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Bad Hunter

‘You know what they call people like you in Eastern Europe?’

Serge Faldin
8 min readJan 11, 2025
If 23andMe is right and those of us who have slightly more Neanderthal genes are more prone to being angry when hungry, then Masha is a purebred Neanderthal.

“What do you mean, you don’t eat meat?” people ask me when they learn about my dietary preferences, giving me a look as if I’d just admitted to a cult association. “Not even chicken? Not even fish?”. As if chicken is a side dish and fish, well, that’s basically tofu that learned how to swim.

I became a vegetarian in May of 2021. I wish there was a particular moment when I hit myself on the chest with a fist and proclaimed, “That’s it! From now on, I am not eating animals! It’s the right thing to do!”

I’d offer statistics, mention global warming, the state in which animals are kept in captivity, cholesterol, and mercury in fish. I’d give you examples of people who lived to 200 by sticking with kale and recall TED talks about the benefits of going meat-free for the brain. I’d recall that one time, in my late teenage years, when I was forced to watch a chicken get slaughtered and tied upside down to a pole, blood dripping from its arteries into the bucket below. I’d sigh, squint, lower my voice, and say, “That was a turning point for me.”

But the truth is more prosaic.

The problem with vegetarians, it seems to me, is that if you live with one, you can’t not succumb to their dietary restrictions. The term itself is full of…

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Serge Faldin
Serge Faldin

Written by Serge Faldin

Honest thoughts. Unpopular opinions. Not necessarily true or smart. | Bylines: The Guardian, Truthout, Meduza, Prospect | Personal essays: sergeys.substack.com

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