Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

Baraka_Guru · 04-23-2011, 07:29 PM

I read your excerpts but not the full article. I hope to return to it soon; I just wanted to know your position before the thread became too convoluted.

As a summarization, I always felt Bourdain to be a bit of a sod. His position on vegetarianism is as you say sentimental if not emotional---so it would seem. I read an article (or maybe it was a part of one of his books) where he thinks vegetarianism is ridiculous.

And, sure enough, here is a quote I've pulled from one of his books:

Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn. To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living. Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, and an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food. The body, these waterheads imagine, is a temple that should not be polluted by animal protein. It's healthier, they insist, though every vegetarian waiter I've worked with is brought down by any rumor of a cold. Oh, I'll accommodate them, I'll rummage around for something to feed them, for a 'vegetarian plate', if called on to do so. Fourteen dollars for a few slices of grilled eggplant and zucchini suits my food cost fine.

From Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential, p. 70.

I suppose my own view of foodies is that they are supposed to be broadly respectful of food of all cultures and cuisines. Sure, I don't expect them to respect fast food or prepackaged food or anything, but to come down like that on veganism and vegetarianism is nothing short of ignorant and disrespectful. I suppose he thinks practicing Buddhists and Hindus who are vegetarian if not vegan are just a bunch of zealots who are missing out on "real food" because of their superstitions regarding compassion towards living beings.

I'm indifferent about Pollan, but I didn't read Omnivore's Dilemma. I read In Defense of Food and thought that was decent enough. He suggests that we should be eating mostly plants and fresh food as grown, which I agree with generally. I don't recall him being against vegetarianism; he merely suggested it was okay to eat meat in principle, just not too much of it. I've been meaning to check out OD though. I'm beginning to question my eating habits again. I'm getting more concerned about my ignorance regarding what I put in my mouth.

04-23-2011, 07:29 PM	#6 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	I read your excerpts but not the full article. I hope to return to it soon; I just wanted to know your position before the thread became too convoluted. As a summarization, I always felt Bourdain to be a bit of a sod. His position on vegetarianism is as you say sentimental if not emotional---so it would seem. I read an article (or maybe it was a part of one of his books) where he thinks vegetarianism is ridiculous. And, sure enough, here is a quote I've pulled from one of his books: Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn. To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living. Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, and an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food. The body, these waterheads imagine, is a temple that should not be polluted by animal protein. It's healthier, they insist, though every vegetarian waiter I've worked with is brought down by any rumor of a cold. Oh, I'll accommodate them, I'll rummage around for something to feed them, for a 'vegetarian plate', if called on to do so. Fourteen dollars for a few slices of grilled eggplant and zucchini suits my food cost fine. From Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential, p. 70. I suppose my own view of foodies is that they are supposed to be broadly respectful of food of all cultures and cuisines. Sure, I don't expect them to respect fast food or prepackaged food or anything, but to come down like that on veganism and vegetarianism is nothing short of ignorant and disrespectful. I suppose he thinks practicing Buddhists and Hindus who are vegetarian if not vegan are just a bunch of zealots who are missing out on "real food" because of their superstitions regarding compassion towards living beings. I'm indifferent about Pollan, but I didn't read Omnivore's Dilemma. I read In Defense of Food and thought that was decent enough. He suggests that we should be eating mostly plants and fresh food as grown, which I agree with generally. I don't recall him being against vegetarianism; he merely suggested it was okay to eat meat in principle, just not too much of it. I've been meaning to check out OD though. I'm beginning to question my eating habits again. I'm getting more concerned about my ignorance regarding what I put in my mouth. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 04-23-2011 at 07:34 PM..