Veganism needs to target existing cultural norms and their most unmistakable representatives
By taking on established cultural flags and rebuilding with some vegan jingle, vegan razzamatazz, and a little vegan ragnampiza, new culinary stars can be born
Existing cultural norms that radiate cowardice and shun enterprise can become stale and strangely burdened as they drift or meander into a kind of cultural dead zone.
And when cultural spontaneity becomes languished into a sort of murky fog there is an unmanifested or trapped energy that transiently bubbles up to the surface.
These identifiable glitches or fleeting moments of potential alternative states of affairs unsettle our existing perceptions of the world. They constitute a mindfulness and memory of what could be, in place of what is.
But, whether or not these fleeting moments are upgraded or promoted to become new cultural norms, or rather watered down and infused with our existing cultural norms depends on more profound and more continual events.
If the symbolic representations of these states of affairs or fleeting moments are unfit to propagate across generations and create a fundamental shift in our cultural norms, are they any more than a parade of superficial spectacle or cultural pantomime?
How can veganism ensure it is more than a fleeting moment? Can it bring about tangible and long-lasting states of affairs that escape the Kung Fu grip of existing cultural norms — and if so, how?
If the costs associated with adopting veganism are simply a by-product of existing cultural norms providing low-quality incentives, how can these incentives be improved?
For veganism to finally start to bite at existing cultural norms and strut the cultural landscape with more mettle and gallantry, it will have to acknowledge and manipulate human ‘desire’.
This battle for ‘desirability’ will be played out on a varied cultural palate without clear boundaries. Where does pizza philosophically begin and end? Is a kale and whipped macadamia cream pizza still pizza, if it has no cheese or tomato? Is a crispy coconut and lime breadcrumb-crusted cauliflower hamburger an oxymoron? Is Kung Pao eggplant just vegan hyperbole?
Should veganism bypass existing culinary concepts altogether, or immerse and soak itself in them? Can veganism really buck the trend and become the cultural norm of our time with an unauthorized set of 12-inch remixes and rare b-sides?
Desire
Even virtuous vegans with perfectly cultured intellectual honesty can become crippled psychologically if their existing cultural norms do not cater to a certain amount of barbaric escapism.
While many vegans do not succumb to actually eating meat — and some vegans may feel sufficiently turned off not to be tempted to — in the absence of sporadic gorging there can be a chorus of dark desire that may jeopardize and undermine the longevity of the vegan mindset.
If vegan states of affairs want to avoid the swindle of fleeting moments, they need to pitch full-scale relationship gratification, which includes preserving all the fun savagery of scoffing a late-night kebab.
Who really cares if spirulina or buckwheat is a complete protein? The question is, how can a knobbly garbanzo bean compete with a juicy, charred, crispy, chewy, piece of bacon?
Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold, once postulated that tacos contain “more deliciousness per inch, or more deliciousness per second” than almost anything else. But, if we can’t yet measure deliciousness, perhaps we can at least recognize the telltale signs of its ‘being’ — or the experience it induces.
What are the tiny nuances that green-light the losing of oneself, the letting go, the submission, the gluttony, the gorging, the devouring, the euphoria, the hypnotism, the filth, the madness, the guilt, the juice, the bite, the crackle, the relish?
Perhaps vegan states of affairs already possess the attributes which can trigger and quench our desires — tingly crackly kale, crispy crumbly broccolini, tangy zesty limes, sharp sun-dried tomatoes, luminous peppery asparagus, earthy pungent portobellos, charred gooey aubergines, velvety reassuring avocados — and so on.
But, rather than efficient symbolic compressions of popular brand names that lubricate social musings about our desires and what to eat, these are generic side dishes, friendly neighbors, bit parts, add-ons or one-offs.
Veganism struggles to gain linguistic dominance in our conversations about desire because we tend to specify our selfish goals by using high-level concepts like ‘Mexican’, ‘Chinese’, ‘Pizza’ — and are less inclined to use low-level instances of these concepts like ‘black beans’, ‘sautéed broccoli’ or ‘rice’.
It seems veganism may be sufficiently dope and theatrical to sporadically dabble in desire, but its soldiers are too spread out, its team not compact enough — it has so far failed to dominate high-level linguistic terrain.
In order to truly grab desire by the neck veganism needs to gather its building blocks and assemble the high-resolution vanguards to carry the torch, the A-list actors to change the focus of attention, or the sensational gateway drug that will summon a flurry of vegan dabbling.
Flags
Our cultural landscape is an assemblage of cheap imitation. Enormity disguises repetitiveness and lack of diversity. The nomadic nature of our behavior entails that we copy each other and want the things other people want. Our love for archetypes and yearning to categorize makes us draw lines and nametag. We are creatures of algorithm locked into routines.
If the essential sameness of these states of affairs is how our cultural norms are transmitted, whoever is able to showcase the most spectacular forms or conduct the most persuasive experiences, within these imitative categories or culturally prescribed avenues, assumes greater control of our cultural norms.
For veganism, the front lines of this cultural battlefield are in our established supermarkets or restaurants — and the key product ranges within these cultural spaces represent flags to be won or lost.
If veganism has the most desirable products within these key product ranges, it can compete for, and capture these flags — and become the established cultural norm.
It doesn’t need to win all the flags, but it probably needs to hold a significant majority of the most ‘valuable’ flags which act as markers for cultural participation, consent and permanency.
Highly recognizable product ranges that are popular across multiple communities, irrespective of cultural differences, represent valuable flags. ‘Hamburgers’, ‘Pizzas’, ‘Tacos’ or even ‘Canned food’ would seem to fit the bill.
Veganism probably cannot bypass these existing cultural institutions. It doesn’t seem to have the emblematic icons which can simply wash away the existing flags. But, it may have sufficiently galactic cargo to dismantle these high-leverage markers, blow away their cobwebs and rebuild.
Somewhere between lone-wolf vegetables and more complex podium-candy, veganism may have sufficient timber to jumble things up whilst keeping the conceptual forms intact.
Harissa is vegan — and so is Chimichurri, Baba Ghanoush, Za’atar, Guacamole, Muhammara, Houmous, Skordalia, Hogao, Chana Masala, Tabbouleh, Mole, Romesco, Tacu Tacu, Patacones, Sauerkraut, Ratatouille, Tarka Dal, Green Tahini, Gazpacho, Teriyaki, Marmite, Aloo Gobi, Falafel, Tapenade, Zhug, Latkes — and so on.
Granted, there is significant palatable overlap here — and most are ‘sauces’, but these vegan-at-birth conceptual forms could play a lead role in the reconstruction or ‘pimping’ of existing recognizable cultural flags.
And then there are the — not to be scoffed at — easily veganizables, edible concepts which without any significant surgical procedures, not too much of a scuffle, can be, miraculously vegan: Ramen, Minestrone, Tempura, Pesto, Bao, Tzatziki, Raita, Pad Thai, Samosas, Bravas, Gado Gado, Bhajis, Moussaka, Gnocchi — and so on. These low hanging fruit, that is, flags that are easier to obtain or easily veganized should also be prioritized.
And what of those products with the rare skill sets that enable them to integrate across many different product ranges. Vegan ‘milk’ has already created a decisive shift and the effects of taking this flag will ripple across the numerous product ranges that depend on ‘Milk’.
Consideration should also be given to emerging products or product ranges which may represent future valuable flags. Which promising academy kids will be tomorrow’s star players? As Seinfeld observed, “Where was Pesto 10 years ago?”.
By taking on established cultural flags, deconstructing them, preserving the best bits and rebuilding with some vegan jingle, vegan razzamatazz, and a little vegan ragnampiza, new culinary stars can be born and existing cultural lines can be redrawn.
