Not a vegetarian, but this essay is misleading to say the least.
The subheading-
Mindful Omnivorism is Better than Mindless Vegetarianism
is a lot more accurate than the actual title. And while I'm all for the concept of 'ethical meat', that stuff is typically really expensive, like 3-5 times more than the equivelent industrially farmed product. So in reality, if you want to be an 'ethical omnivore, it helps to be a rich omnivore. Of course the upside is that if you're paying that much for your meat, you'll probably eat a lot less of it, or maybe even cut it out entirely, like y'know, a vegetarian.

Actually, it depends how you buy it. When I was married, we used to buy a portion of a cow, the meat of which was split between 4 "shareholders". The animal was organically raised on pasture and well-treated for its life. The meat was delivered vacuum-sealed and frozen and was cheaper than Safeway. We had a chest freezer so having that much meat arrive at one time, wasn't a problem. I suspect that this coöperative approach would be possible anywhere. They also did the same with other meats.

To be honest, "cheaper than Safeway" is like talking about an American media company and calling them "to the left of Fox News". It technically means something, but realistically it tells me nothing.

Fair enough (in truth, I'm in Canada so that may bear no relation to Safeways elsewhere in the world). More accurate would be to say cheaper than mid-tier supermarket regular prices. I would think that the price of meat bought in this fashion would be the same or cheaper anywhere in the world because the meat is prepaid so there's no doubt as to the sale. It's frozen so the fuss and bother of temperature control for fresh meat is eliminated. And, the cuts are what you get so you all get steaks, ribs, shank, stewing beef etc.

Well anywhere you can have a chest freezer. For your typical city-dweller that might be a problem.
Otherwise it's a good approach.

I live in a 720 sq. ft. condo now and I have a small chest freezer that I keep salmon that I've caught, portioned and vacuum-sealed. I've contemplated doing the coöp cow thing but I just don't eat that much meat anymore. I prefer to go out for steaks etc. because they're so much better than what I can do myself.

We buy beef similar to the way you do, but it isn't really cheaper than supermarket meat. It's a better product, because the farmer is raising the animal for a different market, and he deserves to get paid more than regular market price because he takes better care of his livestock.

If you have a freezer, you can get pretty good deals from supermarket specials, buying in bulk etc. We like buying from the farmer because we believe in this farmer, we have a connection. That's just not an option for most people.

No, it's not. I actually did the math, and the post-cook $/g of the nice hamburger from the local family farm/butcher is less than the crap at the food mart, because it has less water and fat added.

Nicer cuts are more expensive, but I'd far, far rather have a really good steak once or twice a month than a shitty one every week.

Because agriculture is work intensive and a major historical reason for slavery, and even if you are vegan, you still might be benefiting from animal (human) work that isn't really choice driven?

I got serious with my veganism this new year. The greatest difference I've experienced is that I spend more time cooking since I make things more from scratch. I also sometimes miss butter.

I highly doubt my somewhat ethical veganism is worse than my somewhat ethical omnivorism.

In any case, I don't contribute to someone cutting up a pig for my food anymore. Most pigs I met was really nice. I would not eat a dog or cat, and they are just aboutas nice, so...

There are olive oils that, while not exactly like butter, will fit the bill when bread is dipped in it. I like the ones from the Peleponnese in Greece. Italy has some milder oils as well. add a dash of sea salt and dip away! I'll also brush it on toast...tastes great.

The one I buy most regularly is Ixor.

I don't eat much bread though. Is it buttery when you cook with it?

It isn't like butter, but coconut oil is fab to cook with. Yummy. I wouldn't spread it on bread though, but like you, I don't really have bread at home much.

Yup. It's great. Coconut milk make great icecream and bases for soups and stews.

I really hate the old pig/cow vs dog/cat eating thing. It's bullshit. There are cultures that eat dog. There are cultures that don't eat cow.

Just because your Western sensibilities see dog = pet doesn't mean the whole world does and that somehow dogs are some sort of special case of animal that isn't used for food.

Guess what? I too don't eat dog, but that doesn't mean that I can't see pigs as smart or good pets but also really tasty food animals.

Guess what? I see pigs as smart and good pets and also not as food animals. Bullshit or not. I am not telling you not to have some, I really don't mind. I'm sorry I brought up something you hate.

I'm almost a vegan, but it has nothing to do with ethics or health. I buy whichever foods are the cheapest, so I rarely buy meat. I'm lactose intolerant, so I don't buy dairy. I buy eggs, though.

I don't fret about food. In a short time, no matter what I eat, processed, organic, fair trade or fast food, it's all shit in the end.

I see nate hasn't made an appearance.

I was really hoping to snarkily tell him I don't think he read the entire article after he posted.