Photos by: Kimberly Cadena
Some people know Moby from his days as a Rave DJ, others from his turn as a pop star, and others as an activist and vegan. It was in this role that Kimberly and I saw Moby speak at a book event at Busboys and Poets. Gristle: From Factory Farms To Food Safety (Thinking About the Meat We Eat) was edited by Moby and Miyun Park, a DC local and Executive Director of Global Animal Partnership.
The book is a series of essays touching on issues that range from the health issues behind eating meat, the environment, the cost to taxpayers, how workers are affected, the spread of disease and global hunger issues. This books comes at a time when The Omnivore's Dilemma and Food, Inc. are making people think differently about what we eat, and when Congress and the White House are actually taking a real look at the social, environmental and health issues behind our diet.
Gristle isn't a vegan guidebook, just simply some information pulled together in a palatable way. The goal is to help people make smarter choices about the meat they eat, or don't eat.
We asked Moby for an interview and learned a few things in the process. First, it's hard to interview someone via email when they are on tour in South America, Second, Moby doesn't like to capitalize his letters. Third, Moby is succinct, self-depracating and has a weird sense of humility wrapped up in a fame package. It works great in person, but maybe not in writing.
BYT: The event at Busboys and Poets was great. Really comfortable and a nice opportunity for readers to chat directly with you guys, the editors. It was also nice to find out that Miyun is DC-based. My question is, how did you guys meet and how long have you been working together?
moby: we met at teany(a restaurant i used to own)about 6 years ago. we originally met up to talk about new and different strategies for advancing the cause of animal welfare.
BYT: The book is a series of really smart essays from some really smart people, How did you go about selecting your contributors, and was there a topic area you would have liked to focus more/less on?
moby: we put together a 'wish list', and luckily 90% of the people on our wish list said 'yes'. i'm really happy with the book, and i feel like it covers all of the areas that we wanted to cover. so we got lucky.
BYT: There was a lot of talk about subsidies the other night and how they create a false cost for what we eat. The conversation was specifically focused around the cost of factory beef, but at its core its an issue of corn/soy and related subsidies. Knowing that corn/soy subsidies are such a huge problem as they relate to farming, health, the environment - how do corn/soy and their by-products factor into your diet and personal choices?
moby: well, i like corn and soy...to be honest i don't know if subsidies are allocated differently. if the corn or soy are slated to go to animal production. i'll go do some research.
(BYT Note - you can read more about corn/soy subsidies here.)
What are the 3 things you would tell someone who was looking to make a change to an animal and cruelty-free lifestyle.
moby: a-eating animals makes people fat. b-eating animals makes people die early. c-100,000,000,000 animals are killed every year for human purposes.
This question is from my Dad. He heard Moby makes the best pancakes ever. Is that true?
moby: i make sub-par vegan pancakes at best. my pancakes are sadly not as fluffy and tasty as ihop, but they're healthier, so hopefully it's a worthy trade-off.
(BYT Note - His vegan pancakes get high marks on Epicurious)
GIVEAWAY: We have some copies of Gristle: From Factory Farms To Food Safety (Thinking About the Meat We Eat) to giveaway. Want one? Tell us your favorite non-meat recipe to make at home.
God loves a cheerful giver.
I make a mean vegan Mac & Cheeze (so long as you're into nutritional yeast); I don't use a recipe and tend to cook by feel, but it's roughly like this:
1 Cup unsweetened Almond milk
3/4 Cup nutritional yeast
1 Tsp dry mustard
1 Tsp onion powder
1 Tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp miso
1/2 tsp paprika
1 Tsp Tumeric
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Eating animals and avoiding soy, corn and pancakes can actually result in not being fat contrary to what Mr. Pancake might claim.
Mr. Pancake.
Mike - this is true. Estrogen dominant body types (signified by "saddlebags" on the thighs and weight gain below the belly button) who eat soy may as well be eating spoonfuls of sugar. Soy makes estrogen dominant humans (esp women) gain weight faster than it would take two midgets to strap themselves onto you.
Vegetarian? Eat soy? Have saddlebags? ooops!
Ginger chocolate scone:
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch allspice
1/2 cup Turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw), plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups non-dairy milk (I use plain unsweetened soy)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
About 5 ounces chocolate (I like dark chocolate)
preheat oven to 400. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. break up chocolate bar with knife. Mix in wet ingrediants and mix immediatly. Fold in chocolate chunks.
grease baking sheet and ice cream scoop. Scoop dough onto pan. sprinkle remaining sugar on dough. cook for about 15 minutes.
I like Moby's music. I love meat. Where does that leave me?
via WhatSpringDoes.wordpress.com (my food blog)
Vegan Caprese Salad
1 lb firm or extra firm tofu, cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
4-5 medium tomatoes
1 cup of pesto (see below)
.25 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Heat the olive oil in a nonstick saucepan on medium-low heat.
Once the oil is spitting, add the cubed tofu.
Saute, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is evenly browned on all (or most) sides.
Meanwhile, chop the tomato into small pieces.
Turn off heat and allow tofu to cool. Toss with the tomatoes, pesto and cilantro.
Enjoy while picnicking, preferably on a beach.
Optional additions: lemon juice, parmesan or mozzarella cheese.
Pesto:
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of walnuts or pine nuts
a few Brazil nuts
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3-4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional but highly recommended)
In a food processor, combine the basil and a tablespoon of oil. Blend into a paste while gradually adding the other ingredients. Yum.
My favorite recipe, the one that leaves even omnivores drooling, is White Pizza with Roasted Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onions. http://bit.ly/99zBrT
i think eating meat makes you PHAT!
http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/food/pork-haiku-tickets-for-you/
As a college student, self-acknowledged alcoholic, and poor, drunken victim of the corporatized education system, my recipe is covered by my meager paycheck, feeds my friends, and is not at risk of losing quality even if I prepare it under highly inebriated circumstances.
Using:
2 cans of black beans
1 package of corn bread mix
1 egg
1/2 diced red pepper
various spices to taste + hot sauce
1.5 cups of salsa
In a bowl, combine ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Scoop out larger-sized spoonfuls, frying them in a skillet while having shaped them like a burger. You got it - delicious, affordable, and easily prepared black bean patties.
roasted asparagus: drizzle a bit of olive oil and sea salt, put in oven for 15 minutes. delish!
what the fuck is this? a vegan recipe swap? i thought this was a moby interview.
time for my bacon egg and cheese sammy. oh, and it's also time for something else vegans dislike - a shower.
moby. pffff.
Mujadara [rice + lentils]: Cook 1C of brown rice separately, cook about 1/2C of regular lentils separately in as little liquid as possible since you will be mixing them later; in a separate pan, caramelize a *lot* of thinly julienned onion, add cumin powder and cinnamon [either whole crushed into pieces or powder] toward the end to let the spices release oils. Finally, mix all three components.
"General Tao's Tofu" from vegweb: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=8769.0
Tried and true.. every hardcore meat eater I've encountered has loved this. I've made it at least 50 times!
I think I have a crush on Eddie. He can be the omnivorous Romeo to my patchouli-scented vegan Juliet.