Is it possible to survive as a vegetarian?

[dewi]

The more I learn the more I realise surviving alone truly alone long term is almost impossible.

Not impossible, but unlikely.

The human spirit to remain alive is as amazing as the human bodies capacity to deal with famine. Even the meekest in society would surprise themselves at what they would do in a survival situation.

You have to remember that in the past humans have eaten humans to survive... others have endured conditions we couldn't imagine having to deal with... the spirit, or the will to survive as it really is, of the human being is something that we should be really shocked at. We will make the decisions necessary or we will die, its that simple.

Match that up to the choice to be a vegetarian... it's a choice made by those with the luxury to do so. I do not mean to be insulting, but given the choice of life or death on a bacon sarnie... you can kid yourself that you'd forgo the pork delight for your morals, but in real life, you'd eat it like a camal drinks water after a week in the desert.

We have these great dilemmas as a Western society, these moral decisions to make based on how we feel... but we feel that way after a pampered existence. Starve for month, then look at a roast dinner and turn away because of the meat content.... then I'll believe you're a true veggie.

 

[Goatboy]

I think the main thing in this discussion is not to become divisive. I'm always amazed at the emnity that can sometimes arise between vegitarians & omnivores. We all make choices and have to live with them, and I never try and force my views on someone else. It's like when I didn't drink and if you were out socially and some blokes would get annoyed if they had to buy me a non alcoholic drink? Never understood it.
I do think that most of us would struggle to feed ourselves by foraging in the UK. Vegitarians would find it more difficult, and the fruitarian chap I used to know I think would probably starve. He foundbit difficult enough living rurally with limited shops never mind surviving from natures supermarket.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[santaman2000]

.....I think the OP was too open a question to be honest. When ? where? etc., matter.

atb,
M

I thought "where?" was the question. Hence my comment that it would be easier nearer the equator. Less seasonal variation and more vegetation in general.

 

[Robson Valley]

You need to try it? Read "The Martain" by Andy Weir. His biological calculations are rather precise and biochemically accurate.
Try that on Earth, without the space-suit = monkey-see, monkey-do. We can discuss it in 9 months (or whatever it was.)

 

[Andy BB]

Location, location, location!

And the seaside would be best. Greens/veggies? All seaweed around the UK is edible (the greener the tastier and more digestible!) Available all year long. Mussels, limpets - just pick off the rocks. Cockles, just dredge through the sand. small fish and shrimps - root through the rock-pools. Small crabs, hunt amongst the seaweed. Make simple fish traps among the rock-pools at low tide, and collect bigger fish the next low-tide! Scavenge the beach for line/rope (and all the innumerable other goodies the ocean throws up along the seashore) and make some fixed lines, baited with some shellfish on home-made hooks, and voila - more fishy goodness. If you have some goggles and are a reasonable swimmer, spearing flatfish in the sand with homemade harpoon a possibility, as is collecting lobsters from rocks.

And a nice bit of sea samphire to garnish it all for the gourmet

 

[Toddy]

I thought "where?" was the question. Hence my comment that it would be easier nearer the equator. Less seasonal variation and more vegetation in general.

Good point
I think also though, one needs a familiarity with the edibles of the region though. I know I don't have it for anywhere else, yet there's a lot, in season, in this northern temperate bit of the world.

M

 

[British Red]

Actually I think you need more than familiarity with species, you need years of familiarity with the location. In some places, I can walk directly to food at any time of year. I know where the best berries are, where the pignut bulbs will be (even when the top growth has gone), where the deer sleep and the rabbit runs are. Move me twenty miles and I would be hugely disadvantaged in survival terms.

 

[pteron]

The hardened carnivore is going to struggle without a source of carbohydrate.

Ah but there are no essential carbohydrates.

Carbs are a wonderful fast burn source of energy, but by no means a necessary part of the diet.

Take away protein or fat and you will die.

 

[Toddy]

I wholeheartedly agree Hugh, and I'm pretty sure that's how folks survived in the past.
Knowledge travels with you though, so, in season, you recognise even in other areas…..that's another point too. We become aware of the kind of area to look for to find certain things, as well.

Dan's comment about the best place being nearer the equator wouldn't work for me though unless I actually knew what I was looking at, iimmc.

Himself's just come back from a walk…..with a rucksack full of apples must be 3kgs of them this time round.
I'm running out of ideas to use apples this fortnight

M

 

[British Red]

Chilli jam? Absolutely delicious and uses up a lot of apples? I can send you chillies

 

[Toddy]

You do know that there's no way Himself is going to let me turn down that offer ?

He said there's an entire orchard's worth of fruit just going to drop for the slugs to devour and he's already trying to justify bringing home more

I jest you not, not only do we have this morning's haul, but the ones from our own tree are on trays too, I have a pot of puree to be turned into fruit leather, and another pot of stewed for puddings for the freezer, cooling down, still sitting on the cooker.
I made fifteen jars of jam earlier in the week too.

Chilli jam ….recipe on the recent thread ? and yes please on some chillis Happy to cover postage and I owe you a favour

I'm wondering about adapting my sweet chilli sauce to make use of the apples. Not quite as thick as chutney but maybe like a thickish ketchup ?

Isn't it astonshing just how OT our threads go sometimes ?

cheers,
M

 

[British Red]

I can't find the tutorial anywhere Mary - I'll re-write it for you (I still have the photos). Any preference in chillis - or a mixture?

 

[Toddy]

Taste over heat, for preference please, but happy to try whatever you suggest. I know I couldn't eat the heat that Steve and your Missus enjoy.

If the recipe was posted on Bcuk, I can often find it by googling instead of using the site's search engine….is it maybe not on your own website though ?

Thank you again
M

 

[British Red]

Can't find the chuffing thing anywhere Mary - I'll bung it on my website and send you a link. The stuff rarely lasts long around my daughter I know that!

Chilli jam close up by British Red, on Flickr

I'll see whats ripe and put a few of the "mild to medium" types in a parcel. Send me your address again please?

 

[santaman2000]

So I suppose we could mostly agree that:
a) Warmer climates near the tropics are probably more abundant and seasonally stable in general
b) Coastal regions are (or at least can be) more easily harvested/foraged than inland areas
c) Familiarity with the area (Home Field Advantage) is a definite force multiplier that might easily over-ride the first two

 

[Toddy]

I would maybe make it esturine areas….river valleys are incredibly fertile, and the overlap of those and salt marshes is enormous larder.

Otherwise, I think you've summed it up, Dan

M

 

[sunndog]

All I'm going to add is that when it all goes PeteTong I want Mary as my co-pilot.
Seriously, when playing the five folk you want in your raft if heading for an island when the ship goes down my choice was Toddy, Ruth Goodman, Hugh Fairly-Unstable, Ivan Day (and I cheated and asked for the Hairy Bikers to come as a package). I reckon between that lot we'd eat well and survive.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

good choice, mary must be one of, if not the most knowlegable people/person on here when it comes to UK plant life and thier uses
Always worth reading a toddy post

 

[Toddy]

I just talk a lot, there's an awful lot of folks on here who know an incredible amount more than I do, it's just that they don't touch type, iimmc

I reckon though that if we were all silent, none of us would learn anything more, so my chattering's maybe not a bad thing.
I have learned so much, in such an incredible breadth of subjects, since I joined this site. I have met some truly inspirational people too
It's an unfailing pleasure to read of, to see photos etc., of the things other people make, create, and discuss. The places they wander, visit and work, the experience they bring to the discussions.

I'm just a little middle aged housewife with some very interesting friends

M

 

[Goatboy]

Housewife & co-pilot Toddy!

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Toddy]

Hmmm….co-pilot….my nephew's a pilot for Vanuatu airlines just now…..maybe you'd best ask the folks who've driven with me though. Russ says my feet may be wee, but they're made of lead
Jamie just keeps promising me a rally driving course

M