| World Vegan News | February 14 2008 |
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Oddly, the front pages of the Wednesday February 13, New York Times Dining Section and San Francisco Chronicle Food Section have identically themed articles.
The New York Times article, by Kate Murphy, is headed, "I Love You, But You Love Meat."
Murphy writes:
"Sharing meals has always been an important courtship ritual and a metaphor for love. But in an age when many people define themselves by what they will eat and what they won't, dietary differences can put a strain on a romantic relationship. The culinary camps have become so balkanized that some factions consider interdietary dating taboo.
"No-holds-barred carnivores, for example, may share the view of Anthony Bourdain, who wrote in his book 'Kitchen Confidential' that 'vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans ... are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit.'
"Returning the compliment, many vegetarians say they cannot date anyone who eats meat. Vegans, who avoid eating not just animals but animal-derived products, take it further, shivering at the thought of kissing someone who has even sipped honey-sweetened tea."
(Sure.)
We learn about veggie and meat eating exclusive types:
"Ben Abdalla, 42, a real estate agent in Boca Raton, Fla., said he preferred to date fellow vegetarians because meat eaters smell bad and have low energy.
"While some eaters may elevate morality above hedonism, others are suspicious of anyone who does not give in to the pleasure principle."
You'll find the whole article on line at New York Times.
The San Francisco Chronicle article, by Stacy Finz, is headed, "Odd couples; Culinarily mismatched mates achieve harmony in the kitchen." It has the same theme, though focuses particularly on the Niman Ranch couple:
"Just ask Bill Niman, co-founder of Niman Ranch and one of the most famous cattlemen in the country. His first date with attorney Nicolette Hahn was at the Savoy restaurant in New York City. She ordered pasta primavera. Niman ordered meat and then reached across the table and asked, 'Are you a vegetarian?'
"Hahn thought to herself, 'Oh, crap,' and then firmly answered, 'Yes.'
"They were married a year later.
"Hahn not only didn't eat meat, but she had also made a career of taking on industrial hog farmers while working for the environmental law firm of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Niman Ranch was considered the poster child for the right way to do things, by humanely and sustainably raising livestock. Still, Hahn remained a steadfast vegetarian.
"'A lot of people expected me to start eating meat again when I married Bill,' says the 40-year-old Hahn, who now goes by Hahn Niman. Instead, Bill began eating less meat - mostly because his wife does the cooking at their Bolinas home."
You'll find the full article on line at San Francisco Chronicle.
The articles present veg-eaters with great opportunities for veg-friendly letters to the editor.
The New York Times takes letters at letters@nytimes.com.
The San Francisco Chronicle takes letters at letters@sfchronicle.com.
Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published.
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn.
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)
Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com to read advance reviews of Karen Dawn's new book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals" and watch the fun celebrity studded promo video.
