I miss my butcher-in-rural-England so much. All that locally sourced meat from small farms, game available hunted in the same local area, fresh eggs from local free-range chickens, cheeses and jams made by the shop owner's wife. I believe that half the health issues attributed to red meat are because of factory cows. (I realize that's probably illogical and untrue, but I honestly don't really care that much one way or the other.) Plus, my butchers were just awesome guys, and threw a little party for me when we left. When my daughters would go up to the high street together (without me or another adult), the rule was always that if something scared them, made them nervous, or they felt uncomfortable, if some other kids were picking on them or whatever, they were to go to the butchers and they'd be taken care of. They never had to, but I always felt good knowing they could, and I know it made them feel safe, too. I miss those guys, sigh. And I too have never known a truly healthy vegan. They're all fat, they look bad, and they almost all have fibromyalgia--in fact, I've never known a non-vegan who had fibro, though I'm sure they exist. (Apparently vegetarianism/veganism is supposed to be recommended for people with fibro, but again, all of the ones I've ever known were already veg when they got fibro, so I don't understand how that's supposed to work.) I was a vegetarian for six years, back in my fiery lefty youth; when I started eating meat again, within about a month I'd lost ten pounds (without trying, and I wasn't fat to begin with but the ten pound loss looked great), my skin looked better, I slept better, and had way more energy and felt better in general. (I've actually never met a thin adult vegetarian, now that I'm thinking of it, but I've only met a few vegetarians in my adult life. I am, again, sure they exist, I just haven't known any.)