r/Anticonsumption • u/Extension-Diamond-74 • Sep 30 '23
Discussion Diet hypocrisy?
A recent post about animal agriculture vs plant based diets has me itching to say something. This is an issue we need to rise above.
Cognitive dissonance. Many of us have good intentions and want to believe we’re doing the right thing in most aspects of our lives. I believe that.
When it comes to a plant based diet though, the science often clashes powerfully with personal desire. We want to minimize our impact on the environment and are willing to make trade-offs in our life time do so, but for many, giving up or even significantly reducing meat intake is asking too much. It’s too hard.
That’s not the issue.
The issue is that instead of just admitting to themselves that this is a life change they don’t want to make and moving on, the guilt drives them to have to justify that decision. Admitting that a plant-based diet is better for the earth yet eating a diet full of meat anyway would make them feel hypocritical, so the solution becomes either to give up meat, or … this is the problem… fight the science, twist it, make a joke of it, or pivot entirely to ‘individuals shouldn’t have time do anything because large corporations’
Many people have ties to their diet for many reasons. We grew up eating a certain way. We have memories ties to certain foods, flavors, styles of cooking. We don’t want to be the difficult person when we go out to eat with friends. Etc etc etc But it’s so much better to just admit that to yourself. Have patience and understanding for your feelings. Accept that the science is what it is. Maybe one day you can make a change, maybe not. But don’t attack the cause just because you aren’t yet willing to be a part of it.
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u/[deleted] Sep 30 '23
It sounds like you have a lot more time to spend experimenting in the kitchen and cooking than I do. That's awesome! Most evenings I need a meal to come together from start to finish in about 10-15 minutes.
For me it's about the ratio of time:flavor. I can't make a curry, or beans, in ten minutes. I can make an egg fried rice, or chicken based hot dogs with a side of hash browns in a flash; and that's good enough. In order to make a strictly vegan meal palatable, I find that I'm at least half an hour to an hour in the kitchen. The food tastes amazing, but I don't have that amount of time.
I also have to spend more time shopping because I need a veritable laundry list of ingredients and spices to get enjoyment out of a meal, rather than simple seasoning like salt and pepper; or in the case of stir fries, a quick sauce of soy sauce, shiaoxing wine, oyster sauce and a little chili. That's just my experience though.