（culture）吃点素吧

Welcome to Culture Bridge, this is .... Well, lately I’ve been discussing a controversial topic with my friends that since the burden of producing the meat for food is increasingly heavy, would you like to go veggie? Of course you’re not a vegetarian before you are. This question has been confusing me for days, and there are no standard answer for it, you can say whatever you like, right? So, today, we’re gonna explore the word”vegetarianism” and have a further talk on it. Well, to begin with, let’s have a look at what is Vegetarianism. According to the Wikipedia, Vegetarianism refers to the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, and the flesh of any other animal), and may also include abstention from by-products of animal slaughter. I just need to test the water, you know, vegetarianism may be adopted for various reasons. Many people object to eating meat out of respect for sentient life. Such ethical motivations have been codified under various religious beliefs, as well as animal rights advocacy. Other motivations for vegetarianism are health-related, political, environmental, cultural, aesthetic, economic, or personal preference.(耀华） So, what do you think of that? Would you like to have a try? No matter what the reasons would be. Actually, vegetarianism doesn't mean that all the vegetarians will say good bye to the meats. On the contrary, there are variations of the vegetarian diet for the vegetarians: an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet includes both eggs and dairy products, an ovo-vegetarian diet includes eggs but not dairy products, and a lacto-vegetarian diet includes dairy products but not eggs. A vegan diet excludes all animal products, including eggs and dairy. Some vegans also avoid other animal products such as beeswax, leather or silk clothing, and goose-fat shoe polish.（欣艺） Packaged and processed foods, such as cakes, cookies, candies, chocolate, yogurt, and marshmallows, often contain unfamiliar animal ingredients, so may be a special concern for vegetarians due to the likelihood of such additions. Often, prior to purchase or consumption, vegetarians will scrutinize products for animal-derived ingredients. Vegetarians' feelings vary with regard to these ingredients. For example, while some vegetarians may be unaware of animal-derived rennet's role in the production of cheese, and may therefore unknowingly consume the product, other vegetarians may not take issue with its consumption.（佳琪） Semi-vegetarian diets consist largely of vegetarian foods but may include fish or poultry, or sometimes other meats, on an infrequent basis. Those with diets containing fish or poultry may define meat only as mammalian flesh and may identify with vegetarianism. A pescetarian diet has been described as "fish but no other meat". The common use association between such diets and vegetarianism has led vegetarian groups such as the Vegetarian Society to state that diets containing these ingredients are not vegetarian, because fish and birds are also animals.（李敏） All right, having known what the real vegetarianism is, would any of you like to change your mind? Maybe some people believe that vegetarianism is the product of the modern society, but that’s not how it goes. The earliest record of vegetarianism comes from Indus Valley Civilization as early as the 7th century BCE, inculcating tolerance towards all living beings. Vegetarianism was also practiced in ancient Greece and the earliest reliable evidence for vegetarian theory and practice in Greece dates from the 6th century BC. The Orphics, a religious movement spreading in Greece at that time, and Pythagoras, a philosopher and religious leader in the area of Southern Italy colonized by Greek settlers, abstained from the flesh of animals.(耀华） Vegetarianism was also practiced about six centuries later in another instance (between 30 BCE–50 CE in northern Thracian region, the Moesi tribe who inhabited present day Serbia and Bulgaria, feeding themselves on honey, milk and cheese. In the Indian culture, the diet was closely connected with the attitude of nonviolence towards animals (called ahimsa in India) and was promoted by religious groups and philosophers. The ancient Indian work of Tirukkural explicitly and unambiguously emphasizes vegetarianism and non-killing. Chapter 26 of the Tirukkural, through couplets 251 to 260, deals exclusively on vegetarianism or veganism. Among the Hellenes, Egyptians and others, it had medical or ritual purification purposes.（欣艺） But, anyway, supposing that you’re gonna go veggie, then what would be your mainly motivation? Well, no matter what kind of food you prefer, we still say, keeping a balanced diet and eating regularly count. And this is the end of today's Culture bridge, enjoy what you eat healthily and have a good day., wishing you all get a good result in the final examination! See you guys next time~