If a herd of cows is well cared for and leads a happy life? And if they're one day killed painlessly, and then feed hundreds of people?
I'm not qualified to make blanket statements of ethics. Especially when some people live in parts of the world with little arable land, but many grasses that ruminants can eat and digest.
I used to eat a lot of meat. I used to not give much thought to where the meat came from. Both those things have changed as I've learned more.
I can't change the thousands of years of cattle being bred for meat and dairy. But I can choose to avoid factory dairies that treat cows inhumanely.
Should fewer cows exist in the world? Should humans create fewer cows? Yes.
But they do exist. We can't instantly change that. And some will be used for meat, we also can't change that. So we start by trying to make more intelligent decisions, reducing society's exploitation of meat animals, and helping people understand why this is good.
Obviously this has to do with more than cows, that's just one example.
You'll have a greater impact on me if you approach me with curiosity, rather than aggression.
For example, all I've told you so far is that I'm not vegan.
You don't know if, for example, I eat eggs harvested from my own happy chickens or harvest surplus honey from my own beehive. You don't know whether I buy farmed meat from a store, or whether I only eat animals that lack any sort of brain
I've already expressed that veganism is good. That gives you inroads for engaging with me, learning more about what I consume that isn't vegan, and offering the options that I might not think of.
Are you angry about people eating meat and harming animals? Good. You should be. I know I am. But I also temper my anger, especially when I'm trying to communicate better ways of doing things with people.
Veganism is respectable. It is good. But primates are opportunistic eaters, and humans are no different.
Not everyone is in a position to choose to remove meat from their diet. And some folks, like me, support vegans without feeling we need to eliminate all animal and insect products from our diets.
When we talk openly, we learn from each other and develop understanding. Who knows, maybe I will be vegan one day? I've cooked many vegan meals for groups of people.
If frying something in measurable quantities of oil, the oil can be filtered to remove solids, then stored to re-use later.
If cooking something greasy like bacon or sausage, either I'll cook other things in the same pan after, or I'll pour it through a strainer, let it cool, and freeze it. Once I've saved a bunch, I clarify it.
Fat is flavor. In my house, it doesn't get thrown away. There are lots of ways to reuse it.
You don't actually need to soak them before you cook them.
I've made plenty of bean dishes, starting with completely dry beans. It takes a little longer to cook because they are rehydrating while they cook, but they still come out great.
That already happens. Ants are attracted to ammonia.