FORKS OVER KNIVES RESPONSE

   This past week we finished the documentary Forks Over Knives and later in the week worked in the garden for the first time since Fall! The garden is now closed indefinitely due to rats uprooted by Houston St. construction and attracted to mountains of delicious litter dropped by ecologically conscious and careful students. We were lucky to work in the garden at all. But forget that: the garden looks lovely, with most vegetation insulated over the winter now in bloom and providing lovely color to springtime landscapes. We weeded the garden so that all our desirable plants get the nutrients they need and deserve. I forgot how nice and unusual the experience of gardening is – nice because you are cultivating and helping life thrive; unusual because, like petting a dog, gardening is an active and conscious interaction with a living thing that is not a person, and most of my day is spent actively and consciously interacting with other people. The break is nice, making me appreciate plant life, and human life when I return. That’s all I have to say about the garden today – now onto Forks Over Knives. 

   The message of Forks Over Knives is clear: a diet based in meat, dairy, and processed foods is more likely – almost guaranteed – to cause health problems than a “whole-foods, plant based diet.” The movie should be called Whole-Foods Plant Based Diet, but the current title is better and subtler. In the final half of the movie I was struck a) by the influence of evil corporations and philistine politicians and advisors on government diet policy and propaganda, and b) by the vegan fire squad in Texas. I’ll address the fire squad first: AWESOME!!! Enough said. I’ve seen fireman hauling meter long pork loins from supermarkets: impressive lengths of meat, but NOTHING as impressive as vegan firefighters. Now for the government policy and propaganda, specifically that recognizable object the Food Pyramid. I’ve taken health at bard. We reviewed the Food Pyramid. I used to believe it is inherently a good thing, until seeing Forks Over Knives. The flexibility of the Food Pyramid is its failure – what you can eat and still be considered healthy according to it is appalling!!!! I think one reason it is bad is the same reason the US government’s websites are so ugly – there are too few young people working on government projects. I assume that young people, no matter political or religious or other sort of ‘biased’ backgrounds, are more willing to accept younger ideas such as those proposed in Forks Over Knives. My solution to the Food Pyramid and website aesthetics? HIRE MORE YOUNG PEOPLE!!! This is highly debatable. I hope it is debated. Adios!

- Alex Fenichell