Food In Peace Out
let me eat in peace
spare me the story
the videos
the tweets
of whatever war was going on
because there is always a war going on
<>
don’t bother me
with exploitation narrative
of the people who produced
this yummy food
in the face of wars
famine
their own children
not eating
what I get to eat
no one needs to know all that
we just want to eat in peace
<>
even if peace is impossible
because peace doesn’t equal profit
money is lost
economies stagnate
when there isn’t exploitation
of people
of land
or resources
<>
let me eat in peace
keep the reality away from the table
the lack of nutritional content
is irrelevant
the suffering sacrifice of animals
makes meals even tastier
don’t you think
because we don’t want to think
we only want to eat in peace
amen
An acquaintanceship ended several years ago over food. A small group of us were having lunch & I ordered a burger. The acquaintance asked if knew how harmful meat production was to the planet, how the animals suffered etc. The acquaintance had ordered a salad with something done to tofu. I asked if they knew how tofu was made, what was the ecological effect where it was grown etc. That part of the conversation ended & I enjoyed my hamburger.
Personally I have no objection to what people chose to eat but before they make their choice mandatory or somehow ethically superior to mine they should get their facts ready. I know little about the production of tofu but I suspect that in the long run it is no better environmentally than beef. It has to be grown, fertilized, converted, transported & prepared at a restaurant.
Guilting me over my meal choice never works. I’m human, so get over it. It’s like trying to guilt trip people into masks or vaccines (both of which I fully support) is a wasted effort. If this acquaintance had pushed I would have asked what they were doing about their meat concerns? Where they financially supporting any anti-meat groups or was merely not eating it all they were willing to do.
There is also a commercial profitability undercurrent to much of what gets touted as being better for us. ‘Ethically sourced’ ‘gluten free’ ‘100% natural’ ‘no preservatives’ – all of which often cost more – making it clear only those who can afford higher prices can save the planet. ‘Ethically sourced’ becomes a way maintaining class differences & making it clear who is morally better.
This acquaintance unfriended me. Such is life. Pass me the all-natural Black Sea salt.
TOpoet 
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