There’s a real discrepancy between people just loving to hear about what elephants are doing, and not being so open to hear about the animals on their plate having a good day or a bad day or being really smart or really thinking. And that’s what I’m working to change, to bring forward what science is telling us about these animals.” — Barbara King
Wow. Welcome to what is definitely one of our most thought-provoking episodes yet. Today on Food with Mark Bittman, we welcome anthropologist Barbara King and reducetarian Brian Kateman.
Barbara has focused much of her esteemed career on the “inner lives” of intelligent animals like primates, octopuses, squid, pigs, and dolphins, arguing that humanity should consider how best to communicate and accommodate these species’ lives without anthropomorphization or exploitation.
Brian coined the term “reducetarian” to describe a person who is deliberately reducing their consumption of meat, and is the cofounder and president of the Reducetarian Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing consumption of animal products.
Clearly, the work that Barbara, Brian, and I do intersects in meaningful ways, and this conversation reflects that beautifully, if I do say so myself. Interestingly, none of us is a vegan, but veganism and all of its implications do play a big role in our chat. Can’t wait to hear what you all think…
Please listen, subscribe, and review. And we’d love to hear your food-related questions, as we’d like to start doing live Q&A: Email us: food@markbittman.com. The recipe featured in today’s episode — Pasta with Peas, Prosciutto, and Lettuce — is here.
Follow on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts | Amazon Music
Comment