Vegans Complain about Yeast in Hot Dog Buns

[overedge]

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-...er-now-we-hope

This is a new one for me. Does yeast really count as an animal-based product?

[BlueRidge]

Yeast is alive, but biologically its not an animal (nor does it come from an animal) so I'm perplexed.

ETA: googled, and its considered a fungus. I'm thinking if Vegans don't eat it, its because its alive when it is put into the cooking... doesn't really make sense to me...

[Jenny]

Odd, because all the vegans I know eat mushrooms, and they're a kind of fungus, no? And truffles?

[BlueRidge]

Looking around further, it seems as if some vegans thought yeast was an animal. This seems to have been based on a very old classification of all living things into either animals or plants. Hmm, though that doesn't make sense as what I read said that yeast would be an animal based on it not having chlorophyll, but in that old way of classifying fungi was put in plants, not animals.

[moojja]

It's been a while, but I thought Fungi is it's own kingdom. It doesn't belong with either plant or animal, but it's own separate kingdom.

When you're eating a mushroom, also a Fungi, you're actually eating the fruiting body, not the entire organism. Which grows underground and can cover miles. Kind of like eating an apple, and not the entire tree.

Plants or Fungi, both are alive, so unless it's really strict diet, I don't see the problem. Of course, some type of vegans will not eat wheat, etc...b/c the plants are killed during harvest. (Of course, the plant will die anyways...so I don't understand the issue.)

[GarrAarghHrumph]

So these vegans, based on this particular belief, would need to avoid all leavened bread products, yes?

[barbk]

If it got Kombucha out of the store, I'd be all for it. Gross.

(If some vegans won't eat wheat because the plants are killed during the harvest, what the heck DO they eat other than fruit and nuts? Isn't the potato plant killed when you dig up the potato? Do garbanzo bean plants survive harvesting? Corn doesn't, at least not unless you're hand picking each ear.) Do we eat anything that wasn't, at one time, living or the product (like honey) of something that is/was alive?

[ilovesalchows]

I was surprised to find out most sugar isn't vegan, they use charred cow bones to whiten it.

[Jenny]

I was surprised to find out most sugar isn't vegan, they use charred cow bones to whiten it.

Never heard that one - I thought it was a chemical process, but maybe it's the fuel source for some processes? Either way, the more I read about sugar, the more disgusting it gets. Hugely processed, zero nutritional value, large carbon footprint, and aside from the obvious, comes with a growing list of harmful effects according to recent research. 2011 NY Times article

As for honey, people whose concerns include animal welfare usually steer clear because it's produced by living beings. Maple syrup is often the preferred choice instead.

I think those that consider plants living beings and therefore don't eat any that are "killed" are a pretty small subset.

[overedge]

As for honey, people whose concerns include animal welfare usually steer clear because it's produced by living beings. Maple syrup is often the preferred choice instead.

Won't someone think of the TREES??? :

[gkelly]

Different issue, but this thread can't help making me sing this song in my head.

We never eat cookies because they have yeast,
And one little bite turns a man to a beast.
Oh, can you imagine the utter disgrace
Of a man in the gutter with crumbs on his face?

[Artemis@BC]

^ Also:

"I've heard the screams of the vegetables
Watching their skins being peeled
Grated and steamed with no mercy
How do you think that feels
Carrot juice constitutes murder
Greenhouses prisons for slaves
It's time to stop all this gardening
Let's call a spade a spade"

(from "Carrot Juice is Murder" by The Arrogant Worms)

[Artemis@BC]

As for honey, people whose concerns include animal welfare usually steer clear because it's produced by living beings. Maple syrup is often the preferred choice instead.

There are two issues with honey. Über-vegans won't eat honey because it comes from animals, and because honey is meant to be food for baby bees not for humans.

For me, and many others who do eat some animal products, the issue is more with large-scale commercial honey production. They tend to kill a lot of bees "accidentially" (collateral damage) during harvesting, and many also kill the entire bee popoulation in the off-season so that they aren't a "drain on resources." I buy small-scale sustainable honey, but I won't buy the supermarket brands.

Maple syrup is indeed vegan, but it's hardly completely green. It takes a lot of sap and fuel resources to make maple syrup, so it's not the most efficient sweetener. Agave syrup is a much more efficient choice in that respect.

But not eating yeast? That's just daft.

[beepbeep]

Yeast is a fungus stop whining.

No one thinks about those poor lettuces, who are yanked off the ground and then eaten alive.
Souless people... they should eat rocks

[Artemis@BC]

Found a music video for Carrot Juice Is Murder.

[beepbeep]

Found a music video for Carrot Juice Is Murder.

Awsome

And thank you for making me bump into this again.

[Anita18]

My vegan friend says she uses yeast. But she's vegan because of animal rights and farming practices. She doesn't think yeast infections are good, and thinks that any vegan pro-yeast should be pro-yeast infections.

[TheGirlCanSkate]

An interesting tidbit - did you know that industrial beekeepers put in artificial honeycombs that are larger than the natural ones bees make so the bees have to work harder to fill them? It's causing stress on kept bees. Every season they kill the queen to keep them from swarming as well. I read about bee keeping when my vegan friend mentioned she doesn't use honey. I buy local honey form a bee keeper - I'm going to ask her the next time I run low about her practices. I never thought about asking before.

[Colleen]

I second the recommendation to buy local honey from a beekeeper. Once you've tried it, you'll never go back to that crap in the bear shaped bottles!

[Anita18]

I second the recommendation to buy local honey from a beekeeper. Once you've tried it, you'll never go back to that crap in the bear shaped bottles!

What's fun is when the beekeeper can tell you which side of the mountain they got their wildflower honey from.