially in the context of animal agriculture. True humanity involves acting in the best interests of others, and it is important to distinguish that there is a difference between euthanasia, which is to alleviate suffering when no other option is available, versus the slaughtering of animals for consumption, which is done for human benefit, not the animal's, and this slaughter of them is something that does not need to happen for many of us, since it is possible that we can omit animal products and still live healthily and thrive. Even practices labeled as "humane slaughter" involve fear, anxiety, and physical suffering for the animals. Labeling the killing of animals who do not want to die and are not suffering as "humane" misrepresents the reality of their experiences and ignores the fundamental respect for life, and "befriending" someone in order to get them comfortable before killing them is not a true befriending or show of respect or kindness. With how you mentioned that you also believe that treating animals humanely and with respect is important, I would really like to encourage you to examine it further to what it truly means to show humanity and respect towards others and why it is important to include the well-being and lives of animals in that consideration.

Dude… I am not reading all of that… from what I’ve skimmed, you’re not happy over the fact that I eat meat as well as say we should care for the animals we eat/hunt.

I’m not changing my diet because that makes you uncomfortable, if you want to be vegetarian or vegan, go for it. But humans are meant to eat meat, it’s necessary for our health, I have never met a vegan or vegetarian who was legitimately healthy. Now are there some people who can’t eat meat for whatever reason? Sure, but those are the outliers that prove the rule, not the other way around.

Humans are meant to eat meat along with fruits, grains, and basically anything else that is edible. While we may not have been originally made to eat animals, we do now, and need to now.

Humans are predators, and your uncomfortableness with that doesn’t change that it’s a fact. And I’d rather be a predator that cares for my prey to the best of my ability, so that they can have a good and happy life, before I consume them. Not only because I genuinely do care for the animal, but because a happy animal serendipitously makes better tasting meat.

[alpaca-clouds]

I really start thinking about creating some original recipes and just share historical recipes on some different vegetables.

I am right now for health reasons forced to a vegetarian diet and I am honestly very shocked how boring so many of the recipes are - especially as they seem to use the same like five vegetables again and again, rather than using the whole spectrum.

I don't know. Would anyone be interested in that?

[socraticcryptid]

The other day I reblogged a post about waitstaff not respecting dietary requirements, and I didn't want to add to it because it's long enough already, but it got me thinking about disability and how it changes how you relate to the world.

I have a few health conditions. One of them is a potentially life-threatening food allergy (I carry an epipen and keep a spare one at home). This allergen is in a lot of foods, but it's thankfully relatively easy to avoid, particularly because I know the kinds of foods it's in, and also because it's an allergy that people generally respect.

This allergy has a minimal effect on my day-to-day life. My other health conditions have a much larger impact on my lifestyle. But my allergy has nonetheless shaped the way that I relate to food and my body. I always think about it when people suggest places to eat. I avoid foods that I've had close calls with in the past, or foods that sometimes contain the allergen. I'm wary of homemade food at potlucks and as gifts. I read the ingredients on everything, not only food but also things like toothpaste and soap, even when I know that there's basically no chance of my allergen being present. If I eat something risky then for the next twenty minutes I'm constantly checking my arms for hives and my lips for swelling.

There's something very strange about the idea that my body considers this food to be such a threat that it enacts a policy of mutually assured destruction. An assassin could kill me with something that is harmless to most other people. Every time I eat something new I'm scared that my body will decide it's a threat too.

Not everyone is as cautious as I am. But this sort of experience, and constant fear of your body turning on itself, applies to so many people. I have a friend who's severely allergic to nuts, dairy, legumes, and eggs. She rarely eats at restaurants and could never go vegetarian because she would struggle to get enough protein. Coeliacs and diabetics have to be constantly careful of what they're eating or risk permanent damage to their bodies. People with severe intolerances, or food-triggered migraines, or heart conditions impacted by caffeine, or any of the other food-related health conditions have similar experiences.

So much of life is centred around food (for good reason - I love food!), and yet so many people who don't have food-related health conditions just don't understand it, and sometimes even those who do their best don't always get it right. I check the ingredients on everything, even if a friend tells me that it's safe, because sometimes they're wrong. An honest mistake, but one that I can't afford.

I don't know where I'm going with this. I guess I just wanted to say that, if I discover that someone I know is blasé about food allergies, I don't bother talking with them about my other health conditions. If they can't even respect life-threatening food allergies then how could I possibly trust them with anything else? They haven't made the effort to understand how disabilities can completely shape the way that you experience the world. They wouldn't understand the concept of having limited spoons or executive dysfunction. They probably don't respect religious dietary requirements either, or sensory issues with food. I wouldn't trust them to understand microaggressions, or structural racism, or the complexities of gender, unless they happen to experience those themselves.

It's like the 'I don't know how to tell you that you should care about other people' meme, but instead, it's 'I don't know how to tell you that you should put yourself in someone else's shoes every once in a while'. Maybe that would make the world a better place.

[uselessmicrowave]

hey i wanted to request a match-up since i saw your match-up requests are open, if that's alr!!! id prefer MTMTE Lost Lighters and/or G1 or TFP Decepticons

Appearance: thick 2C/3A curly dark blond & purple hair at shoulder length. buglike blue eyes and lip piercings ; vertical labret + dolphin bites. 2 tattoos, one of my passed away kitten and 1 of a praying mantis on my arm. im tall and awkwardly portioned due to ehlers danlos. lots of keloid scars and a bit fuzzy. slight baby face. pale as frick frack and translucent skin with veins showing.

Pets: 7 CATS. 2 dogs. 1 ball python and a small colony of madagascar hissing cockroaches. i am an avid animal lover and a nerd about all their behaviors, biology and habitat preservation.

Fav foods: RAW GREEN BEANS, vegetable fried rice, hashbrowns and eggs, s'mores, pesto pasta ; not vegetarian / vegan but prefer ethical sourcing of food and have my own garden.

Style: flexible but usually comfortable hippie goth / casual 70s . almost everything i own is green and brown, but I also have lots of purple stuff (fav colour)

Hobbies & interests: chalk art, painting, drawing, metal bands lead by girls, dubstep, entomology, mycology, dragons, robots/ai, TRANSFORMERS, aliens/ufos, lucid dreaming, tarot cards, a solarpunk society, anti-capitalist

Smarts: bugs, animal and human health + biology, fungi, symbiotic relationships in nature, communication, being a mediator, giving advice

Bad habits: I've picked at my skin since I was a baby, as I have ocd + dermatillomania. because of it i am littered with bumps, scars, and can't shave due to ingrown hairs or risking making a scrape and then scratching until im sent to the er weeks later with cellulitis. i also have problems focusing and have a dissociative disorder that makes me not myself. i have bad anxiety that i cope with well, but if i stay up late i can overthink myself into a sobbing fit for no reason.

My personality: my friends describe me as WEIRD. my mom says im an alien. i would say that the people i know and i all agree i am creative, artsy and kind of an old soul. im patient sometimes but also get overwhelmed by certain situations because im autistic and can't multitask. i love helping others and when spending time with friends i like to make them gifts or play outside with them and look for bones or cool plants, or roleplay warrior cats with my besties. i have "childish" interests but am mature and independent, and am a caretaker. i had a rough upbringing and as an adult i feel like i heal my inner child everyday by living as autistic as possible.

whew that was long. anyways, thank you, feel free to ignore!!!!!! just wanted to shoot a shot bc these match up things always look fun lol. thanks!!!!! XP

Hello! Apologies I only wrote for one of the continuities. I’m matching you with TFP Megatron!

Megatron

He’ll get you more purple clothing to match him.

Grabs your hands and holds them when you’re picking at your skin, then he’ll carry you to the medbay for Knockout to patch you up.

Megatron believes that seven cats is a bit… obnoxious, but nevertheless will make room for all of your pets.

Jokes about your bug colony being an army… he thinks it’s hilarious that you have an insect army of your own.

Megaton holds you close to his spark when you overthink things/start to cry.

Everything is weird on the Nemesis, so you’re not out of place on the ship to him.

He does his best to appreciate and support all of your interests, even if he sees them as childish.

At least once a week he’ll take you to a new foresty area, where you can “observe all the different types of mushrooms and squirrels you want.” He’ll usually sit in a clear-ish area and watch you frolic through the trees.

[vertebrae-entertainment]

13.11.23

Hiya! Sorry about the radio silence, work on Fangst is continuing somewhat according to schedule and we definitely have new things to show off when time allows it! However, production has hit a bit of a snag in the funding department, and we've been needing to focus on non-fishing game work to stay afloat.. keeping the lights on and all that!

Its a general pattern in indie games these days that funding is hard to come by- luckily we're used to the cockroach strategy of development. Scrap & build, staying afloat, etc. These days Åge is collaborating on an agricultural sustainability game with another company, while i'm directing more efforts towards my game education job and helping organize the local Global Game Jam event in Hamar. (biggest registered GGJ event in the nordics multiple years in a row, btw!! :p)

But! Even with production slowing down, 2024 is looking promising as the year we release the Fangst demo to the public. With the current plan, we're aiming for a summer demo drop for PC on Steam. With some luck, a full release wont lag too far behind!

Right now i am working on full illustrations of side characters. I feel like i have finally nailed the balance on Alta's design. He's proving himself subtly tricky- he needs to look effortlessly but intentionally beautiful, but like he's both trying and not trying at all. At the same time he should look comfortably feminine, but not too dainty. Like he enjoys both a skincare routine and long walks in the forest foraging for mushrooms and berries.

Is he dressed a bit nonsensical for a hike? Yes, but i think he wants to look better than everyone else, no matter the situation- and that means wearing a crop top to go foraging. I think that's kind of powerful, and a statement in itself.

Fun fact about Alta: He's a vegetarian, not for any moral or health reason, but because its just *sooo much easier* for him- he's just that good at his job.

Take care! -Hauk

[sarasa-cat]

Hesitant to even discuss the realities of what I should eat vs what I must minimize because ... but the health issues are real and the insult to my digestive system just keeps getting worse and worse as the years add up. On top of that, I can really feel in my mind and body the effects of all of it where "it" = "good eating for me" vs "bad eating for me" with emphasis on FOR ME because if you can digest these things-- GREAT. I'm not genetically built for it. I just am not.

For a variety of reasons, I have decided to return to going COLD TURKEY on anything that is a potential problem. If you are a vegetarian, perhaps it is time for you to avert your eyes and move on.

.

PROTEIN, PROTEIN AND MORE ANIMAL PROTEIN as the centerpiece of EVERY FREAKING MEAL.

Eggs. Fish. Eggs and Fish. Turkey. Chicken. More Fish. Crab. Squid. Seafood in general.

I can deal with limited amounts of traditional tofu (by which i mean, tofu made traditionally and sold fresh in blocks) and greatly enjoy cooking with it, so it is good that I can deal with it but in moderation and I should take an enzyme pill or at least have something fermented with it.

And then the rest of what I eat is every freaking leafy green you can imagine (all the leaves of green-- ALL OF THEM. Especially the bitter ones nomnomnom).

Pretty much any type of above-ground vegetable (peppers, cauliflower, zucchini, squash, etc.) except for tomatoes (limited to no tomatoes).

Onions and garlic.

Citrus fruits (as seasoning and for nomnomnom'ing). Every single berry.

Nuts. Nut milks. Nut butters.

Spices. Mustard. All the olive oil and vinegar.

Avocado.

Miso.

Seaweeds of various kinds.

Daily fermented things (kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles, etc.)

Olives.

Water, coffee, tea. WATER.

Exceedingly dark chocolate squares as a tasty treat that is also very medicinal in good ways. ;)

...

And just eat as much as I want whenever hungry, eating til full because protein tells your brain "Yep, enough of that. Save rest for later. Into a box in the fridge you go."

And guess what---

1. ZERO digestive system problems that cause misery.

2. Calm mind. Brain is FOCUSED, on task, and calm.

3. Excellent sleep. Exceedingly rested when I wake up.

4. Aerobic capacity is excellent (for whatever shape I am currently in).

...

So why don't I do this 100% of the time?

Well, it is really hard to eat out.

It can be reallly difficult while traveling.

It can be impossible when visiting people who do NOT eat in a way that works for me.

So, I take the hit now and then.

But as for now, just a two days eating the way I am supposed to eat and digest, and I'm a completely different person. Striding up hills with no sense of exhaustion. Brain on task. Digestive system is a background process I don't even think about. Etc.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

.

Once I get the unhelpful biome outta my gut and replaced with happy biome, I can add in limited amounts of lentils and chickpeas but IN MODERATION ONLY. Otherwise it is a downhill slide from there.

.

See also: the time in my 20s I almost killed my body with an Exceedingly Healthy Looking Homecooked Vegetarian Diet. Nope folks, not genetically capable of it. Sorry.

edited to add: Rice in limited amounts is lovely and so enjoyed but it needs to be limited or else.

[femsolid]

Can you tell us about your way into veganism?

I always felt a lot of empathy and love towards animals, most children do, it just never left me. As a kid I saw a documentary about the meat industry, specifically about the exploitation of pigs. I watched how the pigs were alive one second, wondering what the hell was going on, and then dead the very next. It was heartbreaking to me. The nonchalance with which all those lives were ended. They would be standing in line on a moving floor and a machine would pierce their heads one by one, or electrocute their brains, I'm not entirely sure, maybe both. The tools for the killing didn't shock me, it was the fact that they were treated like objects on a processing line. Their eyes would go empty, they would go limp and fall and men would start dismembering them. But some pigs were still alive and moving. It was very surreal, very cold, very heartless. These days they'd call it "humane slaughter". The piglets were manhandled like mere objects too, men would cut off their tails or sterilise them without anaesthetic. The screaming was horrible. I told my dad I didn't want to eat pork anymore and he laughed at me. Then I forgot about all this until, as an adult, I watched a very graphic documentary about all forms of animal exploitation (Earthlings). I cried the whole time and promised myself I'd respect my beliefs and feelings on the matter once I leave my father's home. So when I moved out I became a vegetarian wich I found very easy. You can eat most things in western countries as a vegetarian and you can buy anything that involves the exploitation of animals other than the actual flesh. It was hypoctritical of me. I kept informing myself on what was really done to the animals. I saw the cows skinned alive for our car sits, the sheeps tortured by sadistic men in the wool industry, little lambs dismembered alive, pigs gassed and dying in agony. I also learned about the absolute cruelty of the men who work for this industry, their misogyny as they torture and rape hogs, and the men who drive this industry, who make billions out of death and the destruction of empathy and our environment, men's obsession with the necessity of killing and the virility of eating meat and how much damage it causes our planet and our health. And also the sad fact that the explotiation of animals relies entirely on the exploitation of motherhood and the objectification of the female reproductive system. But that's not even what started my veganism. I became vegan because I have IBS and I was at my wits ends with the pain and the fainting, especially during my periods. I made a journal of what I was eating and realised that I felt ten times better and the horrible intestinal cramps stopped when I didn't eat things that contained milk and eggs. Especially milk. So I actually became vegan because of selfish health reasons. The change felt amazing. Truly a new life for me. I got to experience normal periods for the first time. So by following my political and moral principles I was also making myself healthier, doing my (tiny) part for the environment and resolving my cognitive dissonance. That's a lot of positive. I'm not just opposed to the exploitation of women and girls. I'm opposed to exploitation in itself. The idea that I am superior to others and therefore have the right to exploit someone else never made sense to me. Or the idea that my cruelty is okay because it's part of the natural order of things. Or that it's okay because it makes me feel good. We criticize these very notions when we talk about other issues like misogyny, classism or racism. It's the same logic. I'm trying to be consistent and helpful to myself and others.

[unhonestlymirror]

Rating food of the countries I've been to, from West to East:

Disclaimer: it's veeery subjective

***

Spain🇪🇸 : 7/10. It's okay. I expected their fish and seafood to be better, tho. A LOT of relatively cheap fresh juices, 10/10 for health. They also make surprisingly amazing pasta and surprisingly average paella.

France🇫🇷: 9/10. Never visited cafes or restaurants there, but Carrefour has an incredible variety of good meat. I love their pineapple pie, too. There are a lot of products for vegetarians, Muslims, and, in general, different people who have different eating styles. There's a lot to see. And omg, their bazaar days are something worth attending: I still regret that I never tried clams with white wine.

UK🇬🇧 : 6/10. Not impressed. Something tells me that they deliberately make fish-n-chips that terrible. But I absolutely loved the strawberries under hot chocolate, which was sold by two cheerful Polish girls near Madam Tussaud museum.

Switzerland 🇨🇭: 6/10. Migros has nice buns with spinach and those Japanese "sandwiches", overall, your whole salary is gonna be spent on food. (Lithuania core lol😭) McDonald's there SUCKS.

Norway🇳🇴: 4/10. I expected a lot for some reason. Prices gonna cause you a heart attack, the quality is gonna give you a second heart attack. Also!!! THERE WAS NO FISH IN THE SHOPS EXCEPT THE CANNED!!! I was deeply injured. Norwegian salmon is super popular in Ukraine, how can they not have any normal fish in the big supermarkets...

Germany🇩🇪: 1/10. I may be just unlucky, but every time I visit Germany and pick a random cafe with lots of people(!), it has the worst food I've ever tasted in my life. It's like that scene from Desperate Housewives: "Really? A woman who orders Chinese food for Christmas dinner cooked a pineapple pie?" I understand now why Ukrainian women often marry Germans. My heart bleeds when I see what exactly you eat. I want to cover you with a blanket and cook you a normal soup.

Czech Republic 🇨🇿: 7/10. The soup was nice, ставлю вподобайку👍

Poland🇵🇱 : 8/10. Soup in bread, my beloved. Doughnuts were some kind of overcooked in oil, tho.

Montenegro🇲🇪: 10/10. I love you. I love your salads, your seafood, and I LOVE YOUR LEMON ICECREAM!!!!!

Slovakia🇸🇰: 7/10. I don't really remember what I ate, I am sorry. But I was really impressed with your supermarkets for some reason. Gotta visit it again.

Hungary🇭🇺: 6/10. It was my first time I've ever tried street food, and I liked it. You guys know how to cook meat.

Greece🇬🇷: 7/10. One day, I'll find the guy who can cook Karavidopsiha and beg them to cook it once again. Nice fish!!! I remember your arbutus honey as old women remember their best lovers. But. One time, a man served my family with unpeeled shrimps in batter. :/ What the hell was that? Is that some kind of a national dish I'm not aware of? Minus three points for such bullying.

Cyprus 🇨🇾: 7/10. I shouldn't be obsessed with your carob tree pastille that much.

Lithuania🇱🇹: 10/10. I love you. Although, I'd love to spend less money on food too. I love your Maxima and Rimi and Iki. I love your cafes. I love your bakery, I love your cocktails, I looooooove your soups, and I love your Asian food too. It's very easy to become an alcoholic with such delicious wines and tinctures.

Latvia🇱🇻: 11/10. Oh my god. Oh my god. I'm on my knees. Your cream chanterelle soup and Lidl croissants and marinated onion and šašlyk and fish and dairy products🛐🛐🛐. You guys know how to serve. I've never seen such pretty food designs anywhere. And of course, Lido. It brings me in tears of joy and makes me remember Puzata Hata. No, for real, is there any dish you don't know how to cook?

Finland🇫🇮: 7/10. That's okay. Nice street food.

Belarus ⚪️🔴⚪️: 9/10. Oh my dear Belarus, you're gonna be the best chef in Europe once you're free from russia. I wish I ate more machanka and drank your pine tincture when I had the chance. I love your chicory, it's a bit greyish, but it's much more delicious than an average chicory. Delicious meat in the shops. Other food is soviet-like, which makes me nauseous.

Ukraine 🇺🇦: ♾️/10. Вітчизно моя! Ти як здоров'я, наскільки ти цінна, тільки той знає, хто тебе втратив. I don't know if my favourite shops still work. I loved every single cafe I've been to, yes, even that shitty prorussian Mafia and Eurasia. I loved Puzata Hata. I loved Khlibna Kava, and its amazing cherry cupcakes. I loved Moloko Vid Fermera. I loved little kiosks with fresh Makadamia nuts and huge variety of vegetables and fruits. I loved Flagman and Silpo, Lvivśki croissants, and chocolate shops. I loved my seafood store. I loved giant frappes in Shevchenko Park. I loved my Continent with its old classical French background songs. I love my Japanese food stores. There are so many places I love. I used to find my bazaar so ugly and dirty, but I would give everything to buy the sea ​​buckthorn jam from the cheerful old lady. But it's not gonna happen. My bazaar was shelled by russians to the ground.

Turkey🇹🇷: 9/10. Your Katmer, seafood soup and baked shrimps(?) are something 🛐.

Jordan🇯🇴: 7/10. Nice! You cook paella better than Spain, be proud of yourself. Although, I'd love to not be scared for my life as a woman all the time. Your bazaar seemed very interesting, but unfortunately, I don't speak Arabic. And I am a woman, which also sucks, I guess. I was totally covered in black, except for the face and hair, and people still stared at me like on a zoo exponate. McDonald's kinda sucks too, but not as much as in Switzerland.

Egypt🇪🇬: 7/10. It's okay. I've tasted only hotel food.

Sakartvelo🇬🇪 : 10/10. Our guide forgot about our existence, and we had to find any source of food to not die from hunger, so we went to your local bazaar and asked to fry some cheap fish. It had lots of bones, and I hate fish with bones, but I ate it all, and it tasted amazing.

Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦: 6/10. Most of the week, I just cooked some simple spiceless products like pasta and eggs from the small store. You are far from the level of grocery stores in Turkey. Although, your cold orange juice bottle saved my life from dying in the middle of the desert.

Qazaqstan 🇰🇿: 7/10. I don't really remember your supermarkets, I guess they were okay. But your bazaars are definitely something worth attending. Millions of varieties of honey with millions of tastes and very salty hard cheese Kurt.

[plebeiangoth]

The bee post I just reblogged reminded me of an argument I got into in high school.

I had a friend at the time who was vegetarian and very pro-life, the last part being probably why this friendship is past-tense as I'm quite vocal about how abortions should be handed out like the candy in the little basket at the bank teller's window (sudden hankering for a dum-dum). Anyway she was making a whole thing at lunch about how fucked up it was that they gave her a hard-boiled egg as a vegetarian because they're trying to feed her a chicken abortion which is worse than meat, and this started getting into evangelical territory.

Like…

Girl, that's just chicken ovulation! They just regularly pass eggs! Just like humans, only bigger! I literally thought she was gonna follow that up with menstruation being a reproductive sin because you failed to get pregnant or some shit by the way she was talking.

But seriously guys, I have chickens, actually for the specific purpose of eating ticks in the yard because they love to eat ticks and lyme disease runs rampant where I am and chickens aren't vulnerable to it. Hens just lay eggs regardless of whether or not it's fertilized. You need to remove the eggs daily or they'll spoil and make the coop disgusting and attract predators. Also a blood spot in the egg isn't necessarily a sign that it was fertilized either, sometimes a little blood gets into the egg. If it's got veins, then yeah it's fertilized.

A better reason to not eat eggs as someone who cares about animals would have to do with how commercial egg plants are extremely cruel to chickens. The chickens are kept in small cages their whole lives and have their beaks clipped like goddamned French extremist film. I don't have the guts to post photos and links, my mental health perpetually hangs by a thread and I don't need to do that to myself right now. For that matter you could rest assured that the caged hens never see a rooster but that would be a fucked up reason to buy caged eggs. Just if you can, please buy cage-free eggs, or better yet from a local farm where you know the chickens are treated well.

Tl;dr Here's the birds and the bees: bees will make honey for you if you treat them with respect or else they'll fly away and will also kill their queen and make a new one if they don't like her, and chickens regularly ovulate and it's cruel to not regularly remove eggs from the coop.