Ring a Bell And I'll Salivate

mosch writes "Humans have been trained to yearn for ice cream in the same way as Pavlov's fabled bell. I won't be impressed until they can make a healthy human male yearn for a nice healthy vegan dinner."

Comments

Vegans

[Anonymous Coward]

I won't be impressed until they can make a healthy human male yearn for a nice healthy vegan dinner.

What about a healthy human male yearning for a nice healthy vegan? ;-D

Re:Vegans

[bad_fx]

Pfah, as everybody knows those Vegans are way too stringy. And so little meat on their bones... It really takes a master chef to prepare a half decent meal from one of them.

Re:Vegans

[I(rispee_I(reme]

I agree completely. Animals are just like black people. It is a little known fact that shaving cream was invented by wolves. I, for one, would like to be the first to welcome our new canine brethren and invite them over for a healthy vegan dinner.

Re:Vegans

[I(rispee_I(reme]

For those who have somehow managed to avoid these fools, Vegans are a group of new-age diet gurus who tell everyone who will listen that they are evil for eating meat. While there are many reasons to reduce the amount of meat in your diet, morality is not among them. Also, most "vegans" kill animals passively too. The real vegans who actually believe their own hype all grow their own food and are all rail-thin from malnourishment. If you meet a vibrant, glowing person who tries to sell you on a vegan diet, they're killing animals somewhere.

Re:Vegans

[Nagatzhul]

The only vegan/vegetarian I know who is healthy recently confided in me that she is not really a "full time" vegan. She says she is to stay with her current boy friend, but she eats meat when the cravings get too bad.

Most of the folks I know have serious health problems of some kind. One individual whose immune system is failing was order by his doctor to start eating some kind of meat (beef or chicken). Instead of obeying the doctor's orders, he quit going to the doctor. He is constantly sick and has horrible allergies. He is also developing issues with his nervous system due to lack of B vitamins.

Considering how hard it is to achieve a balanced diet as a vegan/vegetarian and the health issues that constantly come up by not eating a balanced diet, why do people keep beating their head against the wall with it.

Re:Vegans

[anthony_dipierro]

Vegans are a group of new-age diet gurus who tell everyone who will listen that they are evil for eating meat.

I know a lot of vegans, have conversations with them regularly, and not a single one has told me that I am evil for eating meat.

If you meet a vibrant, glowing person who tries to sell you on a vegan diet, they're killing animals somewhere.

We're all killing animals somewhere. Most vegans tend to kill fewer animals than others. That's not always true, of course. A person who regularly hunts for food likely kills far fewer animals than the average first-world country buy-it-at-the-store vegan.

ISR, Bell Rings YOU

[Lije Baley]

Just how did Pavlov get the bell to crave ice cream??
And you call yourselves editors...

Re:ISR, Bell Rings YOU

[RobertB-DC]

Oh, give the editors a break:

Humans have been trained to yearn for ice cream in the same way as Pavlov's fabled bell.

I know that as written, it's saying that Pavlov's bell yearned for ice cream. But I'm sure they meant to say:

Humans have been trained to yearn for ice cream in the same way as for Pavlov's fabled bell.

. . . meaning that humans have been trained to want ice cream as badly as they wanted Pavlov's bell.

After all, what else could they have meant?

Kill Vegans ...

[zangdesign]

The only good Vegan is a dead Vegan. I remember back in The Big War, this cadre of those blasted three-eyed bastards from Vega was ... what? We got Earthians wantin' to be Vegans?

Great Malda's Ghost! What is this world coming to? Don't those poor misguided Earth children know anything about the Vegans at ... vegetarians?

Vegetarians?! What? What kinda damn philosophical movement names themselves after three-eyed bastards from space? Damn! Damn!

At what point was this doubted?

[ip_vjl]

Humans can be trained to crave food in response to abstract prompts just like Pavlov's dogs, reveals new research.

Maybe I'm out of touch - but at what point was it even questioned whether or not conditioned response worked on humans? Sure we've got a lot more going on that might "override" the stimulus, but conditioned response just seems to be one of those very primitive reactions that would still be with us.

Re:At what point was this doubted?

[cpeterso]

Humans obviously can NOT be conditioned like animals. Humans are not animals; they are the keepers of Our Lord's Earth. Humans were perfectly designed by the Grand Creator Lord Jesus On High. Let us pray that He will deliver us from those heathens in Alabama who are stealing our constitutional rights to free (as in beer) speech and freedom from illegal religions.

Re:At what point was this doubted?

[JanneM]

Yep. There is one fun exercise a class can do to a teacher if they want:

Decide on some desired behavior (the typical example would be standing by the door, and/or standing with the back towards the class). Then, whenever the teacher does something that is a bit like the desired behavior - moves a step or two towards the door, for example, some people should perk up a little, smile a little more and show a little more interest in what the teacher says. If the teacher moves away from the desired goal, do the opposite - lose concentration, look less happy and so on.

_If_ the class does this unobtrusively, so the teacher does not conciously notice something going on, you are likely to have that teacher finishing up the class standing next to the door, talking over his shoulder.

In social animals, such as humans, the most powerful reinforcer of them all is social interaction. It works far better than any other rewarding stimulus.

Consider yourself impressed.

[tordia]

I won't be impressed until they can make a healthy human male yearn for a nice healthy vegan dinner.

As a healthy male vegan, can consider yourself impressed.

I generally yearn for food from one of Chicago's many vegan-friendly restaurants than my own concoctions, but that says more about my cooking abilities than anything else.

Some other, more well-known, healthy male vegans:

• Jack LaLanne (Fitness guru) (vegan)
• Dave Scott (five time winner of the Ironman Triathlon) (vegan)

Re:Consider yourself impressed.

[eclectric]

I also offer http://www.famousveggie.com/peoplenew.cfm for your consideration.

It's rather like claiming a healthy married male is incapable of resisting the temptations of other beautiful women. It sells short our sex.

Great ads

[jarda]

I suspect, if this research wasn't sponsored by some advertisement company. This is great technology for commercials. Everybody needs just a little training, and then, wherever they show appropriate fractal images on TV, all the people will run into the shops for their ice cream, destroying anything in their way

I wonder if this would work for other things than food as well.

i wonder how much commercials

[Unknown Poltroon]

contributes to the obesity problem in america? The constant programming every 5 minutes that food makes you happy? Reminding you to eat ever 5 minutes? How does that affect your brain?

Re:i wonder how much commercials

[tsa]

I was wondering about that too but then for 'new and improved' washing powder. Does anyone even know why your laundry has to be absolutely white? That is another case of programming the minds of innocent potential customers.

Re:i wonder how much commercials

[joelpt]

The fact that somebody rated the parent post here as "Troll" only seems to reinforce the validity of the poster's observation.

Vegans

[sidmystic]

I can't stand eating vegans ... tend to choke on their self-righteousness.

ah... so it begins...

[eclectric]

What I've never understood is why non-vegetarians are so damned abrasive towards vegetarians? Granted, there are some of us who are... less than polite when it comes to their views, but that's true of any group. I chock it up to "fear of all that is different."

Re:ah... so it begins...

[Experiment 626]

I think part of it is backlash against the militant vegetarians who try to impose their beliefs on others. The non-vegetarians do not want want to hear all about "meat is murder", the conditions in a slaughterhouse, or the plight of the cow they ate for lunch. The vocal minority of vegetarians' self-righteous attitude and proselytizing causes them all to be viewed by suspicion by some people, much as some people react towards Christians.

Of course, there are other factors as well. In American society, men tend to eat a lot of red meat, whereas salads and vegetables, being more popular among female diets, are sometimes viewed as "chick food". While these are not a universal correlation (men eat some salads, women do eat hamburgers), the topic post's reference to males' dislike for vegan foods clearly plays to this tendency. Deviation from societal norms leads to occasional abrasiveness and ridicule, particularly when it comes to behavior that is deemed unmanly. If I showed up for work on Monday with a pink Hello Kitty t-shirt, the other guys at work would probably tease me.

Re:ah... so it begins...

[andrewski]

I really don't think that you could eat meat and not consider yourself a killer. If you aren't prepared to kill, butcher, and then prepare your meat you shouldn't be eating it.

I think the vegan diet is alright. If strict attention is paid towards acquiring all the amino acids daily, it can be healthy. If not, hormone imbalance, malnutrition, and many other maladies can be the result.

I personally love meat (had a dry-aged ribeye wrapped in uncured bacon last night) but my bride-to-be eats only fish and other seafood. It's a healthy choice. As far as the manliness factor, who gives a fuck? If you are so concerned about looking manly then grow a handlebar mustache and drive a monster truck, and call everyone else who doesn't a 'faggit'.

Re:ah... so it begins...

[nelsonal]

I don't think that he means this should be the only way you get your food, but that if asked any meat eater should be prepared to kill their own food at least once. I've butchered a cow I raised from a calf, and well, it really changes the whole eating process. You realize that a living thing had to die so you could eat it. It should make you want to not let that death be wasted, or change your eating habits. It's pretty hypocritical for someone who regularly eats meat from a store, but is unable to look the creature in the eye before killing it for the meat.

Re:ah... so it begins...

[Tower]

>No animal on Earth drinks milk of another species at all, and none even drink milk of their own species past infancy.

No other species wears clothes, cooks/bakes, builds motorized vehicles, reads poetry, plays baseball, or posts on slashdot.

Rice milk and soy milk are like skim milk and powdered milk - if you grew up with them or have been drinking them for a while, they are fine, but they are a major shock to those who haven't had them on a regular basis.

OB: Simpsons

[immanis]

Smithers: Shall I send out for some Chinese Sir?
Burns: No, those people are all gristle.

Why am I not suprised michael accepted this story?

[helix400]

I won't be impressed until they can make a healthy human male yearn for a nice healthy vegan dinner.

That would be *very* impressive, seeing how a vegan lifestyle is more of a liberal political statement than a sincere attempt at a healthy balanced lifestyle.

I mean, try and imagine a Carls Jr. commercial for vegans. It begins with some unshaved buff construction worker ordering the new Six Dollar Salad. He salivates as he picks up the 3 lb. vegetable delight complete with peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and various Chinese herbs. After taking a huge bite, he wipes away lots of 0% fat ranch dressing from his chin. The commerical ends with Carls Jr.'s new slogan "If it came from an animal, it doesn't belong in your face."

michael, save your liberal/flamebait articles for http://yro.slashdot.org. You and science mix like oil and water.

Level 5 vegans?

[JasonMaggini]

I always think of the Simpsons:
"I'm a level 5 vegan, I don't eat anything that casts a shadow."

You ought to see their diet!

[Nagatzhul]

You ought to see all the supplements these guys take! We are talking between 50 to 100 pills a day. All to get the same nutrition set I get from single steak. And, as an example, Jack LaLanne is not a true vegan. He eats fish and eggs as well as consuming supplements made from other animal products.

Just because you process them down and change their appearance, does not change the nature of what they are consuming.

contradiction in terms

[SlugLord]

"nice healthy vegan dinner"

That's highly unlikely. If we want to make "having the nutrients necessary for good health" a prerequisite to "healthy," then it is nearly impossible to have a "healthy vegan dinner."

This of course assumes we take the optimistic view of the possibility of a "nice vegan dinner."

A nice healthy vegetarian dinner is quite possible, but you will be hard pressed to find anyone who can actually maintain their health (in the sense of not becoming seriously ill) as well as a vegan diet without loading their diet with supplements. To me this seems to demonstrate that a vegan diet is clearly not "natural," as vegans could not exist without modern technology. The logical conclusion, then, is that the vast majority of vegans are hypocrites or fools. The remaining minority are sickly and quite possibly dying of malnutrition

You had the answer, why overrule yourself?

[lorcha]

How did you get from

Granted, there are some of us who are... less than polite when it comes to their views

to

I chock it up to "fear of all that is different."

?

It's not fear of what is different. It's, as you say, that vegetarians have a tendency to be impolite.

Here's an example. I was sitting at a table at a wedding and one of the people at the table was a vegetarian. The wait staff messed up who had the vegetarian meal and accidentally set down a steak in front of said vegetarian. What do you think she did she do to address the situation? Do you think she politely informed the waiter that she had ordered the vegetarian entree and could he please correct the problem? No, that would be the normal thing to do. Instead, she let out a blood-curdling scream and started shrieking, "Get it away! Get it away!"

Now, is there any point in making a scene like that? If it really distressed her so much to see something that once went "Moo" put in front of her, she could have stood up, walked over to the waiter, and asked him to correct the problem. You want to know why the meat-eating public doesn't want to hear about your vegetarianism? It's experiences like that, coupled with moralistic lectures (we've heard them all before, believe me) that make us uninterested. You want meat-eaters to not be abraisive? Here's a hint: when you go out with us, simply order a meal that doesn't contain meat and keep your fucking lectures to yourself.