Guest guest Posted August 19, 2002 Report Share Posted August 19, 2002 Horseshoes, Hand Grenades, and Veggieburgers Posted: March 22, 2002 One thing I love about being vegan is that I've never before felt any desire to compromise. For thirteen years, I've never knowingly allowed even a speck of animal products to pass my lips. I'm not at all suggesting that vegan food is totally free of suffering. I know that it's often been fertilized with blood or manure. I know that insecticides have been used to poison insects. And I know that mice and snakes are dismembered in the reaping machines. Yet even with all this, it's fairly obvious to anyone who researches animal agriculture that a 100% vegan diet demands the least misery- per-mouthful. To me, 99% vegan has been never good enough. My reasoning has been two-fold: I've never wanted to be remotely responsible for even a tiny amount of farm animal suffering, and I've never wanted to purchase any food that would fund the livestock industry. To be vegan is to embrace compassion, but with any noble pursuit, it's easy to fall into the trap of feeling pride: " I eat 100% vegan, whereas John still puts cream into his coffee, and Sally eats doughnuts with eggs in them. " Until now, I've always been able to deal with potential pride issues by telling myself that my aspiring to eat 100% vegan is not done on behalf of some weird narcissistic quest for personal purity. I aspire to be 100% vegan solely because I think that's what's best for the animals. Matt Ball, a cofounder of Vegan Outreach, addresses this pride issue in an intelligent way: Being vegan, for me, is about lessening suffering and working for animal liberation as efficiently as possible. It has nothing to do with personal purity or my ego. If, by some bizarre twist, eating a burger (or, better yet, a triple-cheese Uno's pizza) were to advance animal liberation significantly, then I would do it. I agree with Matt. But until now, his thought seemed purely hypothetical. Would I eat a T-bone steak if the NFL would agree to air nothing but vegan public service announcements in place of commercials during the Super Bowl? Of course I would. The trouble is, I've been waiting by the phone, and nobody from the NFL seems to be calling to make the offer. That's the nice thing about being vegan. The question of being less than 100% pure has always seemed totally hypothetical. I could never envision a situation where eating animal products could, legitimately, advance animal liberation. This week, the situation changed. It took me a day or so to grasp it, and in that time I posted what I now regard as an ill-conceived opinion piece on my site. It concerns the Burger King Veggieburger. A few months ago, Burger King announced plans to offer a Veggieburger, which the press initially reported to be vegan. The product's launch date was on Monday, March 18th. A few days before the launch, I did a bit of checking and I found out that the bun has a miniscule amount of dairy products—less than one percent, by weight. Well, for me, even a speck of animal products has always been a dealbreaker. And I wrote about it in those terms in my first article. At the same time, I had to acknowledge that it would be a great thing for this burger to succeed. If we could get 20% of Burger King customers to switch to eating the BK Veggie, things for animals would change overnight. It's probable that McDonald's and Wendy's would be forced to offer Veggieburgers of their own. We'd see a craze for vegetarian eating like never before, and for the first time, society might be ready to ask some hard questions about animal liberation. But for us to get there, the BK Veggie has to become a success. And that's anything but assured. Burger King is well known for having numerous new products crash and burn shortly after introduction, but even industry-leader McDonald's misfires regularly. For every smash success like Chicken McNuggets, there are dozens of aborted attempts at new products. Remember McPizza, McLean, or Arch Deluxe? All these products—launched amidst high-budget promotional campaigns—have been yanked from McDonald's menu due to lack of sales. We can't afford to let Burger King's Veggieburger suffer a similar fate. If this product fails, it'll send a clear signal to the fast food industry that there's insufficient demand for healthy vegan food. The Burger King Veggieburger represents an unprecedented opportunity in the vegetarian movement's history. But if the burger flops, it might set the growth of the movement back ten years. And, chances are, if the vegetarian movement does not embrace this product, it will fail. I'd be reluctant to eat a small amount of animal products in the hope that it would help produce animal liberation. There's just too much suffering in a mouthful of animal products for me to feel right about it. But, with the BK Veggie, the quantities involved are so trivial, and the success of this product is of the utmost importance to farm animals everywhere. We have one opportunity, and if we vegans turn our back on it for the sake of maintaining the illusion of 100% purity, then shame on us. * * * * * Historically, if you want to criticize a group like PeTA, it should be because they've been too hard line and too hardnosed to ever entertain compromise for animals. But, in this case, the leadership at PeTA agrees that the BK Veggieburger must succeed at all costs. Undoubtedly, they will get streams of cancelled memberships and stacks of outraged letters. But I am certain that they are doing the right thing. I'm going to do the right thing too. I'm going to do everything I can to promote the BK Veggie on Vegan.com and at my speaking engagements. I know this will outrage some people. But Burger King isn't going to pay me a cent for this. I strongly believe that the vegan movement needs to get behind this product and do everything we can to ensure its success. If you try to be as vegan as possible, and you agree that supporting this product is important, you need to make a couple requests when ordering your Veggieburger. First, ask that they leave off the mayonnaise, which comes standard with this product. Second, ask that your burger patty be microwaved rather than grilled. All Burger King outlets have been instructed to offer this option, so that vegetarians won't have to eat a product that is cooked on the same grill that is used to cook beef. If I haven't persuaded you that the BK Veggieburger deserves support, please, at least, do not fight the people who are supporting it. This movement is divided enough already. I admit that there's a possibility that I am wrong in supporting this product. I only hope that vegans who refuse to support the BK Veggie have a similar humility, and realize that their position may be incorrect as well. The vegan movement needs to be unified against the industries that exploit animals—not divided against itself. Remember that we all care passionately about protecting animals, and disagree merely on strategy and compromise. I believe that there will come a day, in the not-too-distant future, when vast numbers of people will aspire to be 100% vegan. To hasten this day, I am going to regularly eat a virtually vegan Veggieburger at Burger King, and encourage as many of my vegan and non-vegetarian friends to join me as possible. And every bite I take, of this just- barely not 100% vegan food, will be on behalf of farm animals. --- Erik Marcus publishes Vegan.com and is the author of Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating. 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Guest guest Posted August 19, 2002 Report Share Posted August 19, 2002 Wow! Thx fer all the info yer sending thru! nikki , " ibizkus " <ibyza2001@h...> wrote: > Horseshoes, Hand Grenades, and Veggieburgers > Posted: March 22, 2002 > > > One thing I love about being vegan is that I've never before felt any > desire to compromise. For thirteen years, I've never knowingly > allowed even a speck of animal products to pass my lips. > > I'm not at all suggesting that vegan food is totally free of > suffering. I know that it's often been fertilized with blood or > manure. I know that insecticides have been used to poison insects. > And I know that mice and snakes are dismembered in the reaping > machines. > > Yet even with all this, it's fairly obvious to anyone who researches > animal agriculture that a 100% vegan diet demands the least misery- > per-mouthful. To me, 99% vegan has been never good enough. My > reasoning has been two-fold: I've never wanted to be remotely > responsible for even a tiny amount of farm animal suffering, and I've > never wanted to purchase any food that would fund the livestock > industry. > > To be vegan is to embrace compassion, but with any noble pursuit, > it's easy to fall into the trap of feeling pride: " I eat 100% vegan, > whereas John still puts cream into his coffee, and Sally eats > doughnuts with eggs in them. " > > Until now, I've always been able to deal with potential pride issues > by telling myself that my aspiring to eat 100% vegan is not done on > behalf of some weird narcissistic quest for personal purity. I aspire > to be 100% vegan solely because I think that's what's best for the > animals. > > Matt Ball, a cofounder of Vegan Outreach, addresses this pride issue > in an intelligent way: > > Being vegan, for me, is about lessening suffering and working for > animal liberation as efficiently as possible. It has nothing to do > with personal purity or my ego. If, by some bizarre twist, eating a > burger (or, better yet, a triple-cheese Uno's pizza) were to advance > animal liberation significantly, then I would do it. > > I agree with Matt. But until now, his thought seemed purely > hypothetical. Would I eat a T-bone steak if the NFL would agree to > air nothing but vegan public service announcements in place of > commercials during the Super Bowl? Of course I would. The trouble is, > I've been waiting by the phone, and nobody from the NFL seems to be > calling to make the offer. > > That's the nice thing about being vegan. The question of being less > than 100% pure has always seemed totally hypothetical. I could never > envision a situation where eating animal products could, > legitimately, advance animal liberation. > > This week, the situation changed. It took me a day or so to grasp it, > and in that time I posted what I now regard as an ill-conceived > opinion piece on my site. It concerns the Burger King Veggieburger. > > A few months ago, Burger King announced plans to offer a > Veggieburger, which the press initially reported to be vegan. The > product's launch date was on Monday, March 18th. A few days before > the launch, I did a bit of checking and I found out that the bun has > a miniscule amount of dairy products—less than one percent, by weight. > > Well, for me, even a speck of animal products has always been a > dealbreaker. And I wrote about it in those terms in my first article. > At the same time, I had to acknowledge that it would be a great thing > for this burger to succeed. If we could get 20% of Burger King > customers to switch to eating the BK Veggie, things for animals would > change overnight. It's probable that McDonald's and Wendy's would be > forced to offer Veggieburgers of their own. We'd see a craze for > vegetarian eating like never before, and for the first time, society > might be ready to ask some hard questions about animal liberation. > > But for us to get there, the BK Veggie has to become a success. And > that's anything but assured. Burger King is well known for having > numerous new products crash and burn shortly after introduction, but > even industry-leader McDonald's misfires regularly. For every smash > success like Chicken McNuggets, there are dozens of aborted attempts > at new products. Remember McPizza, McLean, or Arch Deluxe? All these > products—launched amidst high-budget promotional campaigns—have been > yanked from McDonald's menu due to lack of sales. > > We can't afford to let Burger King's Veggieburger suffer a similar > fate. If this product fails, it'll send a clear signal to the fast > food industry that there's insufficient demand for healthy vegan > food. The Burger King Veggieburger represents an unprecedented > opportunity in the vegetarian movement's history. But if the burger > flops, it might set the growth of the movement back ten years. > > And, chances are, if the vegetarian movement does not embrace this > product, it will fail. I'd be reluctant to eat a small amount of > animal products in the hope that it would help produce animal > liberation. There's just too much suffering in a mouthful of animal > products for me to feel right about it. But, with the BK Veggie, the > quantities involved are so trivial, and the success of this product > is of the utmost importance to farm animals everywhere. We have one > opportunity, and if we vegans turn our back on it for the sake of > maintaining the illusion of 100% purity, then shame on us. > > > * * * * * > > Historically, if you want to criticize a group like PeTA, it should > be because they've been too hard line and too hardnosed to ever > entertain compromise for animals. But, in this case, the leadership > at PeTA agrees that the BK Veggieburger must succeed at all costs. > Undoubtedly, they will get streams of cancelled memberships and > stacks of outraged letters. But I am certain that they are doing the > right thing. > > I'm going to do the right thing too. I'm going to do everything I can > to promote the BK Veggie on Vegan.com and at my speaking engagements. > I know this will outrage some people. But Burger King isn't going to > pay me a cent for this. I strongly believe that the vegan movement > needs to get behind this product and do everything we can to ensure > its success. > > If you try to be as vegan as possible, and you agree that supporting > this product is important, you need to make a couple requests when > ordering your Veggieburger. First, ask that they leave off the > mayonnaise, which comes standard with this product. Second, ask that > your burger patty be microwaved rather than grilled. All Burger King > outlets have been instructed to offer this option, so that > vegetarians won't have to eat a product that is cooked on the same > grill that is used to cook beef. > > If I haven't persuaded you that the BK Veggieburger deserves support, > please, at least, do not fight the people who are supporting it. This > movement is divided enough already. I admit that there's a > possibility that I am wrong in supporting this product. I only hope > that vegans who refuse to support the BK Veggie have a similar > humility, and realize that their position may be incorrect as well. > The vegan movement needs to be unified against the industries that > exploit animals—not divided against itself. Remember that we all care > passionately about protecting animals, and disagree merely on > strategy and compromise. > > I believe that there will come a day, in the not-too-distant future, > when vast numbers of people will aspire to be 100% vegan. To hasten > this day, I am going to regularly eat a virtually vegan Veggieburger > at Burger King, and encourage as many of my vegan and non- vegetarian > friends to join me as possible. And every bite I take, of this just- > barely not 100% vegan food, will be on behalf of farm animals. > > --- > > Erik Marcus publishes Vegan.com and is the author of Vegan: The New > Ethics of Eating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 19, 2002 Report Share Posted August 19, 2002 , MacDonalds' do offer a veggieburger!and it's got to be better that they do ,then don't!it should be publicised more, rather than people just slagging them off all the time! " nikki_mackovitch " <nikkimack@m...> wrote: > Wow! Thx fer all the info yer sending thru! > > nikki > > , " ibizkus " <ibyza2001@h...> wrote: > > Horseshoes, Hand Grenades, and Veggieburgers > > Posted: March 22, 2002 > > > > > > One thing I love about being vegan is that I've never before felt > any > > desire to compromise. For thirteen years, I've never knowingly > > allowed even a speck of animal products to pass my lips. > > > > I'm not at all suggesting that vegan food is totally free of > > suffering. I know that it's often been fertilized with blood or > > manure. I know that insecticides have been used to poison insects. > > And I know that mice and snakes are dismembered in the reaping > > machines. > > > > Yet even with all this, it's fairly obvious to anyone who > researches > > animal agriculture that a 100% vegan diet demands the least misery- > > per-mouthful. To me, 99% vegan has been never good enough. My > > reasoning has been two-fold: I've never wanted to be remotely > > responsible for even a tiny amount of farm animal suffering, and > I've > > never wanted to purchase any food that would fund the livestock > > industry. > > > > To be vegan is to embrace compassion, but with any noble pursuit, > > it's easy to fall into the trap of feeling pride: " I eat 100% > vegan, > > whereas John still puts cream into his coffee, and Sally eats > > doughnuts with eggs in them. " > > > > Until now, I've always been able to deal with potential pride > issues > > by telling myself that my aspiring to eat 100% vegan is not done on > > behalf of some weird narcissistic quest for personal purity. I > aspire > > to be 100% vegan solely because I think that's what's best for the > > animals. > > > > Matt Ball, a cofounder of Vegan Outreach, addresses this pride > issue > > in an intelligent way: > > > > Being vegan, for me, is about lessening suffering and working for > > animal liberation as efficiently as possible. It has nothing to do > > with personal purity or my ego. If, by some bizarre twist, eating a > > burger (or, better yet, a triple-cheese Uno's pizza) were to > advance > > animal liberation significantly, then I would do it. > > > > I agree with Matt. But until now, his thought seemed purely > > hypothetical. Would I eat a T-bone steak if the NFL would agree to > > air nothing but vegan public service announcements in place of > > commercials during the Super Bowl? Of course I would. The trouble > is, > > I've been waiting by the phone, and nobody from the NFL seems to be > > calling to make the offer. > > > > That's the nice thing about being vegan. The question of being less > > than 100% pure has always seemed totally hypothetical. I could > never > > envision a situation where eating animal products could, > > legitimately, advance animal liberation. > > > > This week, the situation changed. It took me a day or so to grasp > it, > > and in that time I posted what I now regard as an ill-conceived > > opinion piece on my site. It concerns the Burger King Veggieburger. > > > > A few months ago, Burger King announced plans to offer a > > Veggieburger, which the press initially reported to be vegan. The > > product's launch date was on Monday, March 18th. A few days before > > the launch, I did a bit of checking and I found out that the bun > has > > a miniscule amount of dairy products—less than one percent, by > weight. > > > > Well, for me, even a speck of animal products has always been a > > dealbreaker. And I wrote about it in those terms in my first > article. > > At the same time, I had to acknowledge that it would be a great > thing > > for this burger to succeed. If we could get 20% of Burger King > > customers to switch to eating the BK Veggie, things for animals > would > > change overnight. It's probable that McDonald's and Wendy's would > be > > forced to offer Veggieburgers of their own. We'd see a craze for > > vegetarian eating like never before, and for the first time, > society > > might be ready to ask some hard questions about animal liberation. > > > > But for us to get there, the BK Veggie has to become a success. And > > that's anything but assured. Burger King is well known for having > > numerous new products crash and burn shortly after introduction, > but > > even industry-leader McDonald's misfires regularly. For every smash > > success like Chicken McNuggets, there are dozens of aborted > attempts > > at new products. Remember McPizza, McLean, or Arch Deluxe? All > these > > products—launched amidst high-budget promotional campaigns—have > been > > yanked from McDonald's menu due to lack of sales. > > > > We can't afford to let Burger King's Veggieburger suffer a similar > > fate. If this product fails, it'll send a clear signal to the fast > > food industry that there's insufficient demand for healthy vegan > > food. The Burger King Veggieburger represents an unprecedented > > opportunity in the vegetarian movement's history. But if the burger > > flops, it might set the growth of the movement back ten years. > > > > And, chances are, if the vegetarian movement does not embrace this > > product, it will fail. I'd be reluctant to eat a small amount of > > animal products in the hope that it would help produce animal > > liberation. There's just too much suffering in a mouthful of animal > > products for me to feel right about it. But, with the BK Veggie, > the > > quantities involved are so trivial, and the success of this product > > is of the utmost importance to farm animals everywhere. We have one > > opportunity, and if we vegans turn our back on it for the sake of > > maintaining the illusion of 100% purity, then shame on us. > > > > > > * * * * * > > > > Historically, if you want to criticize a group like PeTA, it should > > be because they've been too hard line and too hardnosed to ever > > entertain compromise for animals. But, in this case, the leadership > > at PeTA agrees that the BK Veggieburger must succeed at all costs. > > Undoubtedly, they will get streams of cancelled memberships and > > stacks of outraged letters. But I am certain that they are doing > the > > right thing. > > > > I'm going to do the right thing too. I'm going to do everything I > can > > to promote the BK Veggie on Vegan.com and at my speaking > engagements. > > I know this will outrage some people. But Burger King isn't going > to > > pay me a cent for this. I strongly believe that the vegan movement > > needs to get behind this product and do everything we can to ensure > > its success. > > > > If you try to be as vegan as possible, and you agree that > supporting > > this product is important, you need to make a couple requests when > > ordering your Veggieburger. First, ask that they leave off the > > mayonnaise, which comes standard with this product. Second, ask > that > > your burger patty be microwaved rather than grilled. All Burger > King > > outlets have been instructed to offer this option, so that > > vegetarians won't have to eat a product that is cooked on the same > > grill that is used to cook beef. > > > > If I haven't persuaded you that the BK Veggieburger deserves > support, > > please, at least, do not fight the people who are supporting it. > This > > movement is divided enough already. I admit that there's a > > possibility that I am wrong in supporting this product. I only hope > > that vegans who refuse to support the BK Veggie have a similar > > humility, and realize that their position may be incorrect as well. > > The vegan movement needs to be unified against the industries that > > exploit animals—not divided against itself. Remember that we all > care > > passionately about protecting animals, and disagree merely on > > strategy and compromise. > > > > I believe that there will come a day, in the not-too-distant > future, > > when vast numbers of people will aspire to be 100% vegan. To hasten > > this day, I am going to regularly eat a virtually vegan > Veggieburger > > at Burger King, and encourage as many of my vegan and non- > vegetarian > > friends to join me as possible. And every bite I take, of this just- > > barely not 100% vegan food, will be on behalf of farm animals. > > > > --- > > > > Erik Marcus publishes Vegan.com and is the author of Vegan: The New > > Ethics of Eating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 20, 2002 Report Share Posted August 20, 2002 i don't think the mcdeathburger veggie burger is here in the states.... i look at it this way...mcdonalds could go veggie tomorrow, and i still won't eat there..they are horrible, they sue people at the drop of a hat, give horrid wages, and the whole fast foodation of this country..why would someone travel 3000 miles just to eat the same bland food?? fraggle " vegicate1 " <simonpjones wrote: >, > >MacDonalds' do offer a veggieburger!and it's got to be better that >they do ,then don't!it should be publicised more, rather than people >just slagging them off all the time! > > > " nikki_mackovitch " <nikkimack@m...> wrote: >> Wow! Thx fer all the info yer sending thru! >> >> nikki >> >> , " ibizkus " <ibyza2001@h...> wrote: >> > Horseshoes, Hand Grenades, and Veggieburgers >> > Posted: March 22, 2002 >> > >> > >> > One thing I love about being vegan is that I've never before felt >> any >> > desire to compromise. For thirteen years, I've never knowingly >> > allowed even a speck of animal products to pass my lips. >> > >> > I'm not at all suggesting that vegan food is totally free of >> > suffering. I know that it's often been fertilized with blood or >> > manure. I know that insecticides have been used to poison >insects. >> > And I know that mice and snakes are dismembered in the reaping >> > machines. >> > >> > Yet even with all this, it's fairly obvious to anyone who >> researches >> > animal agriculture that a 100% vegan diet demands the least >misery- >> > per-mouthful. To me, 99% vegan has been never good enough. My >> > reasoning has been two-fold: I've never wanted to be remotely >> > responsible for even a tiny amount of farm animal suffering, and >> I've >> > never wanted to purchase any food that would fund the livestock >> > industry. >> > >> > To be vegan is to embrace compassion, but with any noble pursuit, >> > it's easy to fall into the trap of feeling pride: " I eat 100% >> vegan, >> > whereas John still puts cream into his coffee, and Sally eats >> > doughnuts with eggs in them. " >> > >> > Until now, I've always been able to deal with potential pride >> issues >> > by telling myself that my aspiring to eat 100% vegan is not done >on >> > behalf of some weird narcissistic quest for personal purity. I >> aspire >> > to be 100% vegan solely because I think that's what's best for >the >> > animals. >> > >> > Matt Ball, a cofounder of Vegan Outreach, addresses this pride >> issue >> > in an intelligent way: >> > >> > Being vegan, for me, is about lessening suffering and working for >> > animal liberation as efficiently as possible. It has nothing to >do >> > with personal purity or my ego. If, by some bizarre twist, eating >a >> > burger (or, better yet, a triple-cheese Uno's pizza) were to >> advance >> > animal liberation significantly, then I would do it. >> > >> > I agree with Matt. But until now, his thought seemed purely >> > hypothetical. Would I eat a T-bone steak if the NFL would agree >to >> > air nothing but vegan public service announcements in place of >> > commercials during the Super Bowl? Of course I would. The trouble >> is, >> > I've been waiting by the phone, and nobody from the NFL seems to >be >> > calling to make the offer. >> > >> > That's the nice thing about being vegan. The question of being >less >> > than 100% pure has always seemed totally hypothetical. I could >> never >> > envision a situation where eating animal products could, >> > legitimately, advance animal liberation. >> > >> > This week, the situation changed. It took me a day or so to grasp >> it, >> > and in that time I posted what I now regard as an ill-conceived >> > opinion piece on my site. It concerns the Burger King >Veggieburger. >> > >> > A few months ago, Burger King announced plans to offer a >> > Veggieburger, which the press initially reported to be vegan. The >> > product's launch date was on Monday, March 18th. A few days >before >> > the launch, I did a bit of checking and I found out that the bun >> has >> > a miniscule amount of dairy products—less than one percent, by >> weight. >> > >> > Well, for me, even a speck of animal products has always been a >> > dealbreaker. And I wrote about it in those terms in my first >> article. >> > At the same time, I had to acknowledge that it would be a great >> thing >> > for this burger to succeed. If we could get 20% of Burger King >> > customers to switch to eating the BK Veggie, things for animals >> would >> > change overnight. It's probable that McDonald's and Wendy's would >> be >> > forced to offer Veggieburgers of their own. We'd see a craze for >> > vegetarian eating like never before, and for the first time, >> society >> > might be ready to ask some hard questions about animal liberation. >> > >> > But for us to get there, the BK Veggie has to become a success. >And >> > that's anything but assured. Burger King is well known for having >> > numerous new products crash and burn shortly after introduction, >> but >> > even industry-leader McDonald's misfires regularly. For every >smash >> > success like Chicken McNuggets, there are dozens of aborted >> attempts >> > at new products. Remember McPizza, McLean, or Arch Deluxe? All >> these >> > products—launched amidst high-budget promotional campaigns—have >> been >> > yanked from McDonald's menu due to lack of sales. >> > >> > We can't afford to let Burger King's Veggieburger suffer a >similar >> > fate. If this product fails, it'll send a clear signal to the >fast >> > food industry that there's insufficient demand for healthy vegan >> > food. The Burger King Veggieburger represents an unprecedented >> > opportunity in the vegetarian movement's history. But if the >burger >> > flops, it might set the growth of the movement back ten years. >> > >> > And, chances are, if the vegetarian movement does not embrace >this >> > product, it will fail. I'd be reluctant to eat a small amount of >> > animal products in the hope that it would help produce animal >> > liberation. There's just too much suffering in a mouthful of >animal >> > products for me to feel right about it. But, with the BK Veggie, >> the >> > quantities involved are so trivial, and the success of this >product >> > is of the utmost importance to farm animals everywhere. We have >one >> > opportunity, and if we vegans turn our back on it for the sake of >> > maintaining the illusion of 100% purity, then shame on us. >> > >> > >> > * * * * * >> > >> > Historically, if you want to criticize a group like PeTA, it >should >> > be because they've been too hard line and too hardnosed to ever >> > entertain compromise for animals. But, in this case, the >leadership >> > at PeTA agrees that the BK Veggieburger must succeed at all >costs. >> > Undoubtedly, they will get streams of cancelled memberships and >> > stacks of outraged letters. But I am certain that they are doing >> the >> > right thing. >> > >> > I'm going to do the right thing too. I'm going to do everything I >> can >> > to promote the BK Veggie on Vegan.com and at my speaking >> engagements. >> > I know this will outrage some people. But Burger King isn't going >> to >> > pay me a cent for this. I strongly believe that the vegan >movement >> > needs to get behind this product and do everything we can to >ensure >> > its success. >> > >> > If you try to be as vegan as possible, and you agree that >> supporting >> > this product is important, you need to make a couple requests >when >> > ordering your Veggieburger. First, ask that they leave off the >> > mayonnaise, which comes standard with this product. Second, ask >> that >> > your burger patty be microwaved rather than grilled. All Burger >> King >> > outlets have been instructed to offer this option, so that >> > vegetarians won't have to eat a product that is cooked on the >same >> > grill that is used to cook beef. >> > >> > If I haven't persuaded you that the BK Veggieburger deserves >> support, >> > please, at least, do not fight the people who are supporting it. >> This >> > movement is divided enough already. I admit that there's a >> > possibility that I am wrong in supporting this product. I only >hope >> > that vegans who refuse to support the BK Veggie have a similar >> > humility, and realize that their position may be incorrect as >well. >> > The vegan movement needs to be unified against the industries >that >> > exploit animals—not divided against itself. Remember that we all >> care >> > passionately about protecting animals, and disagree merely on >> > strategy and compromise. >> > >> > I believe that there will come a day, in the not-too-distant >> future, >> > when vast numbers of people will aspire to be 100% vegan. To >hasten >> > this day, I am going to regularly eat a virtually vegan >> Veggieburger >> > at Burger King, and encourage as many of my vegan and non- >> vegetarian >> > friends to join me as possible. And every bite I take, of this >just- >> > barely not 100% vegan food, will be on behalf of farm animals. >> > >> > --- >> > >> > Erik Marcus publishes Vegan.com and is the author of Vegan: The >New >> > Ethics of Eating. > > > >To send an email to - > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 20, 2002 Report Share Posted August 20, 2002 , I wouldn't recommend Mac's veggie burger to anyone except to those who are bent on going there anyway,Mac's say there animal free without the mayo! EBbrewpunx@c... wrote: > > i don't think the mcdeathburger veggie burger is here in the states.... > i look at it this way...mcdonalds could go veggie tomorrow, and i still won't eat there..they are horrible, they sue people at the drop of a hat, give horrid wages, and the whole fast foodation of this country..why would someone travel 3000 miles just to eat the same bland food?? > fraggle > > > " vegicate1 " <simonpjones@o...> wrote: > > >, > > > >MacDonalds' do offer a veggieburger!and it's got to be better that > >they do ,then don't!it should be publicised more, rather than people > >just slagging them off all the time! > > > > > > " nikki_mackovitch " <nikkimack@m...> wrote: > >> Wow! Thx fer all the info yer sending thru! > >> > >> nikki > >> > >> , " ibizkus " <ibyza2001@h...> wrote: > >> > Horseshoes, Hand Grenades, and Veggieburgers > >> > Posted: March 22, 2002 > >> > > >> > > >> > One thing I love about being vegan is that I've never before felt > >> any > >> > desire to compromise. For thirteen years, I've never knowingly > >> > allowed even a speck of animal products to pass my lips. > >> > > >> > I'm not at all suggesting that vegan food is totally free of > >> > suffering. I know that it's often been fertilized with blood or > >> > manure. I know that insecticides have been used to poison > >insects. > >> > And I know that mice and snakes are dismembered in the reaping > >> > machines. > >> > > >> > Yet even with all this, it's fairly obvious to anyone who > >> researches > >> > animal agriculture that a 100% vegan diet demands the least > >misery- > >> > per-mouthful. To me, 99% vegan has been never good enough. My > >> > reasoning has been two-fold: I've never wanted to be remotely > >> > responsible for even a tiny amount of farm animal suffering, and > >> I've > >> > never wanted to purchase any food that would fund the livestock > >> > industry. > >> > > >> > To be vegan is to embrace compassion, but with any noble pursuit, > >> > it's easy to fall into the trap of feeling pride: " I eat 100% > >> vegan, > >> > whereas John still puts cream into his coffee, and Sally eats > >> > doughnuts with eggs in them. " > >> > > >> > Until now, I've always been able to deal with potential pride > >> issues > >> > by telling myself that my aspiring to eat 100% vegan is not done > >on > >> > behalf of some weird narcissistic quest for personal purity. I > >> aspire > >> > to be 100% vegan solely because I think that's what's best for > >the > >> > animals. > >> > > >> > Matt Ball, a cofounder of Vegan Outreach, addresses this pride > >> issue > >> > in an intelligent way: > >> > > >> > Being vegan, for me, is about lessening suffering and working for > >> > animal liberation as efficiently as possible. It has nothing to > >do > >> > with personal purity or my ego. If, by some bizarre twist, eating > >a > >> > burger (or, better yet, a triple-cheese Uno's pizza) were to > >> advance > >> > animal liberation significantly, then I would do it. > >> > > >> > I agree with Matt. But until now, his thought seemed purely > >> > hypothetical. Would I eat a T-bone steak if the NFL would agree > >to > >> > air nothing but vegan public service announcements in place of > >> > commercials during the Super Bowl? Of course I would. The trouble > >> is, > >> > I've been waiting by the phone, and nobody from the NFL seems to > >be > >> > calling to make the offer. > >> > > >> > That's the nice thing about being vegan. The question of being > >less > >> > than 100% pure has always seemed totally hypothetical. I could > >> never > >> > envision a situation where eating animal products could, > >> > legitimately, advance animal liberation. > >> > > >> > This week, the situation changed. It took me a day or so to grasp > >> it, > >> > and in that time I posted what I now regard as an ill-conceived > >> > opinion piece on my site. It concerns the Burger King > >Veggieburger. > >> > > >> > A few months ago, Burger King announced plans to offer a > >> > Veggieburger, which the press initially reported to be vegan. The > >> > product's launch date was on Monday, March 18th. A few days > >before > >> > the launch, I did a bit of checking and I found out that the bun > >> has > >> > a miniscule amount of dairy products—less than one percent, by > >> weight. > >> > > >> > Well, for me, even a speck of animal products has always been a > >> > dealbreaker. And I wrote about it in those terms in my first > >> article. > >> > At the same time, I had to acknowledge that it would be a great > >> thing > >> > for this burger to succeed. If we could get 20% of Burger King > >> > customers to switch to eating the BK Veggie, things for animals > >> would > >> > change overnight. It's probable that McDonald's and Wendy's would > >> be > >> > forced to offer Veggieburgers of their own. We'd see a craze for > >> > vegetarian eating like never before, and for the first time, > >> society > >> > might be ready to ask some hard questions about animal liberation. > >> > > >> > But for us to get there, the BK Veggie has to become a success. > >And > >> > that's anything but assured. Burger King is well known for having > >> > numerous new products crash and burn shortly after introduction, > >> but > >> > even industry-leader McDonald's misfires regularly. For every > >smash > >> > success like Chicken McNuggets, there are dozens of aborted > >> attempts > >> > at new products. Remember McPizza, McLean, or Arch Deluxe? All > >> these > >> > products—launched amidst high-budget promotional campaigns—have > >> been > >> > yanked from McDonald's menu due to lack of sales. > >> > > >> > We can't afford to let Burger King's Veggieburger suffer a > >similar > >> > fate. If this product fails, it'll send a clear signal to the > >fast > >> > food industry that there's insufficient demand for healthy vegan > >> > food. The Burger King Veggieburger represents an unprecedented > >> > opportunity in the vegetarian movement's history. But if the > >burger > >> > flops, it might set the growth of the movement back ten years. > >> > > >> > And, chances are, if the vegetarian movement does not embrace > >this > >> > product, it will fail. I'd be reluctant to eat a small amount of > >> > animal products in the hope that it would help produce animal > >> > liberation. There's just too much suffering in a mouthful of > >animal > >> > products for me to feel right about it. But, with the BK Veggie, > >> the > >> > quantities involved are so trivial, and the success of this > >product > >> > is of the utmost importance to farm animals everywhere. We have > >one > >> > opportunity, and if we vegans turn our back on it for the sake of > >> > maintaining the illusion of 100% purity, then shame on us. > >> > > >> > > >> > * * * * * > >> > > >> > Historically, if you want to criticize a group like PeTA, it > >should > >> > be because they've been too hard line and too hardnosed to ever > >> > entertain compromise for animals. But, in this case, the > >leadership > >> > at PeTA agrees that the BK Veggieburger must succeed at all > >costs. > >> > Undoubtedly, they will get streams of cancelled memberships and > >> > stacks of outraged letters. But I am certain that they are doing > >> the > >> > right thing. > >> > > >> > I'm going to do the right thing too. I'm going to do everything I > >> can > >> > to promote the BK Veggie on Vegan.com and at my speaking > >> engagements. > >> > I know this will outrage some people. But Burger King isn't going > >> to > >> > pay me a cent for this. I strongly believe that the vegan > >movement > >> > needs to get behind this product and do everything we can to > >ensure > >> > its success. > >> > > >> > If you try to be as vegan as possible, and you agree that > >> supporting > >> > this product is important, you need to make a couple requests > >when > >> > ordering your Veggieburger. First, ask that they leave off the > >> > mayonnaise, which comes standard with this product. Second, ask > >> that > >> > your burger patty be microwaved rather than grilled. All Burger > >> King > >> > outlets have been instructed to offer this option, so that > >> > vegetarians won't have to eat a product that is cooked on the > >same > >> > grill that is used to cook beef. > >> > > >> > If I haven't persuaded you that the BK Veggieburger deserves > >> support, > >> > please, at least, do not fight the people who are supporting it. > >> This > >> > movement is divided enough already. I admit that there's a > >> > possibility that I am wrong in supporting this product. I only > >hope > >> > that vegans who refuse to support the BK Veggie have a similar > >> > humility, and realize that their position may be incorrect as > >well. > >> > The vegan movement needs to be unified against the industries > >that > >> > exploit animals—not divided against itself. Remember that we all > >> care > >> > passionately about protecting animals, and disagree merely on > >> > strategy and compromise. > >> > > >> > I believe that there will come a day, in the not-too-distant > >> future, > >> > when vast numbers of people will aspire to be 100% vegan. To > >hasten > >> > this day, I am going to regularly eat a virtually vegan > >> Veggieburger > >> > at Burger King, and encourage as many of my vegan and non- > >> vegetarian > >> > friends to join me as possible. And every bite I take, of this > >just- > >> > barely not 100% vegan food, will be on behalf of farm animals. > >> > > >> > --- > >> > > >> > Erik Marcus publishes Vegan.com and is the author of Vegan: The > >New > >> > Ethics of Eating. > > > > > > > >To send an email to - > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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