These days Black people are so progressive even some meat lovers opt for the vegetarian special from time to time being more conscious of hormones and chemicals used in animal products. Buzzwords like, “I’m cleansing” have become more frequent in social gatherings. However, I will say my parents were on the organic vegetarian train way before the food industry discovered ways to make hot dogs and hamburgers from lentils. They, in fact, used to have our organic fruits and vegetables delivered from a health food store in Park Slope Brooklyn to where we lived in Bedstuy “Do or Die”. Shout out to Brevoort projects.
But it’s been years since tofu and seitan showed up to a party on my plate. In 7th grade I transferred from an all white private school to a majority Black public school. So as you can imagine the surplus of chicken eating that I witnessed sky rocketed. It was at that time that I tasted my first piece of chicken. It was fried and delicious and came with French fries. It was so good I didn’t know what to do with myself. Suddenly, my world made sense as new taste buds that I didn’t even know I had, awakened. I then began to taste all kinds of chicken, BBQ chicken, curry chicken, lemon chicken, honey BBQ chicken, Bombay chicken, Jerk chicken, coconut chicken, chicken parmesan, chicken tenders, chicken rice, chicken salad, chicken nuggets, chicken wings. I realized that chicken makes up at least 95% percent of our lives. So if you’re not eating chicken…WHO ARE YOU?
Since then I have not turned back. Today I eat chicken, steak, lamb, goat and I’m an hour a way from trying pork. Maybe not, unless you’re Latino that memo that all Black people in the north (and or influenced by Muslims) got about pork being the devil’s meat is still looming over me. The point is I now love meat so much that I look at vegans and feel no connection.
The other day a friend of mine who turned vegan about 5 years ago had a birthday party. She hangs out in some serious vegan circles. A couple of us meat lovers attended a prior party right after work absolutely famished, looking to shoot a bow and arrow into the first thing on four legs we saw move. It was to our surprise that there was not a single meat dish in sight. And vegans love to try and fool meat lovers by recreating traditional dishes like pot roast, arroz con pollo, and cheeseburgers with soy products to see if we can taste the difference. WE CAN! One brotha at the party, who was clearly still hungry from the lack of protein, drew the line when Rice Cream was served for dessert. He put on his coat, walked down to the nearest Bodega and returned with some Haagan Daze ice cream made from the cow.
Needless to say, at the birthday party those of us who eat meat knew to EYOMB (Eat Your Own Meat Before). However, we were wowed by how even more vegan this party was. For instance, there was this one brotha that was so vegan that he brought his own kale to the party even though my friend already had kale. I had to ask, “What’ wrong with your kale that he had to bring his own?” She responded, “My kale is slightly steamed and he only does raw.” Another brotha I was talking to revealed to me that his shoes were even vegan. I was not ready.
Now because I love food I will always check out the buffet table at any event regardless of the expectations; besides there were some yummy delights and my girl can cook. However, there were a number of dishes that a few of us party members gathered around tried to identify. Since different people brought different dishes and none of those people seem to be around, no one was able to identify what all the dishes were, including the birthday girl; except for the kale she made. There was one dish however, that actually looked like chicken. The first thing I thought was let me find out that tofu is making chicken wings now, as I would not expect actual chicken wings to be at this party. For 5 min we all stood around trying to figure out what it was. We smelled it, stirred it and poked it. Meat lovers didn’t want to taste it and run the risk of it not being meat and vegans didn’t want to taste it and run the risk of it being meat. I decided to channel my vegan days and break this mystery for everyone. To my surprise…it was actually chicken wings. The other meat lovers dug in. I asked my friend, the birthday girl, who would dare bring an animal into this holy vegan house? She replied, “Probably my mother.”
Seconds later my friend’s mother comes around the corner. Happy to see her, I greet her and say, “Mrs. Hopkinson, I heard you brought the chicken!” She replied, “Oh yeah, you can’t have no party without chicken.” Later in the evening, when it was time to sing happy birthday, a vegan cake was brought out to accompany the tune. The cake was actually quite delicious, but that did not matter to Ms. Hopkinson who immediately came around to everyone’s plate, regardless of vegan status, to a la mode your piece of cake with some real ice cream.
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4 Comments
I just wanted to let you know that vegetarian foods are not necessarily low in protein, referring to your comment “One brotha at the party, who was clearly still hungry from the lack of protein.”
Just so that you will be more educated about the content of foods, rice and beans are high in protein. At this moment I am eating a vegetarian lasagna with no meat and it has almost 30 grams of protein, which clearly equal or exceeds a chicken breast. Nuts, lentils, peas, beans, cous cous, oatmeal, shredded wheat, etc. all have protein.
Just because a person is eating vegetarian doesn’t mean they are not getting adequate proteing. The brotha wasn’t hungry from a lack of protein if he ate vegetarian food, he just wanted the flesh, worms, parasites, hormones and antibiotics and the animals fear in his blood when he was killed, because that is what his body has adapted to and craves.
To your comment LA, vegetables are contaminated as well with worms, dirt, blood and other bacteria as the meats that you dissed in your comment. If you are old enough to remember crops are sprayed with chemicals, that can be hazardous, that is why it is recommended to wash your fruits and vegetables before eating them. You too need to be educated because there are lots of protein in many meats to include (chicken, pork) as well as fish, that many people eat who claim be “vegetarians”.
Everyone needs to be cautious of what foods are appropriate for their body types, health and living conditions. That choice is not up to others, that choice is for yourself. So don’t make others disgusted with what they chose to eat.
Please remember “different strokes for different folks”.
VA, your comment sounds angry and ignorant. I wasn’t writing to you, I was writing to the person who wrote the article. I never stated nor intimated that vegetables aren’t contaminated, so what the heck are you talking about? You are certainly old enough to be respectful and use common sense and mind your own business, but you haven’t, so its quite hypocritical to wonder about someones age. I’m not sure whose post you confused mine with, but I never dissed anything and if I did, its none of your business. The webmaster would have the right to say something, not an ignorant hoodrat using “diss” and getting angry for no reason. You sound mentally disturbed speaking about chemicals and washing of fruit when that wasn’t the subject matter. I never said that I don’t need education, which I why I remain in school and I never once stated, nor intimated that veggies are not in meat and fish. What does a person who eats fish and claims to be vegetetarian have to do with me? what is the relevance? You spewed all this ignornat diatribe for what, I don’t know, but waste someone elses time. One of the most ignorant comments you made is “So don’t make others disgusted with what they chose to eat.” It is impossible for me to make another person do anything unless I physically force them. And in this case, I haven’t and didn’t force anyone to do anything so if someone becomes disgusted because of something I wrote, then they have a serious mental disturbance.
Please remember “different strokes for different folks”.
VA, your comment sounds angry and ignorant. I wasn’t writing to you, I was writing to the person who wrote the article. I never stated nor intimated that vegetables aren’t contaminated, so what the heck are you talking about? You are certainly old enough to be respectful and use common sense and mind your own business, but you haven’t, so its quite hypocritical to wonder about someones age. I’m not sure whose post you confused mine with, but I never dissed anything and if I did, its none of your business. The webmaster would have the right to say something, not an ignorant hoodrat using “diss” and getting angry for no reason. You sound mentally disturbed speaking about chemicals and washing of fruit when that wasn’t the subject matter. I never said that I don’t need education, which I why I remain in school and I never once stated, nor intimated that veggies are not in meat and fish. What does a person who eats fish and claims to be vegetetarian have to do with me? what is the relevance? You spewed all this ignornat diatribe for what, I don’t know, but waste someone elses time. One of the most ignorant comments you made is “So don’t make others disgusted with what they chose to eat.” It is impossible for me to make another person do anything unless I physically force them. And in this case, I haven’t and didn’t force anyone to do anything so if someone becomes disgusted because of something I wrote, then they have a serious mental disturbance. Since you are the only moron whining about my comment, then you are the only one who was disturbed by it. Nothing can bother you unless you give your attention to it and if you were ignorant to read what I want, then choose to become disgusted by what you choose to eat, it is not my fault that you have mental weakness and lack the common sense not to read things that disgust you. Mind your own business and focus on those things that don’t bring you disgust. My taste bud wasn’t turned off, nor did the article make me angry as my comment has made you. Get some help because you are the only person who tings in your mind and you give meaning to whatever you want to give meaning too and to allow a comment to make you disgusted about what you eat is sad. You sound too ignorant, narrowminded and mentally unstable to be reading anything I write. Mind your own business dumb dumb.
Please remember “different strokes for different folks”.