When i really started thinking about it, i realized it probably wouldn't be. I mean, Equestria has griffons, diamond dogs, minotaurs, and other races that have meat in their diets, and Fluttershy even takes care of meat eating animals. I'm pretty sure that Mr. Bear is not a vegetarian! So would humans being omnivorous really be that big of a shock to ponies? what do you think?

No. Why does everyone still ask this question?

4015416 No, and I every time I see a story use 'AMAGAWD MEAT UR EVULZ'.

It's just a trope that needs to die.

I agree with everyone on this matter. Sure, it might make ponies slightly nauseous to hear something like that, or even raise a few eyebrows if a human-turned-pony mentioned having a diet of meat before transformation, but it wouldn't cause widespread panic.

ohmg wuts wrong wit u evrybody knos ponies hate met eters thy kill dem and r scard of dem

Not really. It's kinda 'meh' to them, but to people who don't really think about it it seems like ponies would be scared or angry at a meat-eating human.

4015416 No. The pony accused of freaking out most fed fish and worms to her friends. Meat she presumably caught herself. Which means ponies can not only tolerate meat eaters, some have some hunting/fishing skills.

4015416
They would probably frown at cannibalism and the consumption of equines (including irl Ponies),
but except for that, I can not fathom what else they would care about in this matter.

4015416

It depends on how silly the author is.

If yes, then fuckedydodar!

If no, then...meh.

4015416 No, it wouldn't be awkward.

When in the blue hell can we put this to rest?

4015416

Probably not. It's hard to say due to lack of reference. I mean, the griffons should be hyper-carnivores - eagles and lions practically can't eat nothing but meat. But then again... *shrug* It's a cartoon, who knows how it's supposed to work?

4015446

some have some hunting/fishing skills.

I believe Rarity's dad is shown fishing in one brief scene. Even if they don't actually fish for food, well, that's a really weird pastime for a herbivore species.

It depends on the given culture.

I played around with the trope in my fic. For starters it was considered unusual, but then again the HiE in question was traveling with a griffon on the west coast of Equestria, far from regular with other races that border settlements of Equestria would have and far from the more cosmopolitaine cities of the heartland. They would not have reacted well to it. However other ponies within the same country would be alright with it so long as you didnt do it in front of them, but eating meat was still taboo in Equestrian culture. Other pony cultures, particularly that of a desert dwelling kingdom and one that is mostly frozen thundra, ponies eating meat is both neccessary and normal (also ponies are able to digest it nothing wrong there) and consider their Equestrian cousins squeamish. I also went the opposite way with griffons in stating that they only really adopted crop based agriculture within the past thousand years or so and their biologies are only slowly adapting to an omnivorous diet and eating meat is normal in their society but consumption of vegetables is still at least relatively new to them.

People have queer food and eating customs in real life from culture to culture, why not the denizens of horseworld?

Well, let's look at the facts. The animals in the FiM universe are almost all apparently sapient. Many of them are clearly intelligent, even if they cannot speak - Angel Bunny, for example, seems to be about as smart as any of the other characters, except that he can't speak. So are most of the rest of the pets. The birds can be trained as a choir. Meanwhile, what does Fluttershy keep? Well, there's a handful of creatures which appear carnivorous, but we never see her feeding them meat. Fish, worms, but not meat. Bears are not carnivorous, but omnivorous, and meat is not a necessary component of the diet if fish is present. Diamond Dogs? Griffons? Do we have a clue what they eat? And never mind that Diamond Dogs are not exactly portrayed in a positive light, but rather as monstrous and villainous... They're like the FiM equivalent of Goblins or Kobolds.

Imagine if there was an alien species that was clearly intelligent, almost to the same degree as us, except they couldn't talk. Most of us would feel pretty squicked-out about killing and eating them. Now imagine if a different alien showed up, acted like us, talked like us, and ate that other species. It would be pretty weird, right? Even weirder if the new species made it clear that they were cool with eating us, too. I just disagree.

It depends on where the meat comes from. If a human ate something sapient then there would be a problem, if not then probably not.

4015416

No. In fact it's likely ponies themselves are by nature omnivorous, you can't sustain a sentient, sapient, mind on a herbivores diet. I liked an explanation I heard in a story called 'Into the Black', Equestria is such a small place, it doesn't have enough animal life for meat to be an every day thing, so they have to magically alter flowers to contain the same nutrients, only eating meat on special occasions like Hearts and Hooves day or Hearth's Warming Eve.

4015505 I agree with this one.

4015416

'nuff said.

I don't think, on the whole, that they would really care. Individual ponies might be grossed out or offended, as some vegan and vegetarian humans are. But I don't think on the whole, that they would be that surprised or shocked. I am operating under the assumption that the pigs on the Apple farm are raised for slaughter, like pigs here. Since they are kept in pins and there is literally only one reason to raise/farm pigs. Feral hogs and wild boars are farmed for sport hunting, which amounts to the same end just in a different means. *shrug*

It seems that looking at the facts, it's incredibly likely... No. And even if most were grossed out, the one who, in these stories, is usually most frightened, Fluttershy, would probably be the one most accepting, realistically.

And even considering that bears are omnivores (even though that does mean they eat meat, just that they also eat plants), look at all the other types of animals 'Shy cares for. I'm pretty sure I saw a lion, and she definitely cares for eagles. It seems like at the very least, she would be familiar with, and accepting of, the concept of omnivores and carnivores.

4015416
I see ponies as more vegetarian rather than herbivore. They can eat meat, probably fish since it has shown evidence that Rarity dad fish, Fluttershy fish, and Apple Family too.... therefore FIM ponies are omnivore. I don't know about chicken or other things but seeing that some of the bovine creature actually have some sort of sapience, I doubt they ever heard of beef, bacon, drumstick etc.

Well, the Apples raise pigs..

Chances are that equines are vegetarian but have some capacity for the consumption of meat like RL herbivores. The presence of certain more predatory species means they'd have no real problem with meat-eaters per se but there might be some issues depending on the predator's choice of meat. i.e. most ponies are not all that comfortable when someone opts for mammalian meat.

Furthermore I reckon that the bovine races are the most likely to perform something akin to sky burials, so for them sapient meat-eaters are looked upon as though they're top-class undertakers.

4015494

Fish, worms, but not meat.

... do you even biology?

4015619 There's a clear distinction in most people's minds between your typical "meat" (mammals, poultry) and fish. This has largely to do with the animal's closeness to us on the evolutionary tree (and how we perceive them), as well as their intelligence - fish aren't seen as smart enough to understand "pain". Worms? Doubly so. In the MLP universe, we never see anything resembling an intelligent fish. We have no idea if they have anything resembling sentience.

4015562 she looks bittersweet there. Like she regrets having to sacrifice the fish, but understands the necessity of it.

Now, for griffins, when have we seen them eat meat in cannon? Look at Guild's beak; it seems more suited to a diet of seeds than meat. Others shown, though, have a variety of formations, from fishing beaks to flesh tearing. There's also the visually feline parts of their anatomies.

Plus, as has been said, equestrian ponies fish and keep clearly carnivorous pets. I like the premise put forth in YH&Y where certain species can sign up for donation to the carnivorous portion of the population upon their death. Huh. Story ideas anyone?

4015635

There's a clear distinction in most people's minds between your typical "meat" (mammals, poultry) and fish.

Quite simply, meat is flesh. In the case of animal meat, it's any kind of flesh that isn't plant matter. Fish are made of animal meat. So are worms, arachnids, insects, amphibians, and anything else besides just mammal and avian flesh.

fish aren't seen as smart enough to understand "pain".

Both fish and worms are capable of the sensation we know as pain. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly sure that all animals are capable of perceiving pain.

In the MLP universe, we never see anything resembling an intelligent fish.

In FiM, we only see fish a handful of times. By that same logic, pigs are non-sapient, as well as any other animal shown on-screen without interaction with ponies. I would agree with that sentiment, but I don't think you would.

4015635 I agree with most of that. I, myself, am fully omnivorous and fully support controlled predation. I have little problem killing animals for food or killing pest animals (killed 3 rats with a rake as they ran out of a brush fire last Saturday), but could never bring myself to kill a fellow sapient, or near sapient, in cold blood (except maybe monkeys, those things are FREAKY [I kid, I kid... maybe]).

4015419 Bluntly put, but I agree with you here.

It's one question that's been asked TOO many times. Heck, you could make an entire Fimfiction group out of the endless threads that get opened on the matter here,

Ignoring the fact that everything down to the insects are sapient, I don't think ponies who have to deal with carnivores regularly would see it as anything other then a fact of life they'ed rather not talk about. Some of the more sheltered ponies on the other hand would probably be more prone to the 'good old' 'The horror, the horror' reaction that's all but become.

One thing that should be pointed out is that most of the minor antagonists in the show have been sapient carnivores who would try and eat a pony without a second thought...So yea, the clichéd reactions of short lived nervousness and possible fleeting distrust probably wouldn't be too far from the truth depending on the situation that lead up to the meeting. It all depends on how much they would trust whoever is giving the 'I have never or will ever have interest in eating a pony' disclaimer at the point the topic comes up.

and BTW the dietary habits of the griffins have never actually been addressed in the show- they could be veterinarians who mainly eat nuts for all we know... and then there's the whole 'diamond dogs eat gems' thing that seems to be common fanon at this point.

Ironically, I think ponies as a whole would probably be more inclined have a problem with omnivores then anyone else because at face value an Omnivore sounds like something that 'doesn't have to eat meat' but chooses too anyway... which, again at face value, could rub some of them up the wrong way.

4015679 I agree, it really depends. For a small community that probably doesn't get many carnivorous sapients Ponyville might have a few freakouts. For a place like Canterlot and Manehattan, though, where they probably get a large income of carnivorous sapients they probably don't have as much of a problem with it.

4015416 it depends on the pony you tell. Twilight would be not surprised, and go meh. Fluttershy, well, she takes care of animals so, meh. Pinkie probably already knows from a Pinkie Hunch. Rainbow would punch you. Rarity would faint. Applejack would either... um... idk. The Crusaders would think that is cool/gross/weird. Celestia would not be surprised. Luna also, not surprised.

4015639 No... she doesn't look like that at all. She's smiling.

4015416 Heck, the ponies themselves are omnivores, there are at least 3 separate occasions in which they mention or showcase the ponies eating meat.

4015647 Yes, meat is meat, but the distinction you're ignoring there is the important one when it comes to whether or not it's ethically permissible to chow down. To take it to another extreme: synthetic, cultured meat. It's still meat, but a vegetarian who wouldn't try it on ethical grounds probably needs to remove the stick from their ass before they can fit anything into their mouths.

And as for worms feeling pain, I'm not convinced that worms are capable of experiencing pain. Nociception, sure, but pain requires an additional, emotional component. One that worms are, to my knowledge, incapable of. Fish is a bit of a tricky issue, but it's perhaps worth noting that pain in birds and mammals is well-understood. This is a bit of a tricky neurological discussion, but it's important to distinguish between stimulus-response to negative stimulus and a pain response - they're very different beasts, ethically.

And you're right, we don't directly observe intelligence in many animals. However, there is a certain inference to be drawn here - dairy cows? Definitely intelligent. Bunnies? Sapient and sentient. Virtually any pet Fluttershy has? It can be reasoned that they're intelligent, due to their close proximity and equal handling to pets which we know are intelligent.

Now, all that said...

4015419

This is still true. Seriously, if the food isn't a focus in your story (and I don't like those stories for the most part), you shouldn't make a big deal of it. There's a trick to explicitly not making a big deal of certain aspects of the story, and letting the reader fill in the blanks with whatever they're comfortable with. And some things just fall into the background and stay there.

Like all things, this is situational. If Fluttershy came home to a dead chicken and someone trying to eat it, she would be upset, especially since she sees each and every one as a pet. Traumatic events tend to color opinions, more so when said event is first contact.
Distrust could be formed by having a person lie about their diet, more as a "you thought we would judge you on diet," thing because lies break up trust. There would be a certain disgust experienced when your vegetarian friend is eating a steak, because you would be wondering why they were lying.

4015797
I agree with you on most of your points. The only thing I have a problem with is pain. To me, pain is merely a sensation; it's completely separate from emotion. But now, I'm just arguing about beliefs, and that's been proven repeatedly to have no traction.

4015770 the smile is bittersweet. She is smiling because she is happy to Care for her pets/friends. Her eyes look half way sad because she had to kill the fish, or otherwise give them to her other pets/friends to kill and eat.

Eh, maybe. I'm not going to support the kneejerk answer either for or against them being opposed to meat eating*. I think you could construct a compelling setting either way. Hell you can subvert the thing and put a vegetarian human in Equestrian and have the ponies try and feed them meat because they think it's natural for them (I've always imagined a (trans)human from a transhumanist/postcyberpunk future in which all meat is vat grown and animal meat seems barbaric would be good for this).

*Sure we have some evidence of acceptance of meat eating such as the ferrets but that could come down to different expectations for non-sapient creatures as opposed to sapient ones. On the whole I'd guess they probably don't have a problem due to evidence like this but you can still write it either way.

4015816 They don't look sad to me. They're half-closed and that's it. She looks more zoned than anything.

4015416
4015494

You make a good point. From what i've seen of the show most of the animals do display a measure of sapience.
Perhaps the world is like Narnia where some animals are "intelligent" and some are "dumb"? Then again in the show i havent seen a "dumb" creature.

Lets look at how the ponies react to creatures they know eat meat. By this it means its pritty much stated that they would attack and eat meat, ponies included. Manticores=Terror, Chimera=Terror.

Ok how about more...talkative Creatures? Dragons are feared, through this could be for alot of reasons, not just meat eating. Heck maybe dragons can live of a full "gem" diet. Gryphons seem to be on equal ground with the ponies, but seem to be rare in Equestria. So my guess is that either these species eat meat and the ponies have learned to deal with it, YET tend to keep their distance. Or those races don't even need meat to begin with hence renduring most of the...talkitive species as non-meat eaters.

The last thing to consider is if the ponies themselves eat meat. I've heard of instances where herbavores will partake of meat, but this seems to be the exception not the rule. Plus the ponies have reached a high-level of society and could easily keep up a vegitarian life style, while we humans have only been able to achieve this feat relatively recently and even then it's a huge hassle. But we have ponies like Fluttershy who have to feed carnivorus animals. Okay fair point, however in the Breeze episode we know that Fluttershy learns to understand that sometimes you have to be a little tough to be kind. Plus she's around animals alot, even more than other ponies so she may be more comfterable around carnivores than other ponies.

So all in all my thoughts are that he ponies have probably caome into contact with species that eat meat before But they tend to avoid them. If a human were droped into the mix and admits to eating meat, I dont think they would start a witch hunt but they may...let's say remind certain people of the 1960's (oh boy im gonna catch some fire for that).

4015824 fluttershy "zoned" on weed. I can see that. Fits with the whole hippie theme she has going and would possibly calm her nerves. Probably how she got through the Equestria games.

I guess is more about which pony you ask and their knowledge in the situation.

4015416
If you have to ask this, you're not ready.

4015562
Reality ensues.

I think ponys like the mane 6 who live on the border of a massive forest with Sh*it tons of meat eating predators wouldn't care but maybe the stuck up assholes in canterlot like blueblood would be scared or disgusted as they really have little to no contact with any form of meat eaters.... Other than raritys cat I've never seen any meat eaters in canterlot. And raritys cat was only there for a few days
But yah I'm thinking it depends on who you ask like fluttershy would probably be all like "mmmk"