Oh god.
Food.
The endless debate.
Where to even start.
My own shady history? My desire to be vegetarian since before I can remember?
Perhaps a recount of the time I came to the conclusion that I was going to need to eat three meals a day for the rest of my life? (Yes, yes, epiphanies are ridiculous).
Perhaps it is safer to start less personal. On more solid ground. With the carbon argument. The water argument. The many sides of the local argument. The organic argument. The in-season argument. The preservatives and additives argument[1]. The community argument.
The nutritionist’s argument(s) (they generally don’t agree). The nautropath’s argument(s) (they don’t agree either).
The “eat-the-colours-of-the-rainbow” argument[2].
But no. Those starting places are too specific. Better to start broader with a portrait of food; my portrait of food.
Perhaps tied in with the cultural landscape? (Let him eat lamb!) Or the ethical landscape?
Or are we getting too non-specific now? Perhaps just the Greek view then? Or the animal rights view?
What about my own list of definitions, with experiences? But would this include the freegan? (What about how I didn’t know I was going freegan?)
AAAAARGH. AAAAARGH.
So we end, of course, where we should have began.
With advice received from two highly trusted sources (or sauces, whichever you prefer):
“Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants” (Michael Pollan)
“Eat Food You Like” (My beautiful, amazing, light-filled cousin)
[1] With witty comments like “mould doesn’t grow on 90% of food in the supermarket because mould isn’t stupid!” Thanks Michael Pollan!
[2] Which begs the question, what happens at the other end?
Everytime you watch National Geographic, there is always a smart guy who tells that our human brain grew so much bigger when we started eating meat (preferably with a cup of blood) … and from this surplus of protein income, our ape grandfathers started to become small computer and they actually invented the computer later !
But (there is always a but !) … I am sure they were eating ‘Green’ meat…
I cannot become a veg but I am happy to honor the meat I am eating with some freshly cut tomatoes, some fried onions and a big lettuce !
At this point in time, I am also happy to honour meat in this way
(I am eating Food I Like!!)
That’s the spirit … Please the beast in you, Eat the meat !