Do you honestly hold yourself to the same ethical standards as lions?

In terms of food? Yes.

So you'd eat the children of other humans?

I think humans are a bit more civilized than lions, and can comprehend what we're doing.

Why do people think that the cruel behaviour of other creatures should give humans any pass in their own cruel behaviour? People don't seem to apply this logic when it comes to rape and murder (both very common in the animal kingdom) but when it comes to torturing other animals, suddenly it's all good for some reason.

Because food doesn't fit in the same good/bad area. You can live without tape and murder, you can't live without food. And no, I don't want to eat fake plant based surrogate.

The belief that rape and murder are bad is not universal in human history. That kind of behaviour was just a normal part of life for many. We may see it is a black and white issue, but that took thousands of years to achieve.

Why tie your hands with this kind of black and white thinking?

That's exactly my point. Food lies in gray area.

What if the surrogate will taste better than the real thing? Will you still insist on eating meat coming from an actual animal?

It won't. I tasted meat for thirty years, me and my stomach could instantly recognize when I ate veggie burger.