As a non-vegan* that has in the past greatly enjoyed calimari (and octopus), I've long felt that it presents me with an ethical dilemma because of how intelligent octopus, and to a lesser degree, squid, are. However, birds have incredibly dense brain matter compared to most other land animals, so if I start worrying too much about ethics in eating meat, I know I'd have to cut out far more than just the intelligent molluscs, and the whole thing is awkward.
Most people don't like that awkwardness, so it's not surprising that you get pushback.
You sound a lot like me before I went vegetarian a few years back. I was always aware of the cognitive dissonance, knowing that I couldn't reconcile eating meat with my other values.
>I know I'd have to cut out far more than just the intelligent molluscs, and the whole thing is awkward.
I ended up just cutting out farmed meat in the end. As far as meat goes, I can eat what I kill. Apart from if someone has already got me food and didn't know, as to turn that down seems both a waste and kind of rude.
> I ended up just cutting out farmed meat in the end. As far as meat goes, I can eat what I kill. Apart from if someone has already got me food and didn't know, as to turn that down seems both a waste and kind of rude.
Pretty common rule for mendicant Buddhists, as I understand it. No meat is the general rule, but if you go a-begging and someone gives you meat, and you don't have reason to believe they killed something (or had someone else kill something) specifically for you, then you're good to eat it (or even obligated to).
Most people don't like that awkwardness, so it's not surprising that you get pushback.