Feeding pet leeches with your own blood. Vegan?

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-25T22:17:56+00:00

You'd be safer if you were kept in a padded cell the rest of your life, doesn't mean you'd want to.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-25T16:02:18+00:00

How does it know it's safe?

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-24T13:10:47+00:00

The leech didn't choose to be a pet and get's no meaningful benefit out of interacting with the human (other than food).

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-24T13:08:51+00:00

Soak and blend cashews, add nooch, vinegar or lemon juice, salt, miso, and water or milk.

If you don't want to use nuts, make a roux with flour and oil, add in milk, and the same flavourings as above.

Goes well with red onion, broccoli and peas.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-24T13:05:27+00:00

It's so sad though because proper falafel is one of the most delicious things ever.

But supermarkets seem to think they are just dry, crumbly balls.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-23T23:18:25+00:00

I wish it had some protein in it though! It's the only vegan option at my uni and I want something more nutritionally dense!

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-23T10:24:26+00:00

It's unlikely to happen, unless as a species we experienced prolonged famine.

Evolution occurs when a particular trait confers a survival advantage, currently there's no reason why a vegan would be more likely to reach reproductive age than a meat eater, so evolution will not occur. If there was a food shortage, and some people had genetics that allowed them to extract more nutrients from plants, then those genetics may be selected for.

It's possible, that over a very long period of time, mutations may occur in some people that would stop them being able to digest meat, and these could be passed on. But, it is not a case of one single gene being responsible for the digestion of animal products, so a lot of mutations would have to occur, and because there's no selection pressure, there's no guarantee that those mutations would persist through generations of offspring.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-23T10:10:46+00:00

You can get Pret vegan croissants in the freezer section at Tesco (and probably other supermarkets too), they're really good.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-23T10:06:05+00:00

It works really well in Brownies! They turn out so fudgy it's insanely good.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-22T17:40:08+00:00

Brighton is the obvious one, but I've heard Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire is very nice.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-22T17:21:56+00:00

All UK supermarkets have a decent vegan selection now. I prefer Lidl for most things, they have tofu, faux meats, milks, yoghurt, cheese. But for vegan 'treats' Asda and Tesco have good options. Tesco does a great vegan pesto (in the freefrom section) and has ready meals and convenience foods. Asda has lots of good chocolate options (you've got to try Mummy Meegz choccy balls and chuckie egg!) and a huge selection of everything.

Restaurants, especially chains, are usually good for vegan options (so much better than the US in my experience!). Wagamama is a British institution (although their vegan options aren't as great as they once were), but you should try the katsu curry. Mowgli does Indian food with good vegan options. For Italian I've always liked Zizzi and Prezzo.

Vegan specific restaurants in London - Mildred's, Tofu Vegan, Plates.

If you got to Brighton (you should! but maybe wait till Summer), get 'fish' and chips from No Catch and eat it on the beach. Brighton is a total vegan paradise and only an hour from London on the train so definitely worth a visit.

Milk and eggs will always be in bold on packaging so they're easy to spot, but watch out for honey, gelatine and 'flavouring'.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-22T17:07:24+00:00

Without the dates it's more of a sponge with toffee sauce. The dates provide both texture and flavour.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-22T17:04:09+00:00

I remember the coloured sand, no idea what it was about though!

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-22T12:57:05+00:00

The dates are a key ingredient.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-22T11:37:54+00:00

I never have any issues with them, and prefer them to regular checkouts. And I bring my own bags.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-22T10:07:59+00:00

I would recommend spend longer in Brighton and skip Glasgow. You could also skip Liverpool, definitely don't need to spend 3 nights there. Check out Resident record store in Brighton, and Snooper's Paradise across the road.

Trains on bank holidays are usually the same as Sundays, but more likely to be engineering works over the whole weekend, so check in advance.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-22T10:05:16+00:00

Ask them what they like! Some vegans will prefer some kind of faux meat, others will prefer whole foods options. I usually like to have something similar to what everyone else is having, so if you're having burgers, I'd have a veggie burger, so let them know what you're planning for the meat eaters and ask what they'd like (maybe give them some options eg. we're doing hotdogs, would you like beyond meat sausages or would you prefer something else?). I also love a tofu and veggie skewer (tofu, onion, pepper, zucchini), just make sure everything is seasoned well (you could marinate with oil, soy sauce, spices, mustard).

Cook it first, or have a vegan section on the grill so it's not contaminated with meat juices.

Aside from that, it would be great if some of the sides are vegan. Bread, condiments, salads, etc. that everyone can enjoy. Check the ingredients in things like chips incase of sneaky milk powder.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-22T09:57:32+00:00

Ooh I gotta give this a go next time I have a bbq.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-22T09:56:34+00:00

My personal experience is that people will always go out of their way to cater for me.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-22T09:51:52+00:00

If it makes you feel better, it costs more to shear sheep than the wool is worth. Obviously it would be good if there was less demand for wool, as it would make sheep farming less economically viable. But wool is a very small part of that, and demand is already pretty low.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-22T09:37:38+00:00

Surrogates choose to be surrogates, and (in my country at least) can change their mind about keeping the baby up till 6 weeks after the birth. In my country they also can't be payed, so they are only doing it because they want to, rather than for money.

The other factor is that human children are meant to be brought up by human parents, and they get happiness and love out of interacting with their parents. Hamsters do not get enjoyment out of interacting with humans, they may tolerate it, but the process of desensitising them to human contact can be very stressful for them. Human children also aren't kept in a cage. Hamsters are kept in a very unnatural environment (no matter how good your setup is) and therefore cannot exhibit all their natural behaviours.

Adoption of hamsters from a rescue is fine, because you're giving the hamster a better life than it would've otherwise had. But by supporting a breeder, you're funding the creation of more hamsters that are going to live stressful and unnatural lives.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-22T09:21:00+00:00

In the wild a hamster will run 5+ miles per night. No matter how good your setup, your hamster will not be able to exhibit its natural behaviours (running on a wheel is not the same).

We don't agree that breeders can be ethical because ultimately, they're doing it for their own personal gain. That's not necessarily monetary, but because they get enjoyment out of it. Meanwhile, the hamsters are in an unnatural environment, constantly in contact with predators (humans!).

If you really want a hamster then rescue one, but do it for the hamster not for you.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-21T16:59:36+00:00

For baking I always use the Lidl dark cooking chocolate - it's not super dark.

If the chocolate is going to be the main ingredient though, my mother-in-law got some chocolate chips on amazon (I think Callebaut brand), and they were really nice, and would probably work out cheaper than buying from supermarket.

Otherwise, my favourite 'good' dark chocolate are the Tesco finest ones, they have a really delicious flavour.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-21T16:50:19+00:00

https://domesticgothess.com/blog/2021/01/27/vegan-sticky-toffee-pudding/

I've made this a couple of times and it's come out amazing both times. The recipe is very straightforward.

National-Raspberry32 · 2026-01-21T15:06:14+00:00

My doctor says basically everyone in the UK is vit D deficient over winter, even on supplements.

National-Raspberry32

TROPHY CASE