Do vegans/vegetarians eat figs?

Question

considering the fig's life cycle would they not be unsuitable for strict vegetarians and vegans?

Answer 1

I didn't know that about figs, that's pretty neat, now I'm reading about fig cultivation and pollination and you're right, the larva is frequently present in the fig... though not the dead body of the wasp as far as I've seen.

In either case, I don't eat figs, haven't since I was five years old, I always hated them because my grandpa was one of those old men that thought you could cure everything with homeopathic stuff and he made EVERYTHING with figs (this was in Europe still).

So I guess I'm lucky.

Though in the same sense, there's a great chance I'm eating dust mites as I sleep, there's bug parts in my produce, there's crushed bugs in my milled cereals. Bugs are everywhere and anywhere and they're unavoidable, the only way to be truly safe is to eat nothing, and to sew closed all orifices, since all since some are so small (living on our skins and in our pillows and everywhere in between) that it's impossible to avoid ingesting them.

But luckily the point of being vegan is to minimize one's contribution to animal suffering and exploitation, and it looks like fig pollination, like bees pollinating most produce anyway, is a part of the wasp's natural reproductive cycle and life and is essential and probably doesn't qualify as exploitative in the same way as massive scale commercial intensive meat production and dairy production would be... nor is it cruelty because every creature dies, the point is I don't want anything to be bred, raised, fed chemicals and then killed solely for me. The wasp just happened to have lived it's life and a part of it was pollinating figs. There's no such thing as being "100% vegan", I think you misunderstand what being vegan means. We make no claims to be able to avoid any contact with animal products entirely - even the rubber ring in my shower, built into the plumbing, is likely to be rendered with animal byproducts... that is a part of modern life. Being vegan isn't about being as pure and hardcore as can be in avoiding everything that could even possibly maybe have an insect in it or had been touched by an animal... I think it would help if you read about it in detail on sites like

http://www.veganoutreach.org/guide/being...

It explains the dilemma and it explains quite poignantly that, while it's impossible to completely shy away from all contact with cruelty as it eventually becomes a fact of life and something that exists even without humans inflicting it - well, there's just so much of it there's no need to inflict it, I guess. Vegans don't want to support industries that directly harm, breed and manipulate animals just for human pleasure, enjoyment and consumption. It's about doing the best you can, not destroying yourself.

Answer 2

Crazy.. I`ve never heard of this before! I am vegan, and I am going to look into this some more!!

Answer 3

I'm a vegetarian and I eat figs. I am doing it for health reasons so if I get a little insect protein , its not to worry. In fact canned tomato sauce has a percentage of worms.

Answer 4

yes, and so?

Answer 5

I think I will disagree with that ansew I can not believe  that anything would die after polinating any thing   weather it be fruit or flower nature doent work that way so eat your figs  its a GOD given fruit  

Answer 6

I do, and i'm a vegetarian. They are a fruit, therefor it is okay to eat for a vegetarian. Not positive about a vegan, because i do not want to give the the false info... but vegetarians can.

Answer 7

it's true.. figs are often filled with insect eggs. Better not bother with em.. just eat a breast of chicken. It's a heck lot better than eating some bug infested nutritionless fruit.. blech!