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Pizza: Pick the Meat Off or Don't Eat It?

15K views 33 replies 20 participants last post by  Ad Elie 
#1 ·
What do you guys think about picking the meat off of pizza or sandwiches? Would you do it? Why or why not? As a new vegetarian, I don't want to but I have no reason to back it up except the rock solid "Because." Thanks for the input!
 
#2 · (Edited)
I don't. I simply don't want to eat something that I know touched meat.
In pizza, I can see why you would ask. Someone orders pizza for everyone and you don't want to tell them to order another just for you, and you pick the meat out of your slices. I don't understand why you'd question that in sandwiches, though. It's very easy for someone to make a sandwich without meat.

You don't want to, you don't want to. Period. You don't have to justify every action to every one with a reason.
 
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#3 ·
At school, I used to change meat for other stuff on the pizza, like olives or cheese. If you just take stuff off your dish you'll end up not eating enough. Especially for sandwiches...

Also, meat leaves animal fat everywhere so even if you remove the chorizo, your pizza will be soaked in pig fat. If that doesn't disgust you and if you don't want to turn your friends veg* then I see no problem.
 
#9 ·
Picking the meat off might save you calories, but it doesn't do anything for animals. In fact, throwing away meat is deliberately ignoring pain and suffering. We need to make it completely clear to whoever prepares the pie that there is to be no meat on our portion of the pizza.

IMHO, we need to speak up about our veg*n choices. Sure, initially when we change the way we eat, friends and family might have some smart comments. But that's ok, it takes everyone a little while to get used to new things. However with time, we should expect those who like us and love us to be willing to make allowances for our decision to be veg*n. If they don't, then perhaps that relationship isn't as good as was thought.
 
#10 ·
You haven't mentioned what you would do to the meat slices after picking them off, seeing as you're in a restaurant the only choice would be to throw them, short of putting them in a wrap and taking it in your pocket to feed a pet etc.

Throwing them away after picking them out would literally do no good for the cause of vegetarianism. Some veggies also ask if they can break gelatin capsules in half only to consume the vitamins inside but no, if that's the case one might as well consume whatever they've bought because it's been paid for and the demand is already created for the supplier who will count it as "one meat pizza sold", only the meat would go to waste.

I'm only looking at this practically, its no longer about the disgust factor or violating rules of vegetarianism.. in the end it either helps an animal live longer or it doesn't. The only way you can help is by showing demand for non-meat/non-cheese items at the counter. We all know 20-33% food is wasted daily including meat so its not that they are short-stacked. THIS is what has to change.
 
#11 ·
I wouldn't pick meat off either. Pretty much for the same reasons as everyone else (especially beautiful joe), but I am also wondering what's in the bread/crust...egg, L Cysteine, honey, other animal byproducts? Restaurant bread can be notorious for hidden animal ingredients. I'm not ok with that. It might not always make a difference as far as direct suffering/profit, but it sends a message to others that it is not acceptable to me to exploit animals.
 
#12 ·
I order veggie pizza, but if the person who ordered the pizza isn't vegetarian, or isn't aware that you are, just tell them, in the future, no meat, please. If they do know you are a vegetarian and don't care, or respect your choices, then there's the third option of throttling the *ahem* living daylights out of them...Not that I'm advocating violence or anything like that. :shifty:
 
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#14 ·
I am currently not eating processed food, but had no problem taking things off of pizza. I did not eat cheese so I basically took it all off and ate crust with a bit of sauce.I have to admit crust is so tasty. I would not worry about it. You are not contributing to the demand of meat.
 
#15 · (Edited)
@Naturebound The only thing here is that despite the easy availability of vegan sources of binding agents, nutrients, flavour agents etc companies STILL choose to carry on with their archaic ways of preparing products including usage of L-cysteine in bread to increase its shelf life. Gelatin is used in ice-creams & capsules even though fruit derived substitutes are easily found in the form of fruit pulp binding agents for ice cream & cellulose derived veggie capsules that maybe a bit squishy but is far more healthy compared to collagen based gel capsules.

This is all due to the high demand for meat and thus meat derived by-products are freely available and industrialization of the same would cost much less than seeking more natural alternatives. People who take supplements mostly do not have any idea that the lipids, methionine, fats, proteins etc have their origin from meat. The only way to be sure of 100% vegetarian origin food is to make it right at home. The companies have far too many agendas like making products taste good, pushing more sales & differentiating from competition to even care about what goes in it, as long as it sells they'll flavour it with anything.

Coming back to the topic, who cares if the pizza doesn't have cheese? The Italians back then might've had plenty of sheep & cows so they happened to specialize in extracting cheese & happened to use it in pizza, it doesn't mean that's the law. The Italian pizza & German burger had only one agenda.. easy preparation, non messy way of eating by cleverly adding staple food into the bread. That doesn't mean every country's staple food is meat or cheese. I've had pizza coated with olive oil to create softness.. with all other veggie toppings and spices included I hardly noticed any difference. Same could be said of vegetable oil or vegan parmesan cheese too, sure the texture might change but why not? I bet if those companies preparing the foods were more open minded and sympathetic to vegans than just count money, we can mutually find many ways to create new foods with least impact to the life on earth. The current situation almost seems like food makers playing pranks on everyone in this room & we have to stay ever vigilant, one slip-up & we'd have already eaten something non-vegan with a company rep standing behind pointing at us saying HA-HA!
 
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#18 · (Edited)
It took me about 3 months to transition to being a vegetarian. During that time I was educating myself about nutrition, learning new ways to cook one meal at a time, learning how to order in restaurants and adapt to social situations. During that time I would have picked off the pepperoni and felt okay doing it because I was still learning and adapting and trying to make this work with my life. I was allowing myself a few cheats here and there and some flexibility in implementation due to the fact that I hadn't yet come out and declared myself vegetarian to others. I also didn't feel right insisting on a veggie pizza when I wasn't yet fully vegetarian...felt hypocritical if I insisted on veggie and then the next day the same person sees me eating a dish with meat in it...they might feel put out that they had accommodated me and I wasn't even serious about it.

At a certain point, though, I had to draw some boundaries and not eating meat or meat juices was one of them. I would tell the people ordering the pizza to order a veggie or a half-veggie. If there are not others who want it, I would pay for it and take home the leftovers. I have a few reasons for this...one, the pizza with picked off meat still created demand for meat and animals will have to be killed to meet it. Doesn't matter if the meat went into your mouth or not. Two, it communicates to others that these principles are important to you and you expect them to respect and make reasonable allowances like this. It sets a pattern for the future. As a new veg, I had to learn to be assertive without being too demanding that events be centered around me...to find that balance. I think asking for a veggie pizza and being willing to pay extra if my choice is unpopular is a reasonable level of assertiveness (though in my experience the veg and cheese pizzas are popular among meat eaters too). Three, it was a psychological thing, a way of setting a firm boundary that I don't cross. If I took off the pepperoni then why not just eat it...the demand for meat is the same? Why worry about that little bit of broth in the soup, it is just a trace? And so on...a slippery slope. So I draw a line there with meat juices and don't eat food with meat ingredients, even if they are picked out.

I'm still in that looser stage of implementation of the no eggs/dairy and don't set firm anti cheese/egg boundaries while out, though I cook vegan at home. I would make my pizza cheeseless at home but eat cheese pizza with friends. I may one day tighten that up but until then I'm not thinking of myself as a fully vegan or calling myself that. A vegan-ish vegetarian, maybe?
 
#19 · (Edited)
I guess it depends on the situation. If I'm ordering the pizza and paying for the pizza and it comes out with unwanted meat ... I will send it straight back as 'not what I ordered'. If there's pizza (and only pizza) at a party and that's all there is to eat ... and there's no crisps ... and I'm miles and miles away from a shop ... and I've not eaten all day and am starving ... I might pick the meat off and eat it. I suppose I'm having difficulty imagining a scenario where the meaty pizza is my only choice.

As for why not ... it's bad for me. Meat makes my joints swell up and then I have pain for days and days afterwards.
 
#24 ·
It really is killing me to read this. I have not had any type of bread for two weeks. I am so addicted to bread and the thought of having a cheese less pizza sounds amazing. There are a lot of crusts that have dairy so it might be worth asking. I suppose if it does it would probably be a very small amount. I wonder how beets would be on a pizza? That sounds really good.
 
#25 ·
The crusts are my favourite bit! You're right that it's important to ask about the crust ingredients. Pizza Hut's thin crust and Papa John's regular crust are the only vegan crusts at those chains, but smaller, more veg-friendly pizza parlours sometimes have a wider selection.

I'd try beets on a pizza, why not?
 
#32 ·
I have made many an awesome homemade cheeseless pizza! I have topped it with stuff like hummus, olives, pineapple and green beans, or with butternut squash and onion and curry. I've made gluten free vegan flatbread pizza with a wild rice/tomato paste topping, and I have made pizza with traditional whole wheat pizza crust.

I am much more weary of pizza at restaurants and processed pizza from the grocery and always avoid them. However, I have had one pizza at a restaurant that caters to vegans in my city called Pizza Luce. They make pizza with vegan bread/crust, vegan cheese and so on and I had one there once and it was quite good! In fact below is a pic of it along with pics of other homemade vegan pizzas I have done at home. I am just not much of an eat out kind of person. I spend more money on groceries than others but almost every single meal is made myself. If I go out for social gatherings I usually eat first at home or bring some light snack and order a salad. I have always been able to find something when I do go out to eat, even in small towns when visiting others. It might not be elaborate (more like putting together a few side dishes) but it's something and still allows me to socialize and appreciate the company. I once had to live on raw sunflower seeds and bananas from a gas station for a whole day in a tiny town before I could get to a grocery and find something decent to eat when I traveled by airplane to a small town. Sometimes though, yes it does get frustrating to live in a largely omnivore world where EVERYTHING has meat and cheese in it. I survived two long mandatory work meetings this week that involved food ordered outside the facility that I had no say in and I just had to bring along a bar and a banana to get by because the food was not something I would eat. It was hard to stand out and be the "odd one" when I am already someone who is very self conscious and suffers with social anxiety. But I stand my ground because it is important to me. And actually a lot of my coworkers are starting to respect me more because I have managed to thrive and not complain under such conditions and stick to my beliefs (though what they consider "temptations" I consider disgusting lol). I did worry during those meetings that people would think I was a snob or "too good" for their food, but really those are just silly worries and even if they think that, so what? It's my body and my choice. I have long ago stopped trying to be what others perceive as "normal" lol.
 

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