Seriously...if you come back to this site next week, I'll be right here...
Now, I don't want to be misunderstood – that was just a (bad) joke - I have no problem whatsoever with vegetarians - what's it to me what someone else wants (or doesn't want) to eat? I personally enjoy meat, but if someone else doesn't that's fine by me... (Hopefully, if there are any vegetarians reading this, they can take a joke!)
Anyway....did you know that in the Garden of Eden, and until just after the Flood it appears, humans did not eat meat? Before the Flood of Noah’s time, in Genesis 1:29 -30 God says: “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food. And it was so.
So it seems both humans and animals started out as herbivores. He does not at any time here tell them they can eat any of the animals.
In fact, it isn't until after the Flood, in Genesis 9:3, that God goes all Brazilian Steakhouse on humans: "Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."
Now I wasn't there, so I don't know why God didn't let them eat animals right away. But I do have a theory on why God allowed Noah and his family to start eating meat after the Flood.
Noah & Fam had just spent like 6 months stuck on a huge ship with a (literal) boatload of animals (it appears that it was actually about 190 days before Noah finally got to crack open a window - you know that had to be one of the sweetest moments of his life)! I think they had earned a steak dinner!
In fact, I would bet that Noah already had in mind which animal he was going to start with. You know there had to be at least one that acted up... probably not unlike the time my wife brought home live crabs to boil. When one of them tried to pinch her as she was putting it in the pot, she grabbed it, unceremoniously dunked it in the boiling water and said, "I'm eating that one!"
I'm thinking Noah probably thought back to that one feisty bull that gave him trouble and said, "I'm starting with this one!"
God also made it very plain at this time that man has dominion over animals. God pretty clearly states that animals are not equal - we are 'over them' - at no time does he place any animal on equal footing with men. We are to care for them, and certainly not purposely abuse them, but also use them for our benefit.
We were created in His image - no animal can say that (of course, they can't talk anyway so they couldn't say that even if they wanted to....)!
I suppose another reason God might have made this point just after Noah and his family left the Ark is to show them that everything has changed now. God does not tell them to just go back to the way they lived before the Flood.
I really wonder what the first animal they ate was - maybe chicken, which would of course lay the groundwork for so many things "tasting like chicken" later... Hey, it had to start somewhere!
On a related note: Since there is reference to the New Earth and New Jerusalem being like a return to the Garden of Eden, does that mean we will all be vegetarians? I don't know, but I'm sure plenty of people have opinions about that, as well. I do know that whatever is on the menu, it will be the best meal any of us have ever eaten!