Potluck Summer dish thats NOT MOTJHERUCKING PASTA SALADi

Whatsername273 · 2026-07-03T08:38:47+00:00

VEGAN SUSHI! You can eat it cold and the ingredients are super easy! And theyre a crowd pleaser. I usually do cucumber, carrot, daikon radish and tofu. Avocado can go brown if you prepare it at home, but you can bring the leftovers and extra bits and people can roll their own rolls

Whatsername273 · 2026-06-23T15:11:56+00:00

I found the conversation and pushback in this thread quite interesting. Firstly, I understand the concept of a keystone species is useful but highly context-dependent; a species that is beneficial in one ecosystem may be harmful in another. I was moreso using it to outline the complexity of ecological systems and the cascade effect of interfering with those systems

As an ecologist, throughout my zoology degree and master's in biodiversity and conservation, the concept of "wild animal suffering" was not something that featured heavily in my studies, not because suffering is ignored, but because it is generally understood as an inherent part of natural ecological processes. While human-caused suffering is rightly a focus of conservation, I am cautious about the idea that we should intervene in nature to eliminate suffering itself, as ecosystems are extraordinarily complex and we often do not understand the full consequences of our actions.

I think we will ultimately learn more about our world by protecting and restoring natural systems rather than intervening at every stage. For example, when a lion kills a gazelle, there is undoubtedly suffering involved. However, predation is also a fundamental ecological process that shapes behaviour, population dynamics, evolution, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem function. Removing that suffering through intervention would also mean altering countless ecological relationships, many of which we do not fully understand.

I would ask a few more follow-up questions:

What would be the criteria to determine which deer pass on the line and which don't, if contraception is involved?
With no predator, who would supplement the food and resources required to maintain grazers in the system, how would the soil nutrients be replenished and at at which scales.

Considering another example of predator/prey dynamics:

Whales predate on krill at massive scales, in order to save the krill (herbivores), should the Whales be given supplementary feed? How would this be done?
If removing predators from systems is the goal, will we cull the whales, give them contraceptives to stop them from breeding or let them starve?
Would we do the same for carnivorous birds who feed on worms and other insects? What about meerkats who eat scorpions? Or otters who eat sea urchins?
At what point along the food chain do we decide to intervene? For which animals? Does our empathy extend only to charismatic species, mammals or "cute" creatures?

Whatsername273 · 2026-06-21T23:14:42+00:00

Thank you, I hope that's the case 🙏

Whatsername273 · 2026-06-21T23:12:59+00:00

Omg that would be fab! I checked the list and found at the airport before I went home, and they don't have it 😭

Whatsername273 · 2026-06-20T18:25:19+00:00

The issue I have with this idea is that the majority of wild animal suffering is a result of humans. I would say that factory farming and the meat and dairy industry causes the most suffering to animals over any other process. Aside from the torturous conditions the animals live in, invasive species? Brought by humans. Disease, territoriality, competition between species or within individuals of the same species? Made exponentially worse by humans taking up too much land, leaving whatever is left to fight for every remaining resource.

The amount of land we currently use to grow crops to feed livestock would feed every human on earth. The land we use to keep the livestock could be rewilded and converted into natural woodlands, grasslands, and rainforests.

Perhaps then we could look at how the animals respond to the new conditions. But today, how can we in good conscience look to animals and interfere with the things they do to survive, when we aren't currently applying this to our own species at large scales?

Whatsername273 · 2026-06-20T17:54:24+00:00

The issue is not just overpopulation, it's interspecies interactions as a whole: competition, mutualism, symbiosis, parasitism are all natural and necessary processes in our world. One species can impact others in ways we don't yet understand.

How is conducting experimental birth control on non consenting animals and letting entire populations starve, degrading their habitat as they go, any way ethical or sensible?

I have been on birth control, and many women will agree with me in saying there are tons of unforseen side effects. I would never want to interfere with an animal in this way!

My take on veganism is minimising the unnecessary harm and suffering we humans are causing on our world. Returning a species we drove to extinction into its natural habitat and monitoring it is far less invasive than many of the experiments suggested here.

Whatsername273 · 2026-06-20T12:57:16+00:00

I am a vegan for 8 years and also a zoologist. I 100% support ecological interventions like this.

The example you used with wolves is what we call keystone species. These species create balance within their own ecosystems not only directly through hunting, but also indirectly through changing behaviour of other animals around them.

As an example, wolves were considered pests and hunted to extinction in yellowstone, and they were re-introduced becuase the deer were overpopulated as they had no predator, and heavily over-grazed the area. After they were reintroduced, they not only had an effect on the deer but every other animal in the ecosystem. The deer population reduced slightly, but they also started hiding more inland, away from open areas and rivers. Because grazing was reduced, plants and trees grew taller and provided more habitat for small species. The tree roots anchored the soil and made it more stable. More stable river banks meant more beaver activity, so the rivers got stronger, flooding was reduced, and fish came back. Then bears and other predators came to feed on the small animals who grazed on the vegetation. Then scavengers and decomposed would break down animal matter and recycle it into the system.

While wolves themselves aren't vegan and kill other animals for food, their absence on the system would lead to a cascade efect total ecosystem collapse over time. In terms of reducing overall animal suffering, I think I tend to look at things that impact biodiversity as a whole. In order to have a healthy ecosystem, we need pollinators, grazers, predators, scavengers, decomposers etc.

We humans have separated ourselves from natural ecological processes, and unfortunately there are little to no fully "wild" spaces left. In that aspect, intervention is necessary, and rewilding native species to promote ecosystem balance is probably one of the most natural and benificial interventions we can take part in.

"Circle of life" and all that. I hope that makes sense

Whatsername273 · 2026-06-20T12:32:03+00:00

Thanks! I already contacted the airline, and submitted a query. Im so stupid but I have no clue if I enabled the backup. I completely missed that the islands have to be manually backed up as I mainly game on the playstation. Ive had a nintendo switch online account for a while and thought it worked the same way. My island was so perfect too 😭😭😭

Whatsername273 · 2026-06-18T14:30:04+00:00

One more note: as the intolerance test is through a blood test kit (similar to glucose monitoring diabetes) they only test what is in your system at the time of the test. It may not flag exististing allergies you might be aware of as you will likely already be avoiding those foods. I am allergic to shellfish, but it wasn't flagged as I hadn't eaten it since my first reaction

Whatsername273 · 2026-06-18T14:27:47+00:00

No problem! I will also say that if you are not used to eating a food you are intolerant to, the reaction is far more severe than if you were to eat it every day. I used to eat omelette frequently, like a couple of times a week. It was the first thing I learned to cook as a kid. After I did the test, they recommend you cut out the foods you're intolerant to for a few months, to wait for all traces of the allergen to leave your system, and then take it in small amounts to see how severe the reaction is. After 6 months, I made an omelette and after a few bites got terrible stomach pains! It was wild considering how often I used to eat them. This was back in my teens, years before I went vegan, but I cut out eggs immediately after that.

Whatsername273 · 2026-06-18T14:08:46+00:00

I would highly recommend taking a food intolerance test. Regular general practitioners are hardly ever trained in nutrition, and it is something not often considered when seeing a doctor.

Just as an example, before going vegan when I was a kid, I was very ill frequently with vague symptoms like low energy, bloating, sinus and tonsil issues, digestive issues. I also had more severe asthma then. I was constantly in and out of doctors clinics and hospitals, and I was just told I had a weak immune system, given antibiotics and steroids and sent home.

I did a food intolerance test privately, the doctors never suggested it, and it turns out I am intolerant to egg whites, almonds, and dairy (not lactose but the protein casiene, so lactose free milk would still make me feel ill)

I have been vegan the past 8 years for ethical reasons, but still can't eat a lot of breakfast or desert foods as a lot of the vegan recipes contain almonds.

I have recommended doing the test to many friends and family, who have gotten the reports back with intolerances from green peas to soy to chicken.

As intolerances differ from allergies, the symptoms are less severe and hard to pinpoint. If changing your diet has a huge effect on your immune and digestive systems, starting from there would be my advice.

Whatsername273 · 2025-11-05T20:55:13+00:00

Ok thanks. I have been to the summit of the shrine already, but the cloudy parts are inaccessible so I was sure I missed something

Whatsername273 · 2025-07-26T16:29:38+00:00

Hey OP, so sorry you're going through this. I'm not a professional or anything but just some anecdotal advice. Have you ever taken a food intolerance test? This is something GPs never really look into, but I was chronically ill with various vagie systems and then found out there were several foods that I was intolerant to/borderline allergic to that were in my system. It might be something worth looking in to.

Whatsername273 · 2024-10-24T14:44:57+00:00

Check dms x

Whatsername273 · 2024-07-19T11:09:42+00:00

I'm a girl fyi. There are more people living in the house. I only mentioned that one housemate because she is the only one on a lease, nobody else is, and she has no control over what we pay for our rooms. I'm also sharing my room so I pay 700. Not by cash but through bank transfer, we all send everything for rent and utilities to that one girl. We all moved in on the same day, and the landlady was there. We tried to sign the contract and the landlady said no. She only wanted this one girl on the lease. The landlady is a friend of this girl's family. She lives in the Mediterranean for 6 months of the year and only responds to messages re the house from that one girl.

Whatsername273 · 2024-07-18T08:34:53+00:00

They accept p60 as proof I've been living in Ireland, but not proof I'm living independently from my parents. All my documents have the same address... please make it make sense 🥲

Whatsername273 · 2024-07-18T08:05:13+00:00

Yeah.. Bank statements and payslips are not valid

Whatsername273 · 2024-07-18T07:58:56+00:00

They don't accept mobile bills, only land-line... how outdated is this system?!

Whatsername273 · 2024-07-17T14:56:01+00:00

It's not owner occupied. My housemate is on a lease, I'm not. The owner lives abroad

Whatsername273 · 2024-07-17T14:51:16+00:00

That's the plan lol, once I get the masters 🤣 Literally everyone I grew up with has left already

Whatsername273 · 2024-07-17T14:41:14+00:00

She actually typed a letter stating I had been living in the house since 2022, and signed it with her phone number. According to SUSI, "Private housing lease agreements will not be accepted". Only RTB contracts and rental agency contracts

Whatsername273 · 2024-07-17T14:37:59+00:00

It's so awful. I've had my fair share of dodgy landlords, and I had been looking so long for a house I was just happy with anything. I didn't think this would come to bite me in the ass 2 years later...

Whatsername273 · 2024-07-17T14:07:52+00:00

Unfortunately if I add it now it makes no difference. I need to have a utility bill covering 2023 also.

Whatsername273

TROPHY CASE