I was born in 1950's EU. Meat was scarce and expensive. I never saw a steak until after we moved to America and even then, it was a few years after we arrived. I didn't like it. I was too used to it cooked into the fried rice, in a stew, or as a sausage (all ways to stretch a scarce meat supply). Frankly, I still prefer it that way. Sometimes with lots of sambal, thank you. There is nothing better than satay aiyam with gado gado saus. However, my pancrease doesn't produce enough of the enzyms (we need a spellchecker here!) I need to digest large quantities of beef and other meats. IOW, I have a hamburger with an Alka Seltzer chaser (yeah, I'm diabetic too). I'm also somewhat lactose intolerant.

I believe that, all of this Vegan vs. Carnivore stuff is straight bullshit! We need to fuel our bodies with stuff that it burns. Each one of us burns different stuff in varying degrees and it's largely genetically determined (modified by individual medical complications). Ideologically, we need to all be color-blind, but genetically, each sub-species has different physical needs.

The upshot;

• Eat some meat, but not too much.
• Watch the fried stuff, the grease might/will get you.
• balance the diet at all times.
• avoid the fat and gristle, but not all of it.
• It's all about quantity. If you'r not hungry, don't eat. Being over-wieght will kill you quicker any mis-informed diet can. Likewise, being under-weight will rob you of more than performance. But, only get on a scale once per week.
• Forget what they say, MSG isn't bad. Hatha Yoga agrees. Don't argue with facts that have a 3,000 year track record. Western medicine still has a lot to learn.
• Fast occasionally.
• Nigiri and Maki only go so far, then you have to eat something.
• Tempura was introduced to Japan by Dutch sailors that were also serious cholesterol junkies.
• Eurasians need to learn to walk both sides of their street, for health reasons. We are both genetically different AND genetically confused. Caucasians and Asians are different and the mix has both positives and negatives (Japanese with Ty Sachs and Europeans with under-sized red blood cells).

I might point out that a reformed daoist isn't necessarily a buddhist and isn't necessarily meat-averse. A daoist understands the reality of the universe and their place within it. In this universe, all things die such that others may continue to live and they will in-turn die as well. Vegetables are living things too. It's all about aggregating bio-energy up the food-chain. In that light, there is no ethical difference between venison, salmon, and ruttabaga (buddhist sophistry not with standing).