The Vegetarians

Abstract: A series of thirteen interviews explores the reasons for the popularity of the vegetarian diet. The interviewees' accounts for reasons for turning to vegetarianism with discussions of effects on personal lives and careers are included. Vegetarianism is now a fad. However, fads often become custom. Meat eating habits resulted from post-medieval nobility's meat-eating conventions. Eventually, the patterns were imitiated by lower classes until the harm was established. Middle-class families now have gout, obesity, heart disease, and cancer that was once common only among the nobility. Changed dietary patterns can result in fewer mental and physical ills. Introductory prefaces to each interview give background information on the famous personality and lists accomplishments.