I'd like to toss another factor into your list. The majority of vegetarians who are not living in Asia are white. African americans and hispanics are traditionally not veggie, even though they don't eat much meat.
I'm very lucky; I found the co-op, which is the only way I can afford to actually attempt to eat. Most poor people don't have time or energy to actually cook so they buy the cheap, pre-prepped foods because that's all they can really actually afford.
Most people honestly believe that they have to have meat to be satisified, so they're going to buy meat instead. We, in the west, believe we have to eat way more meat than our bodies need. We really only need meat like twice a week, but most of us eat it like 2-3 times a day because our culture tells us that meat is healthy and important and the way to be "whole" and "real" and "actually eating" is to consume lots of meat. We don't know how to eat veggies. We don't know how to make them tasty or even interesting. Cultural shift.
Also, this answer may or may not have even touched your question.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2005-11-19 06:21 am (UTC)I'm very lucky; I found the co-op, which is the only way I can afford to actually attempt to eat. Most poor people don't have time or energy to actually cook so they buy the cheap, pre-prepped foods because that's all they can really actually afford.
Most people honestly believe that they have to have meat to be satisified, so they're going to buy meat instead. We, in the west, believe we have to eat way more meat than our bodies need. We really only need meat like twice a week, but most of us eat it like 2-3 times a day because our culture tells us that meat is healthy and important and the way to be "whole" and "real" and "actually eating" is to consume lots of meat. We don't know how to eat veggies. We don't know how to make them tasty or even interesting. Cultural shift.
Also, this answer may or may not have even touched your question.