This is the final installment of "Power and Pleasure at the Dinner Table." Find part 1, An Invitation, part 2, The Party Table, and part 3, The Community Table, in previous posts. I intuitively feel the pull of how eating together can be pleasurable, a site of connection. Yet I suspect many of us likely have examples of exclusion when it comes to sharing food with others. Sometimes feelings of exclusion indicate opportunities for new experiences, such as being an omnivore at a vegan potluck. … [Read more...]
Climate concerns and ambiguities of consumer action
When a vegan and a cattle farmer share a table I sat down at a table, my plate piled high with grape leaves, hummus, baba ganoush, pita, green salad, and quinoa salad. The person sitting next to me was complaining about plant-based options like the Beyond or Impossible Burger compared with beef. "They're processed. It's not good for you. not like beef." Putting aside questions about "healthy," I thought this remark missed the point. I pushed, trying to expand the conversation beyond … [Read more...]
Poets for the animals
I've been thinking about story-telling and relationships with particular animals. Consider the following two snippets: Peter Singer doesn’t love animals In the preface to the 1975 edition of Animal Liberation, Peter Singer shares a story about a time he was invited to tea. He'd begun working on Animal Liberation. Much to the surprise of his host, Singer admitted that he isn't an animal lover (p. 9). Singer came to his theory of animal liberation through rational argument, not a relationship … [Read more...]
Political veganism and whiteness
This week I read what is to-date the best answer I've found to feminist scientist and philosopher Donna Haraway's critique of veganism. If you are unfamiliar with Haraway, see my previous post, in which I challenge the way that Haraway describes veganism. She critiques veganism for seeking to claim innocence from systems that do violence to nonhuman animals. I offer "Veganisms" by philosopher Robert C. Jones as a response to Haraway. Jones outlines three different types of ethical veganism … [Read more...]
2017, my year of fancy rats
I was born in the year of the rat, under the Chinese zodiac. I took this to be a SIGN when I decided to adopt fancy rats in early 2017. On January 7, 2017 I brought home three fancy rats from the Humane Society: Xena, Gabrielle, and Dottie-Callisto. Gabrielle, one of my first fancy rat companions This is not a post that represents "philosophy in the world." I am using this post as an opportunity to share publicly some memories of my rat Gabrielle, who passed away on December 21. If you read … [Read more...]