Page:Henry Stephens Salt - A Plea for Vegetarianism and Other Essays.pdf/78

Rh involves excessive thinking about one’s food? A change of diet undoubtedly necessitates some temporary consideration ; new recipes have to be found. and substitutes for “meat” must be tried; but this is not an inherent or perpetual characteristic of a vegetarian regime, which, when once fairly started, is far simpler and less troublesome than the system of ﬂesh-eating. If Vegetarianism had existed as a national custom for some centuries, and ﬂesh-food were now being introduced as a novelty, precisely the same objection might be urged on the other side ; it would then be the flesh-eater who would be obliged to hunt out recipes and “think about his food.” And he would have a much less pleasant subject to think about.

4. “Vegetarianism is a mere crotchet.” This is a statement which often does much injury to the cause of Food Reform, by representing it as a fanciful whim, amiable enough and praiseworthy in intention, but undeserving of the consideration of practical men. When there is so much real work to be done in this world, it is childish—so argues the earnest and philanthropic flesh-eater—to waste time on theories which are the mere dreams of humanitarian