I know this thread is basically dead, however, I came across it by accident and felt the need to correct some statements.
It has been stated multiple times that the mention of Mac being a vegetarian was only mentioned at the end of the walking dead.
In "Strictly Business" (hope that is the right episode) when Murdoc prepares Mac his last meal (with the cherub and bow/arrow on the table).
Mac walks in and Murdoc points to the huge meals with his hand out and asks: "Do you like it?" Murdoc proceeds to thank Mac for saving his sister and then says:
"Don't look so grim, sit down and try the food, it's vegetarian."
The fact the writers took the time to purposefully point this out twice in a very obvious way leads me to believe Mac is indeed a vegetarian, but for health reasons and that he is sensible about it and would eat meat to save his life or to not be overly rude.
The fact the writers took the time to purposefully point this out twice in a very obvious way leads me to believe Mac is indeed a vegetarian, but for health reasons and that he is sensible about it and would eat meat to save his life or to not be overly rude.
Isn't that just another way of saying he's a healthy eater? He chooses non-meat food whenever possible, but if the circumstances dictate or require it, he'll still eat and probably enjoy a well cooked piece of meat.
And lets not forget that in the episode Jack in the Box, he's eating a leg of chicken and agrees that it was good.
I think the term vegetarian has changed in meaning from what it use to be as well, which doesn't help us any. back in the 80's and 90's it was more of a loose term to refer to "healthy eaters" who didn't eat red meat, but now with the change in eating habits and food types the general meaning has tightened up. So the problem become that we're applying the modern meaning to an old TV show.
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QUOTE (Rocky)
I think the term vegetarian has changed in meaning from what it use to be as well, which doesn't help us any. back in the 80's and 90's it was more of a loose term to refer to "healthy eaters" who didn't eat red meat, but now with the change in eating habits and food types the general meaning has tightened up. So the problem become that we're applying the modern meaning to an old TV show.
I have to politely differ with that -- speaking as someone who was hanging out with Californians and other odd types at that time: no, the meaning and usage of the word has not changed, except insofar as more people now identify themselves as sub-types. Back then, it meant you didn't eat meat, including no fish. I don't remember anyone in the US using the term "vegan" until the mid-90's, but ovo-lacto was a recognised sub-type long before then.
Hideair, if you look through more of the threads you'll find more information we've collected on Mac's eating habits, including the fact that they changed over time. Lothi has been compiling a comprehensive list of all of Mac's known dishes.
Mac's behaviour fit the very common type of the California Health Food Nut, a well-established species with a less rigid diet than the full-blown vegetarians.
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I always had a problem with that line by Mama Loraine. I believe she meant it as "I told my God's that you were a vegitarian even though you're not." Thus, making it a funny comment. Murdoc's comment could have been him taking a guess on MacGyver since he's known to eat healthy.
I truely think MacGyver, like me, tries to eat healthy whenever possible but has a nice burger,steak, chicken when he gets a craving. i think he's practical and knows that the body tells you things for a reason. As long as he typically takes the healthy route then he's doing fine. Besides, a little bit of red meat is healthy. Everything in it's proper dose right?
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QUOTE (MacGyver and Magnum, pi @ 14 November 2009 - 03:25 PM)
This forum has been dead for a while.
Troll? haha, I think he means thread. Or at least, I hope so.
As for the vegetarianism, I agree that it seems highly probable that he ate very healthy but was not actually a vegetarianism. Come to think of it, I think I've made this point before. Even if he were supposed to have been a vegetarian or semi-vegetarian, he still was not the bleeding heart type that in dire circumstance would still refuse meat, i.e., he and Kate Connoly and the lizard. Further, he seems like the type who would eat something if it were extended to him by someone else rather than refusing it. Which, I personally agree with, if it's already dead, then not consuming it really isn't going to reverse that. I try to eat healthy and have as many vegetarian meals as possible but it is definitely difficult. Society is structured in a way that makes it seem unavoidable to eat meat. Few people really stop and question the ethics of it or the health effects. I'll not go into why I think it is a good idea for quite a few reasons, but I will say Mac exhibited a social conscience about everything else, and I'm sure animal consumption was something we was self-aware of. I also can relate, however, to the fact that it is a tough act to pull to be exclusively vegetarian, and maybe not entirely healthy if done wrong.
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To me, it's odd to think of Mac as NOT being vegetarian. He clearly cares a lot about animals, so he seems like the type who would be appalled by the animal abuse that goes on in the food industry, and would probably do his best to avoid supporting it by buying the food. That's why a lot of people become vegetarian. It's not all about eating healthy. My girlfriend, for example, is vegetarian because it goes against her conscience to feel like she's supporting an industry that abuses animals. It's not really about her health, as much as it is about her love for animals, and I can imagine Mac feeling the same way.
The lizard that he ate with Kate is a bit different for two reasons:
1. He killed the lizard himself. It wasn't like buying a burger and wondering how badly the cow was treated before it became a burger. Again, it's similar with my girlfriend-- although she personally wouldn't want to kill an animal, she would feel better doing that, knowing the animal died quickly and painlessly, rather than thinking it was badly abused in a slaughterhouse somewhere.
2. More importantly-- That scene was during the first season, and Mac wasn't QUITE as "perfect" he was in later seasons. He had a bit more edge and a bit more of a devil-may-care attitude.
if you watch every episode, you definitely get the impression he was a vegetarian. whether it be the other characters offering him vegetarian fare, like already mentioned above, or when mac was layed up in the house boat in some episode and pete offered to go get him some "tofu", there is always bean curd in his fridge, he eats sprout sandwiches, or a piece of fruit, eggs, smoothie shakes, pizza.
he never made a meat dish for himself, other than survival episodes, but it appeared that he would eat it abroad - like in the thailand episode with colton finding out he has a kid, mac ate some sort of street food that obviously is meat on a stick - or if somebody went out of their way to make it for him.
he was a vegetarian, but not a strict one. he was realistic about it and adapted to his environment when needed.
he was a vegetarian, but not a strict one. he was realistic about it and adapted to his environment when needed.
Isn't that just another way of saying he was a healthy eater?
sure, i guess. he was obviously a health nut.
is it possible to be a vegetarian but occasionally eat meat? as in macs case when he was eating lizard with kate out in the jungle? i think it is, like i said he wasnt strict, it appeared he was vegetarian about 99% of the time in the show.
anybody who travels a lot knows what it can do to your diet, seeing as mac was traveling all the time there is almost no way he could be choosy with his food on the road. like in the pic you posted on page 1 of him eating a chicken wing, IN JAIL, in 'Jack in the Box' episode. his choice there is to either starve or eat meat.
he appears to at least be a full on vegetarian when at home with his tofu, bean curd, and smoothie shakes.
is it possible to be a vegetarian but occasionally eat meat?
I don't know for sure, but I always thought vegetarians were quite strict about not eating meat; Like they refused to eat it no matter what, and isn't there usually something about killing and eating animals mixed in with vegetarianism? Clearly MacGyver had no problem with doing that when he had to.
I think we can all agree that he certainly wasn't a "true" or strict vegetarian, which is why I prefer to say he was just a healthy eater. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said he was realistic. He choose not to eat meat when he had the choice, but had no problem catching food (meat) to eat while camping or any other situation where vegetarian wasn't really an option.
Interesting side note: The kinds of meat caught and eaten while camping/hiking (fish,small lizards etc) are probably the healthiest forms of meat you can get - Low fat, high protein (fish is also high in Omega oils which are very good for you. So MacGyver would be in a no lose situation.
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I agree with you Rocky. It would be inaccurate to call him a vegitarian under any definition. Healthy eater? Absolutely! I think too many people want to be called a vegitarian because they think it's the cool thing to be but don't live by the definition. I think MacGyver would never consider himself one. I could picture him calling himself a "vegitarian want to be" or a "vegitarian in training".
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Doesn't Mac in Family Matters attempt to make a Bayou Blackened Catfish or something but manages to burn it horribly and then mentions take-out Burgers? I think Mac ate sensibly and his tastes do change, much like anyone's does. I have weeks where red meat doens't do much for me and I'll eat tofu and chicken instead. I like a wide variety of foods and I believe Mac does as well. I know in Silent World, he took Pete out for Indian and that could be vegetarian or have meat (chicken/goat/lamb). Just my 2 cents worth.
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Just because people in the series call Mac a vegetarian (and in fact only Mama Lorraine calls him that, Murdoc just serves a veggie dinner) doesn't mean MacGyver is one. Watching MacGyver episodes, I never thought of him as a vegetarian.
It wasn't until I stumbled upon this thread I found out there is a lot of debate on the issue. What I don't understand is why. Mac is, as Rockatteer states, a healthy eater, and a practical one at that: when he has to survive he kills and eats bush meat. And yep, I agree with Rock, wild animals are the most healthy. If it were possible, I would only eat those. It's the best organic food you can imagine. The animals have lived freely, and are not manipulated in any way to make them bigger/fatter etc.
By the way, in various parts of the world I have eaten snake, rat, alligator, lizard (well, iguana, which I hated because I adore those animals, but it would have been rude not to eat it, it was specially caught and prepared for me) and they all tasted like chicken.
By the way, in various parts of the world I have eaten snake, rat, alligator, lizard (well, iguana, which I hated because I adore those animals, but it would have been rude not to eat it, it was specially caught and prepared for me) and they all tasted like chicken.
Everything tastes like chicken!
QUOTE
Watching MacGyver episodes, I never thought of him as a vegetarian.
It wasn't until I stumbled upon this thread I found out there is a lot of debate on the issue. What I don't understand is why
I think the whole debate stems from Mama Lorraine's comment in walking dead combined with the fact that we do see or hear about him eating a lot of vegetarian type food, and a quick look through the shows food list does show a tendency towards that kind of food, but it also shows that he does eat meat sometimes, which makes it hard to call him a vegetarian.
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"Everything tastes like Chicken..."
When I had alligator I thought it tasted more like pork in one bite but chicken in another bite...wonder if it depends on the part of the animal you are eating, kinda like dark meat vs white meat?
Oh well...may have to make a return trip to test the hypothosis.
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yeah, i hear what you guys are saying. i just always got the impression that he was actually a vegetarian. i guess when you watch a show as a young kid those first impressions stick with you.
it does seem as though they tried to make him one, but like all things in the show, sometimes they weren't very consistent, i doubt there is some in depth writing behind his eating habits.
so healthy eater with vegetarian tendancies?
oh and he was born in minnesota, so he must have done lots of fishing in all those lakes - catching fish with gum wrappers?
Just added a poll to this topic so we can get a gauge of what the majority opinion is on this.
Don't forget to post and tell us your thoughts also. This is an interesting aspect of the character and everyone seems ot have their own ideas about it, so tell us yours.
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I voted he's a healthy eater. lol Just because his eating habits are so inconsistent.
I always just figured RDA was a healthy eater, so he incorporated that into Mac's character. Seeing as Mac was a "role model", that would be something of some importance to the show.
Mac seems to be a fairly decent cook as well. I wouldn't mind trying his tofu casserole or his whole wheat banana pancakes.
The only time I ever made a face at his eating habits was in Negotiator when he was making that protein shake with the raw egg whites. I found it kinda funny that he drinks straight from the blender as well. XD
Silly Mac...
Man was RDA in great shape though. Holy cow, he hardly had any fat on his body what so ever. lol
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I voted healthy eater too. Might be an interesting question to ask him if he likes meat or fish better? At some points I'd say he likes fish over meat but I can imagine that after a full day of hiking in the forrest he prefers meat. Nothing beats good steak with french fries.
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QUOTE (MacGyverGod @ 9 December 2012 - 11:16 PM)
I voted healthy eater too. Might be an interesting question to ask him if he likes meat or fish better? At some points I'd say he likes fish over meat but I can imagine that after a full day of hiking in the forrest he prefers meat. Nothing beats good steak with french fries.
Fish is meat.
Do you mean red meat vs. white meat?
I don't think MacGyver would actually want either sorts of meat if he could help it. After a day of hiking he'd be into healthy vegetarian protein food. Something light and nourishing.