Are we supposed to be Vegetarians? – OpentheWord.org
Green cucumber slices with red onion Some hae meat and canna eat,And some wad eat that want it, But we hae meat and we can eat,Sae let the Lord be Thankit! That is known as the “Selkirk Grace” and it is credited to the Scottish poet Robert Burns. I wonder how many times Scottish people have said those words before eating a meal. Notice that the word “meat” is the central theme in that poem. I have visited Scotland, and my hotel served a Scottish Breakfast, and no, it was not vegetarian. I think haggis was included in that meal. If you don’t know what that means, you might want to look up the word “Haggis.” It is probably true, that Robert Burns was using an old variety of English, from Scotland in his case, and “meat” meant nutritious food, from either plant or animal sources. In older English, “meat” or “mete” could mean any kind of food, including meat from animals. That old English usage is part of a growing argument. I have friends who …
