Why do people have to have a meat at dinner?

Question

Pork,Chicken, Steak, Porkchops. I have noticed that my family and other families just "HAVE" to have a big meat at dinner. Why not just a salad? Ok, when I finally persuaded my mom to make a dinner with no meat she said ok. Then my brother and my dad walk in and say, "wheres the meat?...?" then my dad and my brother make 5 hotdogs and a piece of chicken.. When they started to grill out their meat it made me so mad that I just went up to my room.

What the h**l is so special about meat at dinner???

Answer 1

They don't HAVE to, they want to.

Answer 2

Because meat is nutritious, tasty, and satisfying.

I like salads, too, and I always have a nice big salad before tucking into the main course, which almost always contains some kind of meat.

Answer 3

Why are you trying to make your dad and brother not eat meat?  Why not be tolerant?  My family is similar, but I know better than trying to make my dad go without meat.  He has to have it.  It's his problem, not mine.

Answer 4

because its good and more healthy than just eating vegetables... duh

Answer 5

its part of their eating habit, so when ever they had a meal with meat, they will except meat at that meal again

Answer 6

It's not that they HAVE to have it, but it's their choice, just like it's our choice not to.  

Answer 7

It's part of your culture. In my country, meat is not a part of every meal. We don't eat meat at breakfasts, and we often have meals without meat. Meat is eaten on occasion. We eat a lot of lentils(which we call dahl), beans, etc. That's why- it's like that...in our culture, it's that way with rice and carbs. If there's no carb source in the meal, it's awkward.

Answer 8

Those of us that eat meat do so as part of a total meal.  There is nothing wrong with that concept.

Answer 9

Well some people are meatatarians and you vegatarians should respect that.  Meat is good.  Men also need lots of protein which is difficult to get enough from sources other than meat.

Answer 10

Most people out there like meat, also it fulls you up more, I suppose it is possible to have a light dinner, but it depends on the person, if you want a light dinner you can eat a light one, just make a salad for yourself.  

Answer 11

i think it has to do with how people were raised.

my family is the same way.

when we are having a lazy night my mom will make grilled cheeses and my dad will actually put ham or bologna in his.

its gross.

i am a vegetarian and have been for almost 2 years now so I always eat something different anyways.

Answer 12

Decades of marketing by the meat industry.

Meat used to be more of a special thing, for a big feast. The rest of the time, just a small amount was included in meals.

Since the 40s (post-war), the livestock industry has grown massively, and that included a large amount of marketing, including lobbying to get Meat and Dairy both declared as separate food groups that should be included in every meal in students' dietary education.

Look at the arguments given by anti-vegetarians here: they're all like "you need more protein!". Our bodies don't store unused protein, any typically we only need 70-80 grams per day. (Serious athletes need more).

The typical Standard American Diet has way too much protein, fat, and simple starches (potatoes). This has led to an epidemic of obesity, and cancer and heart disease are the top causes of death.

A healthy diet includes lots of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and only a small amount of protein, whether plant or animal based.