Why We Eat Meat, and Love People Who Don’t
The contemporary foodscape is crammed with countless fads, philosophies, and world views. Avoid all things animal! Gorge on raw, wild meat!! Search hard enough and you can probably find an extreme diet built around any conceivable food—and also advice on avoiding that food.
We’re not about food orthodoxy here.
For practical reasons the No Nightshade Kitchen is agnostic on everything but nightshades. That’s because if you can’t eat nightshades, an extraordinarily large portion of the world’s current menu is off limits. If you need sustenance and your only option is a burger, it’s probably best if your body at least knows how to handle that burger.
I have been a vegetarian, cook many meals that way, and have incredible respect for vegetarian and vegan diets and principles. The amount of animal products consumed by wealthier societies is hazardous to the health of most humans and definitely dangerous for the planet. The ethical concerns surrounding industrial-scale production of meat are real and must continue to be addressed.
But animals have always eaten animals. Life means death means life again.
From years of reporting about sustainable agriculture I also know that specialty production of meat, eggs, and dairy has kept many small farmers economically viable and on the land. I believe that the knowledge and dedication of these practitioners is critical to our future on this planet.
It’s the goal of this site to respect and support a wide variety of dietary choices. We’re all in this together.
