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Eating the bugs?
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this post was submitted on 27 Jun 2023
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I raise my own crickets on the farm and grow my own vegetables. It's basically a closed system, I compost everything. I add additional nutrients using seaweed.
How far do your plants have to travel to get to your plate? Last time I checked so-called modern farming uses a lot of petrochemicals. Organic farming isn't any better--they use so much plastic to block weeds and pests.
Also, most plant material I grow is not edible by humans. I cannot eat corn stalks. Maybe you can. It seems wasteful to compost all this biomass as there is still so much nutrition left over.
Sounds to me like your carbon footprint is higher than mine. Maybe you should try to create a farming system yourself. One that yields 100% of the daily nutrition humans require. It is not so easy.
I am glad you are vegan. Much better than eating cows. They drink too much water.
I'm nice to my crickets though. You don't have to hurt them, you just place them into the freezer and they fall asleep like it's winter time. And then you roast them and mill them into flour. Okay that part does hurt them, but they're asleep. Seems kinda peaceful.
I get that hurting a mammal with complex emotions is very unethical, but where's the limit?
What about fermented food? Tiny bacteria are alive when you eat them. They probably don't feel pain but I can't imagine they're thrilled to meet their doom.
How about mushrooms? They aren't plants, and they apparently communicate with the trees. How do you know they don't possess some kind of sentience?
What about harvesting plants? Everytime you run a combine through a field it's like an insect genocide. Even if you're only eating plants you're still eating insects because they get caught by the harvester and milled into the final product. The FDA allows up to 50 insect parts per 1/4 cup cornmeal.
What about hurting a tree? They're not sentient and cannot feel pain but I still believe it is unethical to harm a tree. Do they not deserve our empathy because they lack our human conception of sentience?
Being a good human is hard. I feel like in principle you're right but I don't know how to exist and not hurt anything ever. You're right, I don't know you. Maybe you're just a better person than I am.
Can I just say... It is a joy to argue with you. I mean that sincerely.
Okay, I read up on what sentience actually is and a few studies on insect sentience, social lives and capacity for pain. Having spent a lot of time with the little critters, I can see their point. Like they're obviously social for one. Sometimes they really seem like they're thinking. I don't know.
Let's say in principle I agree with you. How am I supposed to not die of anemia from lack of vitamin B12? I didn't want to do laying hens for obvious reasons. Mushrooms have some B12 and I do grow them, but it's not gonna be enough to keep you healthy long term. And don't say supplements or fortified foods... I need something I can grow or forage locally.
What am I missing here?
PS. I dunno know about the taste buds thing, they're okay but not delicious ๐
B12 comes from bacteria on the ground. If you eat dirty food you should get some.
I just have a B12 supliment I take.
I'm not sure where to get the active bacteria, but you could culture some nutritional yeast, or buy some inactive yeast from the store.
Nah I can't do supplements, and the B12 in nutritional yeast isnt naturally occuring. Some microorganisms do produce B12 but not the ones they use to make nooch. I know, I was surprised to.
I did some more research though, and I do have a source of B12. Remember I said I was using seaweed for fertilization?
Boom: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11430774/
I can just eat the seaweed. ๐
In fact, it appears my people have a long history of eating seaweed: https://www.wildwalks-southwest.co.uk/all-about-laverbread/ (didn't know that existed!)
So I guess I'll go vegan. You win. The crickets will be disappointed that they're getting evicted but I'm sure they'll get over it.
I'm going to go 6 months eating just seaweed and potatoes, while doing blood work to check my nutrient levels. I'll let you know if I don't die ๐ . Thanks for all your help.
Haha yeah, I love seaweed. Didn't know it had B12 in it. I think it also has some good omega fats too.
Wow, well I hope it goes well for you! I think this Is a first for me. Lemmy really is a better place.
Have a good weekend ๐. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions.
It legitimately looks like the satire went over Nora's head and made a woosh sound