Letters to the Editor
Stellaa
Published Letters: 186 Editor's Choice: 14
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Binarism: Vegetarian vs. Carnivores
[Read the article: Herbivore vs. carnivore]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It really amazes me how we try to reduce humans to this binary division: vegetarians and carnivores. We are neither. We are omnivores. We have choices. Our cultures had seasonal and cultural attachements to what we ate. We have now succumb to corporatism and fanaticism for our food notions. We have abandoned our roots to food. We have demonized it and we have commodified it.
Like alc earlier, my family is Greek. Older Greek people basically had a vegan diet for 80 days in the year, 40 days before Christmas and 40 before easter. Then there were all the other days with no meat for special saints. I walk around and young American kids think they invented veganism. Gooooo on....!!!! They invent imitation food to sustain themselves and have lost the ways that people for generations survived periods of no meat and no dairy. Religion reasons were given for not eating meat or things that came from animals with blood, but it was really scarcity and need. Gee, it resulted in really good health. Now the Greeks have succumbed to the meat based diet because they are prospering and guess what? They have become really unhealthy. The old women that made the wild greens salads, that new all the edible greens are dying off, what a tragedy.
Even the Germans who you all think are carnivores had set days a week that were grain days. How do you feed families in the cold winter days in Germany? You invent all kinds of ways to cook with grains. Another question I have is about all those gluten allergies. Gee folks, if you are European American there is no way your genetic type would have made it this far if you had gluten allergies. I am no geneticist, if you were really gluten allergic you would have died off somewhere in Russia, Poland or Germany, I don't think that gene would have made it this far.
So, please stop demonizing food. Start enjoying it for what it is and what it gives us: life. Make choices but don't judge others for their choices, they cannot help it, they are omnivores. Oh, by the way, can you all go back to being carbophobics? My local bakery in Berkeley keeps running out of my favorite baguette.
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La Scala...!!
[Read the article: The readers strike back]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Think of this as La Scala. If you suck, or if the audience thinks you suck, they will boo. After eons of silent readers now we have a voice for our outrage and our measured comments. As in everything, the ones that are the most disturbed, take advantage and add a few tomatoes to the booing. But why should we not boo the venerable writer? Why is the writer a fragile being unlike the Opera singer? or other performer who wants to be in the public eye and exposes their soul?
By the way if this all puts a bit of damper on the public emotional dumping, so be it. Enough with personal melodrama. There is a place for melodrama and it's not always in the public forum. If you choose to divulge personal melodrama, then sit back and watch the mobs gather. Personal melodrama is the perfect fuel for a mob.
This obviously gives more power to Socrates and his advice of not listening to the mob. But, alas, a writer lives for the mob and the mob pays and perpetuates his being. Now he/she must look at the mob and wonder question his work and his master.
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Yes, but....
[Read the article: History that hurts]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I agree with all your well thought out observations: history, set, drama, religion, politics blah..blah..blah.. but really Gary, you missed the most obvious: the men in all their nakedness, which is depicted often-- stunning gorgeous sexy men. None of the wimpy little boy Brad Pitt Hollywood variety.
I knew the English were great actors but did not realize they could act sexy as well. Come and watch for the history, intrigue and politics but stay and enjoy the gorgeous men of Rome.
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Sorry!!
[Read the article: Israel's surge of despair]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Dear Israel,
Sorry that it sucks to be an occupier. Sorry that it sucks to treat the Palestinian people with such brutality. Sorry that it sucks that you oblitarated Lebanon. Sorry that it sucks that your leaders represent your society. Sorry that daddy Bush could not make it better. Sorry that American foreign policy is Israel centric. Sorry that international law says you cannot keep lands you took through war.
Despair? Oh, yes despair. Something that maybe the Palestinian people know about.
Now lets all go and beat up Carter for writing the truth, maybe that will take the despair away if no one talks about the truth.
With sincere apologies....
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Victoria...!!
[Read the article: Israel's surge of despair]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Did you not read my compassion ? Did you not read that I am sorry that their policies cause such pain and despair? Heh, it's really hard to be a 19 year old conscript occupier who does border checks at the walls that sort of appeared. It was really hard bombing Lebanon. It's really hard keeping thousands of Palestinians in jail. It's really hard bombing peoples houses and chopping down thousand year old olive orchards.
Heh, I feel the pain and I extend my apologies that the occupied made you act in this fashion. If only they accepted the domination things would have been just fine. But, somehow people keep resisting occupation no matter where no matter who is the occupier. Those rascally Iraquis. Let's accept that all Arabs and third world people in general should accept domination and occupation from western powers. The world would be a better place. N'est pas? ....