This saturday was the 22nd annual Vegetarian Food Fair in Toronto. A certain JW and I took the greyhound to the crowded metropolis for a full day of ranting hippies, yummy tofu shaped like meat and pictures of turkeys with halos around their heads. Does making an animal look cuter than it really is (because, let's face it, turkeys are ugly) make it more worthy to live?
We emersed ourselves in the culture, not admitting to be on the outside looking in. We attended a free lecture, lured by the title "Debunking the 'science' of nutrition" which proved luring for the nutrition student. An elderly man from Cornell U, while well-spoken and highly educated, gave a too brief overview of a very complicated issue. He enlisted the same tactics that Bush used to convince us that war was inevitable and necessary (nuclear weapons anyone?) or that has opened up a market for devices like child GPS sewn into clothing...fear. Eat animal protein and you will get cancer. That was his conclusion, plain and simple, although beating around the bush was also employed. His fear summoning statement "animal protein may be the most dangerous and important chemical carcinogen in history". Extremist? I think i'll keep my cows milk and chicken fingers thank you.
Best part of veggie day: a small child yelling into a microphone "I liked the Hamburgers! HAMBURGERS!!!!!!!!!!" in the middle of a veggie convention. Classic.
2 comments:
Was that small child you? Because I would have done someting like that if I were more spontaneous. I nearly said, "Oh, I'm so sorry" to a sales clerk when she told me she was vegetarian.
hey katie
I found your blog! =)
Wendy Chien
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