Mmm, Whole Foods Market. The patron saint of grocery stores. They're environmentally friendly; they have a ridiculous nutrition section; there's not a smidge of hydrogenated fat in their products; they're super vegetarian-friendly; they host cooking demonstrations; they rank as 22nd in Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For; and hell, the Obamas like to shop there. What more motivation do you need to go there RIGHT NOW?
Not convinced? What's wrong? The prices? Well, yeah, I know... the only people who can really afford to go there regularly are wealthy, New-Age white people. But here's a secret. There's another reason people go to Whole Foods. The real reason...
FREE SAMPLES!
(Left: Fig & olive crackers, Right: Feta cheese with sundried tomatoes)
Yes, indeed, 95% of the time you visit Whole Foods, you're going to find at least one tray of organic fruit, vegetables, cookies, gourmet chips, cheese, bread, chocolate, etc. You could go there on a Sunday afternoon and sample your way into a free lunch.
And you don't even have to be a neurotic health-food freak. Lardy junk-food addicts will find their share of delights. Look! Potato chips! Krinkle-cut!
Moral of the story? Everyone at Whole Foods may seem like good, pious people. But we're all just here for the organic/fair-trade/environmentally-friendly gluttony.
"Yeah, honey, I'm gonna pick up the wheat-grass, flax-flakes, and, oooh, granola bread!"
NOM!
I overheard a discussion about meat a couple of weeks ago. One girl had identified herself as a vegetarian. The others, who were omnivorous, somehow got onto the subject of venison (deer meat). The vegetarian responded, "How can you eat that? That's like eating Bambi!"
And then I noticed her leather boots.
Well, you know what? If eating deer meat is like eating Bambi, then wearing those boots is like wearing Elsie the Borden Cow!
I don't know how a vegetarian can act so righteous about what's on the dinner table and ignore what's in his/her closet. It's hypocrisy, simple as that. You won't eat animals but you'll wear them. Guess what? They're still dead!
Now, I myself am a vegetarian. I am of the ovo-lacto type, one who eats dairy and eggs. I do not eat beef, pork (no mammals in general), poultry, fish/other seafood, reptiles, etc. I try to avoid animal by-products as well, including lard, beef/chicken stock, gelatin, and those found in cosmetics. (I was sorely disappointed when I found out Junior Mints and Skittles had gelatin, but I have nevertheless refrain from them. And I miss marshmallows, but at least the fluff has only egg whites). And I avoid buying clothing/accessories made from animal skins (like boots).
However, I know my habits of consumption are not perfect, and others might find inconsistencies about them. I'm not a level-five vegan. I know there might be oyster sauce in all the vegetarian selections at a Thai restaurant; I eat honey; and I know most of my clothing was probably made by a little underpaid Chinese kid on the other side of the world. There are so many factors that are out of the consumers' hands. We can rarely be sure if a product truly meets our ethical/moral standards. (And unfortunately, all the products that really do meet those standards also tend to be really expensive.)
Here's the thing. I don't give a shit if you eat meat, as long as you're not trying to convince me to abandon vegetarianism (besides, it won't work). In turn, I won't preach to you about becoming a vegetarian. I won't try to make my reasons yours. If you ask, I'll tell you my own veg story, things I've read or heard, and I won't do it while holding a big-eyed calf. The fact is, shit happens, it's the unfair-trade circle of life, and even if everyone went veg, there would still be problems in the world.
As for the girl with the boots, I don't care if you wear a fur coat to match. And I know you weren't trying to convert anyone. But don't tell or imply to people there's something wrong with what they're putting in their mouths when you're putting the same crap on your credit card.
(Edit note: the Level Five Vegan blog seems to have disappeared. [Hopefully not from malnutrition.] Here's another relevant link.)
