Salley wrote:So if someone asks if you have any special dietary requests or needs you won't say vegan?
No, I would not say just vegan for the reasons I've already stated and the reason stated below.
Salley wrote:but it sure is a lot easier to say vegan and then go into the finer points...
And most often it is not easier to say vegan then go into finer points. Why? Because most mainstream people hear the word vegan and shut down. They want to hear nothing else. I have experienced that more times than not. But if I just say starch based, I have a better chance of explaining the finer points. They are more curious about starch based than vegan. Theyve all heard about the "crazy vegans" who throw fake blood at people. Or paint their bodies and make signs. THAT is what they know about vegans. They dont want to hear it from me.
*Editing to add,
if calling your diet vegan works for you, then who am I to say. I think generally its probably not a great idea because so many people stop listening or get the wrong impression.
veggylvr wrote:To me, honey is just a bodily fluid released by the bee. So, not to be crude, but isn't it somewhat similar to semen?
Actually that is not quite true. The bees collect nectar from the flowers of plants. That nectar is put in a special pouch, or honey tummy. They then regurgitate the nectar into the combs of the hive. This nectar is thin and watery. As the comb is filled, the heat from the bees and the wind generated from their wings dehydrates the nectar turning into the thick liquid we call honey. It is not semen, semen contains the material to create new life, it is not bee poop (as my husband so affectionately calls it). If anything it could be called bee vomit, but then even that is not right since it doesnt contain any actual stomach contents where their nourishment is.
It is sort of similar to maple in that the liquid is collected from trees then cooked down to dehydrate the liquid into a thicker form into what we know as maple syrup. The problem vegans have with honey, I believe is that the honey would feed the hive in lean months when flowers arent abundant and its too cold for the bees to fly. Thus harm being brought to the bees.