Why do vegetarian products glorify meat? - Vegetarianism and veganism - Salon.

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TOPIC: Vegetarianism and veganism

FRIDAY, AUG 19 , 2011 07 :01 ET

Why do vegetarian products glorify meat?

When my son asks about why we don't eat meat, I' ll blame Tofurky and veggie bacon
BY DAVID SIROTA DAVID SIROTA

As a new father who (ages ago) did a short stint as a press secretary, I'm already thinking ahead to the questions my son will throw at me . Yes, I know 8-month -old Isaac can't even say "Dad" yet, but these questions are coming, and I'm sure they're going to be way tougher than the ones reporters usually lob at Washington politicians. (OK, in the current age of media obsequiousness, that's not saying much. ) So I'm planning for answers -- and, as any press secretary knows , that requires thinking about what evokes the queries in the first place. The toy pistol question , for instance -- Isaac will see a friend with a cap gun and ask why he can't have one. (Answer: Devices that kill people shouldn't be the basis for playthings.) The tackle-football question -- he'll ask me why I don't want him to play. (Answer: because football can cause long-term brain damage.) The existential
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questions about God and life and death -- ugh , I don't want to even begin thinking about those.

But before any of these inquiries are but a twinkle in Isaac's eye, I know I'm going to face an interrogation about vegetarianism. At some point soon, he'll ask why our family doesn't eat this stuff called "meat" that 's everywhere. I have my substantive answers already lined up, so I'm not worried about what I'll tell him. (We don't eat meat because it's unhealthy, environmentally irresponsible, expensive and inhumane . ) With this question, I'm more concerned about the prompting. Why is he almost certainly going to ask at such an early age ? I think I know the answer -- and it's not the ad campaigns that make meat seem like a rational choice ("Beef: It's What's for Dinner"), a healthy alternative food ("Pork: The Other White Meat") or a compassionate cuisine decision (Chik -fil-A's billboards, which show a cow begging you to spare his life by choosing chicken ). No, Isaac's going to have questions because of the grocery -- more specifically , because of the vegetarian aisle that subliminally glorifies meat-eating. I realize that sounds like an oxymoron , but the next time you go shopping , imagine what a kid gleans from veggie burgers, veggie bacon , veggie sausage patties , veggie hot dogs , Tofurky and all the other similar fare that defines a modern plant-based diet . While none of it contains meat, it's all marketed as emulating meat. In advertising terms, that's the "unique selling proposition" -- to give you the epicurean benefits of meat without any of meat's downsides. Obviously, this isn't some conspiracy whereby powerful meat companies are deliberately trying to bring vegetarians into the megachurch of flesh eaters. If anything, it's the opposite : It's the vegetarian industry selling itself to meat eaters by suggesting that its products aren't actually all that different from meat. The problem is how that message, like so many others in American culture, reinforces the wrongheaded notion that our diet should be fundamentally based on meat. For those who have chosen to be vegetarians, this message is merely annoying. But for those like Isaac who are being raised as vegetarians, the message is downright subversive. It teaches them that as tasty as vegetarian food may be, it can never compete with the "real thing." That message will undoubtedly inform Isaac's early curiosity -- and maybe his questions won't be such a bad thing. Maybe they'll motivate me to spend more time in the supermarket's raw produce section, and maybe my ensuing discussion with Isaac will help him better understand why our family has made this culinary choice. However, that doesn't mean the subtle propaganda won't ultimately win out , thus adding another carnivore to a destructively meat-centric society.

WEDNESDAY, JUL 13 , 2011 11 :42 ET

A "Bones" star's controversial vegan pregnancy

Why are Emily Deschanel and other moms-to-be taking heat for their meatless lifestyles?
BY MARY ELIZABETH WILLIAMS

The popular image of a pregnant woman features a big belly, a wide waddle and a ubiquitous pint of ice cream in her grip . But not all moms-to -be run on Ben & Jerry's. In the August issue of the Ladies ' Home Journal, "Bones" star Emily Deschanel talks about staying on the vegan path even as she prepares for motherhood, explaining, "Saying no to meat makes me feel stronger inside; I feel aligned with my morals and ethics. I still have to defend myself because people don't understand it. As a pregnant woman especially, people will say to me, 'You must eat meat and dairy. ' You really have to tap into your self-esteem whenever people try to convince you you're making the wrong choice." A woman 's body -- and what she puts into it -- are generally regarded as fair game for public speculation. Throw in a fetus and it's open season . But as some outspoken Hollywood vegans have negotiated their
AP/Chris Pizzello

pregnancies, it's been clear that when you're eating for two, your choices become more complicated.

Emily Deschanel

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On her Kind Life vegan blog, actress Alicia Silverstone went public with her pregnancy earlier this year by running a three-part interview with experts Christina Pirello and Susan Levin on how to have a healthy vegan pregnancy and , subsequently, a healthy vegan baby, including what supplements to take and how to assure everybody's getting adequate protein, calcium and vitamin B12 . She's continued to post since the birth of her son in May about other women's "kind" pregnancies and child rearing. Natalie Portman, meanwhile, the woman who once equated meat eating with condoning rape, found during her recent pregnancy that "I was listening to my body to have eggs and dairy and that sort of stuff. I know there are people who do stay vegan , but I think you have to just be careful, watch your iron levels and your B12 levels and supplement those if there are things you might be low in your diet ." It was , unsurprisingly , a move that was met with cries of hypocrisy and of moving "from one pretentious lifestyle to a slightly less pretentious one." Which brings us to Deschanel, whose dietitian told People this week about the "nutrient-dense food" the actress noshes on and whose story sparked instant debate in the comments between those who insist that "a vegan diet is not natural" and that "veganism is the new eating disorder," and those who insist that "meat eaters are just angry people." Seems like there's plenty of anger to go around on all sides. It's clear that all three actresses, despite their ultimate differences, gave serious thought to both their ethical and nutritional needs during pregnancy. Growing a person and staying true to your values don't have to conflict , and every pregnancy, just like every baby, is different. And there's got to be room for flexibility, not just during pregnancy but five or 10 years down the road when a child starts piping up with his or her own dietary preferences. Though not everyone's needs or values are the same , as long as people keep conceiving, there will be plenty of onlookers around to debate a woman 's right to choose -- or eschew -- cheese.

FRIDAY, MAY 27 , 2011 16 :01 ET

Is it OK for a vegetarian to wear leather?

As a child, I was uncompromising about not eating meat. But there was one little hypocrisy I tried to ignore
BY EMILY HOLLEMAN

iStockphoto

This is the first entry in a new series of personal essays about coming to terms with our own moral inconsistencies . When I was 8, I became a vegetarian. A zealous vegetarian. The kind of vegetarian who at 10 forced herself to vomit an accidental bite of hot dog and spent hours lecturing her friends' parents on why they should stop eating meat. As time wore on, my righteous crusade was met with practical challenges. When I'd moo at a friend taking a bite of a hamburger or rail against the cruelty of factory farms or drone on about how terrible cattle-rearing was for the environment, variations of the same question would arise: "Um, Emily, what do you think those shoes are made of ?" And then I'd dodge the issue or just flat-out lie ("Um, they're pleather," my 12-year-old self would say. "I don't buy leather"). But in reality my shoes were leather and that wasn't the worst of it. I indulged in an entire hobby where I regularly used and consumed leather goods : horseback riding . I owned beautiful black leather show boots that went up to my knee ; I rode on a soft chestnut leather saddle; my hands held braided leather reins that connected to a leather bridle. And I had my justifications: The boots were used ; the saddle and bridle were more comfortable for the horse (OK, that one was a stretch even back when). But the truth was I not only tolerated the various leather equipment, I liked it. I loved the way it looked, the way it felt, the way it smelled. To this day the distinct aroma of leather tack brings back fond adolescent memories of galloping and grooming horses. I had no problem immediately labeling meat as an animal corpse , but with cowhide I quickly mastered the art of disassociation. By the time I was 16 or so , I at least wore my hypocrisy on my sleeve. A black '70s leather jacket had been passed down to me by a friend's mother. That one was easy to absolve -- we're talking cows that were killed decades ago -- but impossible to hide from my friends. And that was OK, mostly, because I'd reached that delightful stage of adolescence where everything is glib and ironic, and any values you once clung to as a child are automatically dismissed as "kid stuff." So in that context, wearing a leather jacket while refusing to eat meat was some sort of subversive contradiction. Somewhere in the back of my mind, though, it still irked me . But with time, the black-and -white moralizing of my childhood evolved into something more nuanced. Part of growing up is realizing that the clear and galvanizing may not be as clear (or galvanizing) as you were once convinced it was . Marxists go corporate. Hippies cut their hair . Punk rockers put on ties. And sometimes vegetarians wear leather. I came to realize that not eating meat didn 't give me the right to be sanctimonious but it also didn 't mean I had to beat myself up for a few moral inconsistencies. Being a bit of a hypocrite didn 't make me a bad person. It just made me a person, period . I still don't eat meat of any variety, but the fervor is gone. When I found out a delicious goat cheese and mushroom tapa I'd just eaten had been cooked in beef stock, I managed to stomach it with few serious qualms . There are even times when I'd rather not know how exactly my food has been prepared at a restaurant . And I recognize other lapses in an ethical code that once seemed starkly black and white . Not only do I purchase leather products on occasion, I also eat milk and eggs (which if my

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moral compunctions were consistent, I would do only once assured the products had not been ravaged from the bodies of some brutally enslaved cows or chickens on a factory farm). Now when people ask me why I'm a vegetarian, I don't give them a lecture on morality. Truth be told, my vegetarianism no longer feels like an ethical choice so much as a long-standing habit or bizarre personality quirk. So, when pressed , I come up with something along the lines of, "I have the luxury of not having to eat meat so I don't." Of course , I also have the luxury of not having to buy leather, but I still do.

MONDAY, APR 11, 2011 18:20 ET

Natalie Portman quits veganism. Good for her

The starlet caused a fuss when she embraced the strict diet. Now, pregnant, she 's turning her back on it. Why not?
BY DREW GRANT

In 2009, Natalie Portman read Jonathan Safran Foer's book "Eating Animals" and turned vegan. Not just any vegan, though. The kind of vegan where you feel the need to make an announcement on the Huffington Post about it, and because you are Natalie Portman, people will read it and be like "Totally ," when you talk about how you educated your less knowledgeable friends (at Harvard) about how "they had never truly thought about the connection between their environmental conditions and their food." I am all for veganism , vegetarianism, whatever, but I am also a big fan of "live and let live" mentality. I also don't like to be given health advice by someone who lost so much weight on her last film that people were legitimately scared for her well-being . Let's just say, I would not buy that person's brand of vegan shoes, because there are a lot of shoes out there that are technically "vegan " (i. e., not leather) and do not cost $355.
Natalie will now eat eggs.

Now that she's with child , though, Natalie has backslid a little: "I actually went back to being vegetarian when I became pregnant, just because I felt like I wanted that stuff," she said during a Monday phone interview with the Q100 Bert Show in Atlanta. "I was listening to my body to have eggs and dairy and that sort of stuff. I know there are people who do stay vegan," she added, "but I think you have to just be careful, watch your iron levels and your B12 levels and supplement those if there are things you might be low in in your diet ." It is kind of amazing to me that even while trying to defend why she abandoned her vegan post, she then starts to critique the health of other mothers who have chosen to stay vegan . Whoa boy. But! In Natalie's defense! As annoying as she might be about her food lecturing, at least she's being transparent about it, leaving her open to criticism from snarky detractors who are more than happy to call her out on her cuisine pretensions. To which I imagine Natalie replying, "Yes, sometimes you believe one thing when you are younger and only have to worry about yourself and your dogmatic beliefs, but as you grow older and have a family to think about, when you stay up at night worrying about the health of your unborn child , you'd be amazed at how quickly those earlier convictions can start to take a back seat. " At least I hope that 's what she 'd say, and not something about how what she 's doing is actually healthier/better for the Earth/ more principled than anyone else 's personal life choices . So I support your move to vegetarianism for the health of your child , Natalie, even if other people think it's healthier to stay vegan and still others would argue that a diet during pregnancy should contain meat. I will white-knight your decision because it not only doesn't come from a selfish place, it comes from a humbler , wiser one as well.

THURSDAY, FEB 3, 2011 10 :03 ET

PETA's latest Super Bowl disgrace

The organization' s idiotic new campaign shows its love of animals comes at the expense of humans -- again
BY MARY ELIZABETH WILLIAMS VIDEO

If you're ever in need of a relevant example of good intentions gone terribly wrong, just ask yourself, hey, what has PETA done lately? And if you're ever wondering how dehumanizing animal rights can be, look no further than its oh-so-naughty, "too hot for TV !" new campaign. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has long flaunted its flair for outrageous measures in its ostensible quest for a cruelty-free world. President and chief Ingrid Newkirk has cheerfully described her organization as "complete press sluts," saying, "We would be worthless if we were just polite and didn't make any waves. " And polite they are not. In the past, they've handed anti -fur fliers out to children at holiday performances of the Nutcracker. They've done campaigns comparing meat to a "holocaust on your plate." Basically, they're jerks. On the other hand -- puppies ! Who doesn't like puppies ? Who doesn't believe we should be nice to them? Also, celebrities! Movie stars and directors and even the woman who's worn a dress made of meat, Lady Gaga herself, have lent their fame to PETA 's various causes . And

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then there are the hot people. PETA's hugely eye-catching "I'd rather go naked than wear fur campaign" has for years shown off the heavily Photoshopped assets of Eva Mendez, Khloe Kardashian and even a dude or two. And now, capitalizing on the success of its hot 'n' bothered 2009 "Veggie Love" ad featuring that reliable porn standby of girls in panties and an array of vegetables , they're back with a creepy new "casting session" campaign. Purportedly revealing the behind -the-scenes making of "Veggie Love," this time it's bikini girls (and one incredibly dorky guy) going wild on an array of produce, accompanied by PETA 's familiar tag line that "Vegetarians Have Better Sex." That may be true, but apparently they're having it with eggplants. Look, I get it -- babes fellating zucchini , what's not to like? But in much the same way that PETA asks the public to take a responsible look at the truth behind the alluring facade, let's consider what's really going on here. PETA is eagerly trumpeting the campaign as its "banned Super Bowl ad" -- despite the fact that NBC apparently has said the spot could run if PETA toned it down a few notches. That 's unsurprising , given the fact that as it stands now the ad seems to stop just shy of double penetration. It also makes me never want to touch a stalk of celery again, though I give originality points for the tossed-salad money shot. Even more absurd than PETA's drummed-up "banned" BS is the clever trap awaiting horny would-be vegetarians at the "Casting Session" section of its website. You didn't think the people who 've handed out bloody "Unhappy Meals" outside McDonald's are going to let you off the hook easily, do you? If you're not quick , that dirty little video embedded right next to a group shot of high-heeled ladies about to get it on with radishes -- will segue right into a new clip, titled "Free Me." And it's not nearly as pornographic as it sounds, unless bloodied-up livestock is your thing. Did they trick you into thinking that this was actually about being sexy and having fun? Gotcha! Snap out of it and look at what 's going on in this slaughterhouse! Somebody, please give Ingrid Newkirk a copy of "A Clockwork Orange" for a rundown on how effective this kind of ploy is. There are a million great reasons to care about animals, and the impact that their welfare has on the planet and human health. We can't assume that their lives and the ways in which they're treated are somehow disconnected from our own. But concern for animals doesn't give anybody the right to be a douche to humans. It certainly doesn't lend credibility to a cause when lurid, graphic scare tactics are the prize at the end of some slick little "Show me how much you luuuuuuve vegetables " spank fodder. And based on its endless use of naked and nearly naked girls to push its agenda, maybe it's time to ask why an organization so dedicated to veganism is so eager to treat women like pieces of meat.

MONDAY, DEC 27, 2010 10:13 ET

Bill Clinton: Veganism's unlikely best friend

PETA's man of the year accomplishes what Natalie Portman and other celebs can't: He makes a healthy diet realistic
BY MARY ELIZABETH WILLIAMS

When you think of vegans, the popular image tends to run toward the fragile-looking , vaguely smug person with the hemp tote and the mung beans in front of you at the checkout line. Maybe you think of a well-paid young actress who compares meat-eating to rape, or the kind of trying-too-hard electronica musician Eminem would pick a fight with. You probably don't picture a notorious voluptuary, a man who just last year was chowing on double burgers right before a conference on obesity. Yet Bill Clinton , the former leader of the free world and one of the best friends a Big Mac ever had, has done what a legion of Morrisseys and Pamela Andersons could not what even Michelle Obama struggles with -- he's made moving toward a healthy , plant-based diet seem realistic, accessible and , frankly, pretty damn good-looking . If that 64-year-old good old boy can become PETA 's Man of the Year, surely even you and I
AP/Jim Young /Salon

can pass up a brisket and a milkshake now and then. Clinton's conversion -- from bacon enthusiast to a man who bragged to Wolf Blitzer back in September that he weighs what he did in high school -- was motivated by serious health concerns, as it is for many . He 's already

Bill Clinton

endured quadruple bypass surgery. And after getting two stents in his heart last winter , Bubba took a hard look at his lifestyle and realized "I didn't want it to happen again." And then, like the Rhodes scholar he is, he did his homework. He found a compelling , overwhelming body of evidence that eschewing meat and dairy can dramatically help the body "heal itself. " Clinton isn't a strict vegan he admits he still eats fish occasionally. He's certainly no monkey-liberating activist, and God willing , he won't be appearing nude in any future PETA ads . And America still has a long way to go toward accepting the socialist tyranny of what Glenn Beck refers to as Michelle Obama's ruthless campaign to "put carrots in front of us." But Bill Clinton is compelling because he has never been someone who exudes a sense of deprivation. Even now, looking slim and statesmanlike, he can talk about forgoing dairy products without making it look like he's gritting his teeth through some joylessly strict regime. His vegan daughter Chelsea's wedding this summer was, by all accounts, a lush, gourmet affair. And while pundits like Wolf Blitzer may still see eating fruits, grains and vegetables as a move away from "fun foods," there's something about the transformation of a man who was right there first in line for those "fun foods" that makes a persuasive case for recalibrating our notion of "fun." Arterial blockage not so fun! Obesity, diabetes and cancer less fun than a pineapple, I swear. 'm not a vegan and the presence of both "Baked" cookbooks under the tree this years assures my continued, passionate relationship with butter. I'm not even a vegetarian, as the roast chicken on my Christmas table would attest. But like a lot of people, I've watched "Food, Inc ." and read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and have, in recent years, taken a different approach to the food my family and I consume what it is and where it comes from. For now , Mark Bittman's eternally simple, unfussy approach making the "conscientious carnivore" choice to try to go "vegan before dinnertime " fits my own lifestyle and needs. But much more significantly, it's

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opened me to experiment with new foods and new ideas about eating. I wouldn 't sign up for some Lenten slog of suffering any more than, I imagine, Bill Clinton or my picky, pizza-devouring daughters would. And anyone who thinks our choices are between deliciousness and some tasteless soy loaves just isn't trying hard enough. Change doesnt happen overnight, either for individuals or nations . But it is happening , in unexpected corners. Even my own local grocery story in a low-income , predominantly Latino neighborhood -- a place that sells pork rinds at the checkout -- has in the past year added organic produce and a wide aisle of exotic grains. Trust me, the day you can find red quinoa at the C-Town , there's a seismic change going on out there. Bill Clinton has the luxury of support and counseling and can get the world's best tempeh any time he wants. But he probably had to work on his mindset and habits as much as the next guy at the drive-through, and less than a year later, he sure doesn't seem either miserable or self-righteous . He 's a guy who always liked food, who still likes food. And that's the point -- it's not about what you give up, it's about what you get. And when the food industry hands us a corn-syrup -soaked and factory-farmed health crisis, we can get healed. We can get happy. And we can definitely get full . Sounds like fun.

THURSDAY, NOV 25 , 2010 11:24 ET

Airports ban body scan PETA ads

Travel centers pass on posters featuring an attractive woman beneath a "Be Proud of Your Body Scan: Go Vegan" line
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Major airports in New York , North Carolina and Las Vegas are rejecting a proposed ad campaign from PETA that makes light of the new full-body scanners being used at airport security checkpoints . The ads from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals features a scan of a curvaceous woman in lacy underwear with the message: "Be Proud of Your Body Scan: Go Vegan. " Major airports in Las Vegas , Charlotte, N.C., and New York City refused to display the ads designed to entice holiday travelers waiting in security lines . Officials with McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas say its policy prohibits political ads. PETA Vice President Dan Matthews says the ads were meant to be humorous . He says PETA hasn't taken a political position on airport security measures .

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