Literature Review

All vegetarians abstain from eating meat; however, a more obscure aspect of vegetarianism is the associated lifestyle that many authors have attempted to explain with historical evidence, self-testimony, and observation. Vegetarians forgo meat for varied reasons including animal rights, health reasons, and environmental sustainability. Animal rights activists shun the exploitation of animals kept in captivity and slaughterhouses. People concerned with their health cut out meat to avoid the heart problems associated with heavy meat consumption. Although many critics claim that vegetarians have deficient diets, Dudley Giehl, in his book, Vegetarianism,  A Way of Life, claims "flesh foods contain no nutrients that cannot be obtained from non-flesh-food sources." Many people choose vegetarianism for its eco-friendly and sustainability aspects. Cattle raising requires large areas of land which, if used for crop production, would provide more food for the world. According to Jon Wynne-Tyson's Food For A Future, "About four-fifths of the world's agricultural land is used for feeding animals, and only about one-fifth for feeding man directly." A massive reduction of world-wide meat consumption would lead to less meat production, therefore, allowing for more land to be used as crop land. 

The vegetarian movement started long before the hippie-uprisings of the 1960s, but, however, vegetarianism, first called as "the Pythagorean diet" in the west, is a deep-rooted part of American history, stemming from the arrival of the first settlers. The "father of vegetarianism" is considered to be Sylvester Graham who believed that abstaining from meat could prevent the spread of disease. Although vegetarianism has existed throughout American history, there is much debate on whether or not it is a continuous movement or simply a trend. Donna Maurer's Vegetarianism: Movement or Moment not only asserts the longevity of vegetarianism as a sustained movement, but she also explores demography and socio-economic aspects of the movement. She found that white, middle class women are most likely to be vegetarians and that "people with higher socioeconomic status...may adopt vegetarian diets in part to differentiate themselves from other social groups." Through research and observation, author's attempt to explain vegetarianism while exploring vegetarian lifestyles.

Giehl, Dudley. Vegetarianism, A Way of Life. New York, New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc., 1979.

Iacobbo, Karen. Vegetarian America. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 2004.

Maurer, Donna. Vegetarianism: Movement or Moment. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple University Press, 2002.

Wynne-Tyson, Jon. Food for A Future. New York, New York: Universe Books, 1979. 

 

Site Visit

I have been to Gillie's many times to eat with my parents, but going back and meeting the people who work there felt a little different. I learned that among the many decorations in the restaurant, there is an old milkshake maker from the 70s. It's a restaurant, so obviously there's a kitchen, a bar, tables, and food. Most of the tables are big and round and there are some small tables outside within a gated area. When I went in for the interview with the head chef, all the coworkers excitedly contributed to the visit. When I asked Noah what the most embarrassing thing was to ever happen to him at the restaurant, one of the coworkers blurted out, "No one gets embarrassed here" - a great example of the nonchalant, "old-hippie" atmosphere at Gillie's.  

Interview

So, I went to Gillie's and had an interview with head chef, Noah Gillie. Many of the coworkers enhanced the conversation by bringing up stories. I'm only going to share a few of his answers because censoring them for a class blog would ruin them.

Noah said that he's been working at the restaurant basically all his life and started out washing dishes. He was born a vegetarian and has never tasted red meat. His best friend is "not even close" to being a vegetarian. His favorite coworkers are his brother or Eddy, who will "always make you laugh." His favorite food is "Mom's pizza" and his favorite item on the menu is the Kung Pao Tofu. The restaurant was originally an ice cream shop and then expanded. His favorite quote would be anything from the movie, The Big Lebowski. Growing up he had a black teddy bear which is still at his mother's house. When I asked about the funniest thing that had ever happened to him at the restaurant he told me about the time they called the refrigerator repair-man because they thought it was broken. Turns out, there was nothing wrong with the refrigerator except that it wasn't plugged in.  

Course Goals

Throughout this course I want to acquire stronger analytical capabilities (1) while refining my non-fictional writing skills (2). I also want to become BFFs with the people who work at Gillie's (3)- the community I am researching this semester.  

Some of My Interview Questions

How long have you worked here?
Are you a vegetarian? How long?
Is your best friend a vegetarian?

If Gillie’s was burning down, is there an item you would save as you run out?

Who’s your favorite coworker?

What’s your favorite food?
What’s your favorite item on the menu?

How old were you when your parents opened the restaurant?

What’s your favorite quote?
Do you have a daily routine? What is it?

If you’re not at the restaurant, where are you?

Do you cook at home? Do you cook the same foods?

Do your friends want you to cook for them all the time?

When you were a child, did you have a favorite stuffed animal? Do you still have it where you live?

Why do you think your parents opened this place?

What is the most unusual thing you’ve ever eaten?

When you were a child, did your parents push it on you or was a conscious decision to become a vegetarian?

If you could make a slogan for the restaurant, what would it be?

Karaoke- Assignment 2

Today, I watched people karaoke-ing for about an hour. I didn't consciously choose this as a response to our assignment, but after standing on the grass watching a guy with a faux-hawk singing Barenaked Ladies, I knew that I should observe this more closely. You know that saying "you can tell a lot about a person by the music they listen to"? Well, you can find out a lot more by paying attention to what they choose to sing in front of a small group of people. It seems like there are always the same people in any social situation. There are the small groups of friends, 3 girls or 3 guys, never mixed, who choose pop songs from the '90s like any Backstreet Boys hit or TLC's "No Scrub." Or there are the two goofy guys, both wearing brown shirts and one with a faux-hawk, who sing Johnny Cash's "Desperado" or "One Week". There are the black girls who confidently jam to Jenifer Lopez's "Waiting for Tonight" with accompanying choreography. But with any social activity, there are always those who don't participate. The first group of people who don't participate are those who are too shy, and the second group are the people who are "too cool," or at least they think they are. Either way, the shy girl in khaki shorts and the athletic "dude" in a black muscle-tee stand in close proximity as other people choose boy band love songs. The shy girl watches as a feeling of insecurity sinks into her stomach, and the "dude" watches as false sense of superiority rises to his ego. Any social occasion you observe, there will always be the people who moderate, the people who participate, the people who don't care about what others think, the people who stand at the side out of self-consciousness, and the people who think they're too cool for it.  

How We Know What We Know

Most people know something is true because an expert has deemed it a fact or an inarguable truth based on science and calculation. However, often what we know isn't really a truth or fact, but simply a strong belief. For example, you never really contend what Grandma says, so eating fish actually does make you a faster swimmer (or at least that's what my grandma told me when I was six so I would eat fish). In addition to Grandma's well-intentioned lies, the media pours out thousands of "truths" on every commercial, billboard, package, and any other advertisement. Since we live in the most capitalistic nation of the world, product advertisers dole out ample amounts of time, resources, and money to get as many consumers to believe that what they are selling actually works. MeSoThin Pills really will take you from a size 14 to a size 00 in 45 minutes, right? Why would anyone buy the pill if the commercial didn't prove that it worked by featuring a once plus-sized, now ano-looking, ex-playmate dancing on the red carpet fondling a bottle of the advertised product? "Truth" becomes anything we have seen enough times for it to be ingrained or heard incontestably from someone who knows better than us. What we know is the same as what we believe, and our realities are simply manifestations of these beliefs.    

The most traumatic and sh**ity (sorry for expletives, but you'll understand by the end of this) thing happened to me this morning. So it's 11 A.M. and I've taken a shower, done my hair, and put on my favorite pair shoes (this is important too, getting the plot yet?), and I decide to check the mail to see if a package from Mommy has arrived yet. The mail room smells like s**t. No joke, I am holding my breath 'cause the smell is too strong. I check the mail and there's no pink slip that proves Mommy loves me, so I do a restrained fast-walk out of the mail room (my favorite shoes aren't actually made for walking). Right at the threshold of the mailroom and the hall, I look down and what did I almost step in (with my favorite shoes)? Yeah, you should've guessed it with all the insinuations in this paragraph, S**T! There's crap on the mailroom tile. I guess that's someone's idea of a fun night. 

So I've officially decided to research the vegetarian community on our little main street. I'm talking about Gillie's and Bollo's. Even if you're not a vegetarian/vegan, they have really good food.  If you've never been to either, I really recommend Gillie's pancakes or French toast- it's the best french toast I've ever had.