Washington Post Letter to the Editor

A couple of weeks ago, I read an article in the Washington Post that I immediately felt compelled to respond to with a Letter to the Editor. Much to my delight, they published it on Sunday, March 12th. The original "article," which wasn't exactly a paragon of cutting-edge journalism, was written by a non-vegetarian who wanted to see "if a vegan could dine with carnivores, and all be satiated." At first I thought a vegan was going to sit down with some lions and tigers, knowing the poor human would be fair game for the big cats' dinner, but then I realized the author was using that common misnomer to refer to human animals who eat other animals. It was that faulty premise - "can non-vegetarians be satisfied eating a vegan meal and can this non-vegetarian prepare one satisfying enough for all?" - that got me riled up enough to write the letter.

I wrote that the "experiment" was doomed from the start, for several reasons. First off, the psychological bias of a non-vegetarian toward "vegan" cuisine is powerful enough to inhibit impartial judgment, especially considering the fact that the meat-eating "judges" clearly hold fast to their meat-eating habits. One clever chap declared himself a "trickle-down vegetarian. The cow eats the grass, and I eat the cow." Another referred to human teeth to prove that we're supposed to eat meat. (Snore.) I have seen people embrace "vegan" food they didn't know was "vegan" and reject the very same food (the very same dish!) because, upon learning it was "vegan," declared it inferior and unappetizing. About the chocolate cake, one judge said it was good but he just couldn't help missing the eggs. That's just absurd; if he ate that cake without knowing it was "vegan," I am fairly certain he wouldn't make such a statement.

The other problem I had with the article I tackle in my letter, the gist being that our food habits are just that - habits. If you're accustomed to a particular kind of music and someone introduces you to a totally new form, you will definitely have a transition period while you learn the different aspects of that new sound. It's the same with film, with visual art, with anything that challenges our comfort zones.

It's good flavor and texture we all seek; it's not eggs in cake! Chickens didn't get together and figure out that the products of their reproductive cycle would be a great binder for baked goods. We still use eggs in cake because it became the norm, especially after WWII when using animal products became a symbol of affluence.

Amazing the impact a seemingly innocent article can have, eh? My suggestion to the Washington Post was that they accept articles by people who celebrate plant-based cuisine, who know how easy it is to "satisfy vegans and" non-vegetarians. (So, get writing!) The article they printed just perpetuated - once again - the myth that vegan food is unsatisfying. One judge even ate hot dogs after the vegan meal. If that doesn't create a bias against "vegan" cuisine in the minds of the non-vegetarian readers, I don't know what does.