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  • WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 3 2007 4:00 PM

Spot the Vegetarian

Submitted by Rahodeb

Edited by Rahodeb



Happy World Vegetarian Awareness Month. Can you guess which of the above celebristuds is living a healthier, cruelty-free life? Let's see, could it be Outkast's hip-hop fabulous André 3000 (the artist formerly known as Dre)? Is there any chance in hell that it's the always hilarious and sometimes sloshed Danny DeVito? Or perhaps it's the intense and brooding Joaquin Phoenix?

If you guessed André.....you're right!

In fact, Benjamin is vegan, almost teetotal and sartorially eccentric; his variety of cool is the antithesis of the sportswear-clad, debauched excess traditionally associated with hip hop, and therefore excites much debate. All of which is enough to make you think Andre Benjamin's image must be hopelessly overhyped until you're confronted with it in the flesh, at which point it pretty much smacks you over the head.

Benjamin doesn't actually think he is cool. 'No. No. That's so funny.That is the biggest misconception. I am such a nervous man.' (His voice is soft and southern; he is from Atlanta, although he now lives in LA. He is never loud, he is courteous, gentle, still, self-contained. He laughs a lot.)

If you guessed Danny DeVito.....you're also right, kind of, although he may be falling off the wagon.

DeVito has teamed up with world renowned restaurateur David Manero and Michael Brauser to open his first restaurant, which will be aptly named DeVito South Beach, in Miami Beach, Florida. DeVito South Beach is slated to open to the public on June 18th, 2007, after a series of high profile private parties featuring a cast of A-list celebrities and Danny himself. Despite DeVito being a vegetarian, the restaurant will feature a contemporary Italian cuisine fused with characteristics of a traditional Italian chop house.

Can you still legitimately call yourself a vegetarian if you own a chop house? Um, methinks not.

Finally, if you guessed Joaquin Phoenix...you're right again, you clever thing.

When it comes to helping animals, Academy Award-nominated Walk the Line star Joaquin Phoenix always walks the walk and talks the talk. The vegan star speaks up for turkeys in a clever vegetarian ad for PETA that was directed by Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin. "Holidays can be murder on turkeys. Let’s make this one for the birds," declares Phoenix.

Other celebrity veg*ans include Elvis Costello, Dustin Hoffman, David Duchovny, and Alec Baldwin.

Want to join the club, or already in it? The North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) is holding a contest, and you could win big by showing off your veg lifestyle.

NAVS is sponsoring a special World Vegetarian Day / Vegetarian Awareness Month Contest. Its easy to enter - just write and tell us about your activities. Entries will be judged on originality, creativity and effectiveness.

ONE PRIZE EACH WILL BE AWARDED TO:

An individual for the most outstanding activity &
A representative of a group, store or institution for implementing the cleverest outreach.



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ckdexterhaven

ckdexterhaven

USA
December 2005

OCT 07, 2007 12:40 AM

DarkBlueMarcy said:
yayyyyyyy vegetarians!


That's a pretty good summarization of the article. With the exact same amount of depth, and equally as balanced.

Jocelynn

Jocelynn

Vancouver, BC
August 2004

OCT 07, 2007 03:03 PM

TheGringo said:
So Poptarts = vegetarian?

If so, i was soooooo non-carnivorous this morning.



I think some contain gelatin. At least the ones with frosting do, if I'm not mistaken! I miss you, wildberry poptarts... frown

lefthandright

lefthandright

New Zealand
September 2006

OCT 08, 2007 02:45 AM

Lycoris said:

lefthandright said:
why is it primates have vast intelligence and are herbivore?



Many primates are omnivores, actually.



they are opportunists...they will scavenge, which is not the same as being wholly omnivore. Some primates do consume insects as part of their diet..usually when not enough vegetative resources can be found....much like a starving vegetarian would eat meat in a situation of where they were starving.

Sagna

Sagna

Halifax, VA
July 2002

OCT 08, 2007 07:56 AM

For all the good meat supposedly does the brain you carnivores are still really dumb. Do I fault the humans of 50,000 years ago for eating meat? No. But they ate meat for completely different reasons than we do today. They ate meat to survive, those that eat meat now do so for only one reason, enjoyment. There is nothing in meat than cannot be derived from other, more humane sources. So you eat meat for the same reason Mike Vick likes dog fights, you enjoy it. But if you believe personal enjoyment is enough of a reason to kill your evolutionary relatives, then go right ahead. It surpises me that for everyone on this site with all your tats and piercings, most of the members are such conformists on everything that matters.

creativename said:

Formus said:
Mmm, meat. Delicious meat. Wonderful meat.

A vegan bird once landed on my shoulder and lent me this thought: apparently, human beings have been eating the wrong thing SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME. How did our ancestors ever survive eating such filthy mammoths all the time? Why those murderers!!!



I like how discovery channel recently had a show where doctors linked eating meat to the growth of the brain. That extra protein is what made humans so smart and develop into what we are today. Also correlates why predators are often more cunning, inventive, and smarter, than herbivore prey.

But that's just Discovery channel.



Subrosa

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA
July 2004

OCT 08, 2007 08:00 AM

Sagna said:
It surpises me that for everyone on this site with all your tats and piercings, most of the members are such conformists on everything that matters.



Wow. Get over yourself, dude.

Sagna

Sagna

Halifax, VA
July 2002

OCT 08, 2007 08:01 AM

thefreak said:

Sagna said:

Johnny_Flapjacks said:

Can you still legitimately call yourself a vegetarian if you own a chop house? Um, methinks not


You absolutely can.... There are MANY vegetarians out there who choose that lifestyle for health reasons. It is not exclusively something that is done for animal rights reasons.

Just as there are bar tenders that don't drink, and non-smokers that work at tobacco shops, there are plenty of vegetarians that sell and cook meat.


No, he is NOT a vegetarian. It has nothing to do with his motivation. If you consume products that animals must be killed to produce, you aren't a vegetarian. Whether you eat the product, wear it, or sell it matters not.


Hmm. Merriam-Webster seems to disagree.

Main Entry: veg·e·tar·i·an·ism
Pronunciation: -E-&-"ni-z&m
Function: noun
: the theory or practice of living on a vegetarian diet


So does Wikipedia.

Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes all animal flesh, including poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustacea, and slaughter by-products. There are variations that admit dairy products, eggs and/or products from animal labor such as honey.


So does the Vegetarian Resource Group.

Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, and poultry.

...

Among the many reasons for being a vegetarian are health, ecological, and religious concerns, dislike of meat, compassion for animals, belief in non-violence, and economics.


So does the International Vegetarian Union.

Vegetarian: For the purpose of membership of IVU, vegetarianism includes veganism and is defined as the practice of not eating meat, poultry or fish or their by-products, with or without the use of dairy products or eggs.

Often broken down further into OVO-LACTO, and LACTO. Vegetarians may or may not try and minimize their non food use of animals like vegans.


See what I'm getting @here?

-TM



Yes, you are saying many sources misdefine vegetarianism!
wink

Sagna

Sagna

Halifax, VA
July 2002

OCT 08, 2007 08:04 AM

TheGringo said:
So Poptarts = vegetarian?

If so, i was soooooo non-carnivorous this morning.



Not if it was frosted, the frosting contains gelatin.

FreakPirate

FreakPirate

Canada
November 2002

OCT 08, 2007 08:16 AM

Sagna said:
For all the good meat supposedly does the brain you carnivores are still really dumb. Do I fault the humans of 50,000 years ago for eating meat? No. But they ate meat for completely different reasons than we do today. They ate meat to survive, those that eat meat now do so for only one reason, enjoyment. There is nothing in meat than cannot be derived from other, more humane sources. So you eat meat for the same reason Mike Vick likes dog fights, you enjoy it. But if you believe personal enjoyment is enough of a reason to kill your evolutionary relatives, then go right ahead. It surpises me that for everyone on this site with all your tats and piercings, most of the members are such conformists on everything that matters.



That high horse of yours must be pretty comfortable. Unfortunately, from down here it just makes you look like a prick.

thefreak

thefreak

NEWSWIRE

Gardner, MA

OCT 08, 2007 08:23 AM

FreakPirate said:

Sagna said:
For all the good meat supposedly does the brain you carnivores are still really dumb. Do I fault the humans of 50,000 years ago for eating meat? No. But they ate meat for completely different reasons than we do today. They ate meat to survive, those that eat meat now do so for only one reason, enjoyment. There is nothing in meat than cannot be derived from other, more humane sources. So you eat meat for the same reason Mike Vick likes dog fights, you enjoy it. But if you believe personal enjoyment is enough of a reason to kill your evolutionary relatives, then go right ahead. It surpises me that for everyone on this site with all your tats and piercings, most of the members are such conformists on everything that matters.


That high horse of yours must be pretty comfortable. Unfortunately, from down here it just makes you look like a prick.


Uhh, FP...you're looking @the horse's prick. *points*

-TM

FreakPirate

FreakPirate

Canada
November 2002

OCT 08, 2007 08:28 AM

Sagna said:
But if you believe personal enjoyment is enough of a reason to kill your evolutionary relatives, then go right ahead.



Oh... and since when is a cow, pig or chicken my evolutionary relative? I'll admit I didn't pay much attention in biology class but I think I would have remembered that.

Seriously though... you're the kind of self-righteous blowhard that makes people think less of vegetarians everywhere. You'd be doing your cause a favor to just shut the fuck up and let the rest of us enjoy our meals.

FreakPirate

FreakPirate

Canada
November 2002

OCT 08, 2007 08:30 AM

thefreak said:

Uhh, FP...you're looking @the horse's prick. *points*

-TM



It wasn't as rude.

bean

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

OCT 08, 2007 10:53 AM

Hey look, this thread has devolved into yet another debate about the merits of vegetarianism in general with insults flying back and forth from both sides of the argument, similarly to nearly every previous thread that has ever mentioned vegetarianism/veganism. What a shock!

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