I wrote the intro to the June-July Friends Journal, our issue on “Food Choices.” There was a strong interest in some circles to have a whole issue advocating vegetarian diets. Although I’m sympathetic (I’ve been a vegan since my early 20s) I’m allergic to claims that all Quakers should adopt any particular practice. It feels too close to Margaret Fell’s silly poor gospel, a misunderstanding of way Quaker process mediates between individual and group behavior.
Food unites and food divides. It both marks us into tribes and gives us opportunities to reach past our societal limits. From chicken barbeques to vegetarian-dominated potlucks, what we put on the table says a lot about our values, and how we welcome unfamiliar food choices is a measure of our hospitality. How do kitchen-table spreads of tofu and chickpea dips reinforce certain stand-apart cultural norms? Are Friends who like barbecue ribs less Quaker? What about meetings that still host the annual chicken dinner or clambake?
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