Why do people eat meat, when there are so many alternatives?

Question

I work as a part-time cashier(summer job to save up for college) and I must say that 3/4 or 75% of customers buy meat.

Why do you think people chose to eat meat. Do they think it is the only source of protein for them? Have they just adopted to a lifestyle of eating meat at restaurants?

If everyone in the world ate meat, there wouldn't be enough food to feed half of the world population.

Why do people eat meat, when alternatives such as fruits, vegetables, beans, etc., are available? The nutrients and proteins found in meat can be obtained from other food, so why do people eat meat?

Please don't tell me something vague like "We are omnivores"

Thank you!

Answer 1

have you ever stopped and asked yourself, "why do people eat beans rice pasta and greens?" because we always have. it tastes good. and thats all that matters to people. theres no real reason to why we eat meat. i eat meat...i enjoy meat. mainly chicken and fish. but i will eat any meat by product. i dont have a reason besdeis...i like it.

just because the nutrients we 'think' we can only get from meat can be obtained from other non meat products. doesnt mean we have to not eat meat, you made the point that we are omnivores. we have organs that were designed to digest things like meat, bones, so its not inhuman....it just tastes good. thats the simple downright answer.

i was a vegetarian for a few months of my life. but i gave it up because you can ask the same exact questions to vegetarians and get the same answers. why eat tofu? when you can just have a nice steak....

Answer 2

Because its yummy.

Answer 3

If God didn't want us to eat animals, he/she wouldn't have made them out of meat.

Answer 4

.....WE ARE OMNIVORES.

meat tastes good and even if other stuff "gives us the nutrients" nothing else has the flavor and texture of it. and hah of course some of the answers are ignorant, you vegetarians are soo annoying. if YOU dont want to eat meat, fine dont..but dont go trying to turn other people into vegetarians telling us how bad it is, how animals are tortured blah blah blah, its simply stupid and ridiculous and your not going to change ANYTHING.

-__-

Answer 5

Probably because they *like* meat.

Answer 6

I eat it cause i like it, why would i want to give up something that's good?

Answer 7

meat tastes better

and it is a good source of protein

Answer 8

Because it tastes very very good.  

Answer 9

Because we like it!

Answer 10

Most of us, if not all of us were raised on some type of meat. If the world had to choose between a big fat juicy steak or Tofu, I think the answer is obvious. We all have different tastes and likes on all kinds of things. I'm sure you would rather drive a Porche over a Pinto any day. There are many alternatives for protein that people could substitute for meat, but these people decide not to do that.  

Answer 11

Bacon tastes good.  Pork chops taste good.

But seriously, because people were made to eat meat- we have the teeth for it and the means by which to digest it as well as the nutritional need for it.  Sure, you can get the nutrients from other foods, but until we evolve such that we no longer are capable of eating meat, humans will continue to eat it.  I don't really think it is a choice for a lot of people- it is an evolutionarily ingrained in us to eat it.  

Answer 12

because not everyone likes tofu or nuts for protein options. i know a lot of people who would go crazy if they didnt have meat. It tastes good. I believe that if you are worried about there not being enough food avalible in the world, maybe people shouldn't have meat like every night. and it is kind of impossible to not have meat when you are travelling, because just about every item on a fast food restaraunt's menu has meat or a meat based product within.

thanks for your time :)  

Answer 13

Some people just don't care for the other options. While i don't eat red meat very much, I have to say that when that time of the month comes around, I just HAVE to have a cheeseburger because frankly? I like the way it tastes!

Of course there are other alternatives to get the protein you need: eggs, tofu, quinoa, etc. But you have to keep in mind that there are other vitamins and minerals in meat that you have to consume more of certain foods to get enough of by eating a 6 oz. piece of lean red meat, like iron or riboflavin.

Certainly it IS possible to live without eating meat and it could be argued that it's more environmentally friendly to do so, but meat-eating in and of itself isn't necessarily a detriment to the environment, rather it's a problem of economic distribution (ex: instead of feeding the cows grains that PEOPLE eat, feeding them the specific type of grass that they consume).

Sorry, I guess I ran away a little bit with my answer but the bottom line is, some people eat meat because frankly, it tastes good.

Answer 14

Taste good.... there are a lot of other problems out there other than those who chose to eat meat. I feel that most of it is we were raised on it meat so of course your going to eat it later especially if you like the way it tastes.

Answer 15

because it's good for you

Answer 16

Mostly it is habit. Most people in the Western world were raised with meat as a staple in their diet. It is a comfort food as well as a food they know how to easily prepare to everyone's satisfaction. As we move to a more "global market" there will be better education and healthier options, but for now it is what they know best.