African-American culture and vegetarianism

topic posted Wed, June 28, 2006 - 3:03 PM by  Sugati
Hi everyone, I'm new here. Glad you all are here!
I had a discussion with some friends (black people included) that disturbed me somewhat. My husband works at a cultural center that seeks to embrace social justice. They've been throwing around the idea of having a barbeque for the neighborhood (largely people from the African diaspora and Latina/o community) and how people wouldn't come if the cultural center kept to their 'no meat' policy, since it's part of the African-American and Latino cultures. I personaly feel this is an opportunity for non-vegetarians to experience how tasty veg food can be. Anyone have any opinions on the subject?
Thanks,
Sugati
posted by:
Sugati
Connecticut
  • Re: African-American culture and vegetarianism

    Fri, September 1, 2006 - 6:00 PM
    The reason people don't embrace the idea of vegetarianism is because they aren't exposed to all the options that a veg diet has. Why perpetuate an unhealthy diet just b/c it's what people are use to? This is the perfect opportunity to get people to think about going veg. I guess I'm super late with this post... how'd it go?
    • Re: African-American culture and vegetarianism

      Sat, September 2, 2006 - 8:40 AM
      They decided to make veg pasta and chicken. They were expecting rain that day and also no one wanted to "man" the grill. Its hard when others are involved that don't see the health factors or the injustice the way we do. At least there was a vegetarian option.
    • Unsu...
       

      Re: African-American culture and vegetarianism

      Wed, September 6, 2006 - 7:01 AM
      Ok,
      I have a question. What are the options that are available to vegetarians as far as the foods choices and varieties? I ask, because it can get a little stale. What are the options?
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        Re: African-American culture and vegetarianism

        Wed, September 6, 2006 - 5:21 PM
        Hummm, my diet is a lot more well-rounded as a vegan than it was when I was eating meat. There are TONS of options if you like ethnic foods and you don't mind cooking. And there's a substitute for anything that's not vegan. Vegan chick'n, tofurky, tuno, vegan lunch "meats", ice-cream, sour cream, "steak" strips...
        • Re: African-American culture and vegetarianism

          Thu, September 7, 2006 - 8:21 AM
          ..bacon. I love BLTs. I came across an FLT recently. It was simply made with veggie bacon. They can make veggie bacon with tofu and with coconut. I have a very simple way of trying to get more veggies in my diet. About once a week, I'll take a trip to the local food truck, load up on a variety of veggies that I can mix and match. Then, when I get home, I'll make a large salad with some and cut up another large amount to keep in the fridge and I use the the supply for making stir frys. I might mix black beans and tomatoes in for thickness and serve it over rice. I might throw some veggies in with cooked lentils and wrap them in a
          burrito. I keep a variety of herbs and spices so I can get any flavor I like. The list really is endless and it
          doesn't have to be strictly from a recipe. The local farmers' market has these handouts where they divide the foods up by color to tell you the benefits of each and advocate using as many colors as possible, so that's the rule of thumb I use : How many different color veggies can I put in this dish? It's a lot of fun.
    • Re: African-American culture and vegetarianism

      Wed, November 1, 2006 - 10:48 AM
      Hi, this is also my first post, just wanted to say that I totally agree and that it's for us to expose our people to a vegatarian/vegan diet.

      The i very idea of offering tasting vegetarian food is great so that they don't discriminate against it!
  • Re: African-American culture and vegetarianism

    Wed, September 20, 2006 - 4:52 PM
    I know I got in a little late but just to put it out, we have to remember that the diet of most of people came out of restriction due to slavery and poverty.
    If we look at eating better as a means of social change a promotion of a modern pigmented people, no matter where you are from.
    Yeh I grew up in many a hood with a broke off diet, so I crave certain flavours or taste and the only thing I can't find a good substatute for is pastrami and one day someone will fix that.