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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 22, 1999)
Earth Day Vegetarian? Vegan? Fruitarian? The meaning of meatlessness Options abound for THOSE WHO WANT TO CUT OUT MEAT Bryan Petersen Oregon Daily Emerald To beef, or not to beef? This is the question many of us consider when we think about vegetarianism. How ever, deciding not to eat red meat is not the only issue to consider when thinking about making the jump towards being vegetarian, which more than 30 million Americans have already done. And of those who haven’t, 75 percent of Americans polled say they would try a meatless diet if meatless foods were more readily available. In this day and age, there are several versions of the vegetarian theme. Most vegetarians would agree that deciding not to eat beef or other forms of red meat is an important step. Beyond that point, there are several more op tions. Many self-proclaimed vegetari ans partake of chicken and seafood yet still consider themselves vege tarian. Others eat dairy products, but no meat. Others eat only fruit, or they completely stay away from anything remotely animal-related. It can get complicated. Eugene resident Robyn Embley was completely meat-free for much of her life until recently, when she reintegrated fish and chicken into her diet. “I was at a barbecue with friends and there was chicken on the grill. It smelled so good, I just had some. Something in me just clicked. I still stay away from beef and deer, but I will eat fish and chicken from time to time.” As for why she made the lifestyle change, she is still figur ing that one out herself. “I don’t know why all of a sud den some food sounded good to me that didn’t the day before,” she said. “I still relate with people who are meat-free, but this is what works for me. I still think of my self as a vegetarian from time to time, but I know that many would look at it like I betrayed the tribe, and I guess I understand that. I only eat chicken or fish once a month or so, and I’m still a vege tarian as far as I’m concerned.” One subgroup in the vegetarian movement who might disagree with her definition of vegetarian are the vegans. The vegan philosophy is not to partake of any food that in any way comes from an animal, either directly or indirectly. This means no eggs, no cheese and nothing cooked with lard. While many “mainstream” vegetarians often enter into a meatless diet out of health concerns, vegans more of ten than not do so out of love and respect for animals themselves. For some, vegetarianism is a choice they make. For others, it is a lifestyle that was handed to them by their parents at a young age. Justin Hannigan, an employ ee of Holy Cow, a vegetarian cafe in the EMU food court, said he falls into the latter category. “I’m a lacto-vegetarian. Some people define it more strictly, but I eat dairy. My parents became vegetarian, and my family was raised that way. It’s become a kind of habit.” Another type of vegetarianism that overlaps with veganism in many ways is the fruitarian type. The fruitarian lifestyle includes avoiding all cooked food and con siders cooked food the source of many problems, including mood swings, cravings for synthetic nu trients and chemicals, decrease of Recycle newspapers, cans, plastics and... clothing? Secondhand stores WILL MAKE USE OF ALL YOUR OLD RAGS By Alissa Scott for the Emerald Thrift stores are a great way to save money. You can get quality, name-brand dothes for a fraction of the price charged at a retail store. However, did you ever wonder what kind of process the dothes go through before they are shelved? Everything that is donated to St. Vincent dePaul, Goodwill and the Salvation Army gets used in one form or another. The clothing at all of these stores is sorted into us able and unusable items. At St. Vincent dePaul, clothes that are stained or not reusable are separated. All the cotton dothing is sent to another warehouse to be tinned into rags. The rest is then baled and sent to other organiza tions that may be able to clean and use them. The dothing that will be resold is priced and hung. Prices start at $2.50 and increase with the quality of condition. At Goodwill, if an item can be reused in any way, it is. For exam ple, even though an electronic item may not work as a whole, the store can still sell the parts. The clothes that are usable are priced with a price list, and then the rest of the clothing is baled. At the Salvation Army, the clothing is also divided into what can and can’t be resold. Some thing that is moldy and tom does n’t get shelved. After the clothing is priced, it is sorted by size and the condition of the item. “We try to keep prices relatively low so everyone can shop here. However, if they don’t have a lot of money, they can get vouchers from the social services,” said Elaine Nicholson, who works for the Sal vation Army. “People shop here from all over the community. We don’t wash the clothes, but we do make sure they are fit to be resold.” Carol Melton has worked for St. Vincent dePaul for four years and Goodwill for two years before that. She mentioned that one neat thing about St. Vincent dePaul is how “vouchers are given instead of money for donations to organi zations such as the Battered Women’s Association.” Even though Goodwill doesn’t give vouchers, they are still help ing the community. Pat Jones, who has worked for the company for more than seven years, said, “We are not a handout, but a help-up. “The best part about working here over the years is seeing the disabled people grow and gjt jobs. We train them to work in our stores, and then use those skills at jobs in the community. I love watching their self-esteem grow. ” external beauty and internal hap piness and a weaker immune sys tem. Fruitarians eat only raw fruits and seeds. So outside of fruitarians, what is popular cuisine amongst veg etarians? Local restaurants who cater to vegetarians all say that versions of tofu, the meat substi tute made from soybeans, are the most popular foods they of fer. Hannigan says that this is the case at Holy Cow. “People seem to come back a lot for the Thai tofu, which is tofu in a peanut sauce. It’s spicy, it’s the spiciest tofu we sell, but people seem to like it. It’s a big seller.” George Rowe,'Emerald Holy Cow, located in the EMU, serves a wide variety of meatless dishes. FREE CHECKING Get More for LESS with • No Monthly Fees • No Minimum Balance • Unlimited Check Writing • No Surcharge ATMs - Five on Campus • Free Internet & Phone Banking Plus Exceptional Member Service! Can today - become a Member. Credit Union www.ulaneocu.org 1-800-365-1111 687-2347 Partners in the Community... Partners in Education |ncua The best way to recycle. Buy and sell used books. 768 e. 13th 345-1651 Smith Family l» ookst 6 r c 525 Ulillomette 343-4717
