• Welcome to The Bushcraft Forum

    You are currently viewing the site as a guest and some content may not be available to you.

    Registration is quick and easy and will give you full access to the site and allow you to ask questions or make comments and join in on the conversation. If you would like to join then please Register

Vegetarian Survival Skills

When my wife smiles she looks like a Chimpanzee, but she's fortunately not hairy like one. This (in my head) clarifies the scientific rationale that Chimpanzees are our closest cousins. So if you look at Wikipedia you get this:

The chimpanzee is an omnivorous frugivore. It prefers fruit above all other food items and even seeks out and eats them when they are not abundant. It also eats leaves and leaf buds, seeds, blossoms, stems, pith, bark and resin. Insects and meat make up a small proportion of their diet, estimated as 2%. While the common chimpanzee is mostly herbivorous, it does eat honey, soil, insects, birds and their eggs, and small to medium-sized mammals, including other primates.

So that's what our common cousin eats, which probably is what we should replicate as vitamin C is an issue for a human (seemingly). Obviously, if the Chimpanzee lived in Central Scotland like me, the choice of diet is limited somewhat to other primates, the neighbourhood dog or cat and maybe the odd Starling, which is why there are no Chimpanzees in my neighbourhood (thankfully). The guy at number 23 comes close, but he can drive and that proves he's human.

I do try and stick to the Chimp diet (apart from primates, leaves, insects and bark) and don't get hung up about it. I don't agree with the mass-produced cruelty of the meat industry. I've shot and killed things, but would rather not as I've concluded that dying is a stressful event for whatever creature is being killed and it is difficult to make the death event instantaneous.

I got a lift from a gamekeeper once through a large Scottish estate and he summed it up perfectly for me when he told me that he doesn't understand why more people don't eat venison as all the worries about animal welfare are more or less covered with deer as, until they are taken down by a competent shot, they are running free. The deer have to be culled as there are too many of them with no natural predators in Scotland. So venison is the most ethical meat in my book, by a long way.

Anyway, I'm well off topic now!

Sorry.
 
MildredsSmurf said:
When my wife smiles she looks like a Chimpanzee, but she's fortunately not hairy like one. This (in my head) clarifies the scientific rationale that Chimpanzees are our closest cousins. So if you look at Wikipedia you get this:

The chimpanzee is an omnivorous frugivore. It prefers fruit above all other food items and even seeks out and eats them when they are not abundant. It also eats leaves and leaf buds, seeds, blossoms, stems, pith, bark and resin. Insects and meat make up a small proportion of their diet, estimated as 2%. While the common chimpanzee is mostly herbivorous, it does eat honey, soil, insects, birds and their eggs, and small to medium-sized mammals, including other primates.

So that's what our common cousin eats, which probably is what we should replicate as vitamin C is an issue for a human (seemingly). Obviously, if the Chimpanzee lived in Central Scotland like me, the choice of diet is limited somewhat to other primates, the neighbourhood dog or cat and maybe the odd Starling, which is why there are no Chimpanzees in my neighbourhood (thankfully). The guy at number 23 comes close, but he can drive and that proves he's human.

I do try and stick to the Chimp diet (apart from primates, leaves, insects and bark) and don't get hung up about it. I don't agree with the mass-produced cruelty of the meat industry. I've shot and killed things, but would rather not as I've concluded that dying is a stressful event for whatever creature is being killed and it is difficult to make the death event instantaneous.

I got a lift from a gamekeeper once through a large Scottish estate and he summed it up perfectly for me when he told me that he doesn't understand why more people don't eat venison as all the worries about animal welfare are more or less covered with deer as, until they are taken down by a competent shot, they are running free. The deer have to be culled as there are too many of them with no natural predators in Scotland. So venison is the most ethical meat in my book, by a long way.

Anyway, I'm well off topic now!

Sorry.
Click to expand...

She'll not be joining the forum then mate ?????? :lol:

If you recall, that gamekeeper was also keen on reintroducing National Service too so you kind of had to be selective on which of his 'wisdom bombs' you hoist in. ;)
 
No this don't float her boat, she'll not be joining anytime soon... In my defence she says a lot worse things about me to her face, bless her ;)

I don't remember that bit tbh, he was a top man though for giving us a lift and sparing us a ten-mile walk...

Going back to topic (ish), I've been following emails from a guy called Robin Harford on a site called eatweeds. He has very interesting views on eating wild foods and I keep meaning to join and learn something, but time and money etc... Where we go there is only usually heather and sphagnum moss to choose from and I generally use the moss as a refreshing wet wipe! :ninja:

Edit to add I forgot to quote you!
 
The difference between other primates and us is, that in Europe do not grow so many edible plants like in Africa.
Ok , we have a lot, but weeds are different to tropic fruits.

I think that's the main reason why we became hunters and fishermen.
 
Erbswurst said:
The difference between other primates and us is, that in Europe do not grow so many edible plants like in Africa.
Ok , we have a lot, but weeds are different to tropic fruits.

I think that's the main reason why we became hunters and fishermen.
Click to expand...

I agree, there's very little to eat except for meat in the colder regions. Indigenous people that I've seen in documentaries about the Amazon etc. still hunt for meat despite there probably being an abundance of plant based foods. Maybe just 'cos it's tasty?
 
MildredsSmurf said:
I agree, there's very little to eat except for meat in the colder regions. Indigenous people that I've seen in documentaries about the Amazon etc. still hunt for meat despite there probably being an abundance of plant based foods. Maybe just 'cos it's tasty?
Click to expand...

and easy, once you have the skills of course. Animial's are easy proteins and depending on what you're hunting can be used for pelts and you can use the fat for other things too.
 
Yes of course, because it's tasty!

Nearly every animal does it, if it has the chance.

But, if you are a rat, for example, you don't have bow and arrow. So you are forced to live very ethic.

;0)
 
Bam said:
and easy, once you have the skills of course. Animial's are easy proteins and depending on what you're hunting can be used for pelts and you can use the fat for other things too.
Click to expand...

I think you've nailed it there.
Erbswurst said:
Yes of course, because it's tasty!

Nearly every animal does it, if it has the chance.

But, if you are a rat, for example, you don't have bow and arrow. So you are forced to live very ethic.

;0)
Click to expand...

I think Bam's nailed it with the benefits of easy protein and by products that can be had. In bothies (where I stay often) there are mice and they aren't ethical, as they're mice! They'll eat anything left out. If you don't hang up your food they'll eat through your expensive goretex gear to get to it! If they ever learn how to use a bow and arrow my cans of lager will be at peril too :fedup:
 
MildredsSmurf said:
I think you've nailed it there.


I think Bam's nailed it with the benefits of easy protein and by products that can be had. In bothies (where I stay often) there are mice and they aren't ethical, as they're mice! They'll eat anything left out. If you don't hang up your food they'll eat through your expensive goretex gear to get to it! If they ever learn how to use a bow and arrow my cans of lager will be at peril too :fedup:
Click to expand...
So eat the mice with a clear concience 😂😂😂
 
Can’t believe I only just stumbled on this thread, being a lifelong vegetarian myself (my parents were hippies), vegetarian survival, foraging etc is very interesting...... it got a bit off topic though guys!!!!!
 
David Day said:
Can’t believe I only just stumbled on this thread, being a lifelong vegetarian myself (my parents were hippies), vegetarian survival, foraging etc is very interesting...... it got a bit off topic though guys!!!!!
Click to expand...
It was always going to go off topic, most of these guys are incapable of holding a thought in their head for more than 3 minutes.... Now, what was I talking about?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top