The Boy With the Quorn in His Side

I am a proud child of the 80s and 90s and I would like to declare my utter adoration of the entire back catalogue of The Smiths before I go any further with this post (which is bound to rattle a few cages).

In fact I would go so far as to say that ‘There is a Light That Never Goes Out’ is in my all time top 5 songs and quite possibly will be played at my funeral when I get round to writing the playlist (and yes, there will indeed be a playlist and if it’s not adhered to I promise I will haunt you). It is that powerful a song that having just typed the name it is playing on repeat on the jukebox in my head. It is brilliant. Fact.

I also do have a penchant for Morrissey’s solo stuff, but not to quite the same degree and I also share a genuine interest in both his and the band’s story and history. The amount of people they have influenced is in equal parts impressive and astounding. So, forgive the pun, but what is my beef with Morrissey?

Well, the thing is that he is what I like to call a ‘Militant Vegetarian’. Or an ‘Evangelical Vegetarian’. In much the same way as those nutters in the deep south of America make us roll our eyes and sigh at their deeply rooted, completely unshakable ‘belief’, so Morrissey evokes the same reaction in me about this. And I am a staunch advocate of vegetarianism, as anyone who follows my other blog, The Quorn Supremacy, would be aware.

Firstly I would like to set my stall out about my own beliefs because they are not as simple as you might think. Also, I still get bafflingly prehistoric reaction to my veggie blog from ‘The Meatheads’ who are, in effect, Morrissey’s polar opposites. Frankly, I find it disappointing in 2011 to still encounter such daft, regressive, attitudes from seemingly intelligent people, but believe me, it happens. And on a startlingly regular basis too.

I am not vegetarian. My husband is pescatarian, meaning he eats only fish and no meat. I hate fish and am allergic to shellfish (you can imagine what a joy we are to have for dinner!) and so the compromise we make on a pretty much daily basis is that we eat mainly vegetarian at home. As a result of this I have become quite adept at vegetarian cooking and very interested in it (hence the blog).

In addition to this I also believe that it is better for the environment and for human beings in general to eat more vegetarian food in their diet and to these ends I actively encourage people to try it out and realise that it can be equally tasty, nutritious and enjoyable as a cuisine. There is more about the environmental impact of meat eating here and also about the ‘Meat Free Monday’ campaign which I wholeheartedly support. You do not need to look very far to find extensive reporting on the dangers of eating too much red and processed meat and here is a recent report on evidence from the World Cancer Research Fund and a thoughtful response from food critic Jay Rayner.

I am not for one moment suggesting that a full vegetarian diet is ‘better’ than one which includes meat. Neither am I inducing anyone to entirely give up their fleshy treats - I love a good steak as much as the next woman. What I am suggesting is that as a race, humans need to stop living in the 50s where ‘meat and two veg’ was the accepted staple meal. We are blessed with so many options now that it is not only regressive but completely bewildering why so many people cannot even contemplate a meal as being complete without meat in it.

I believe that people would lead a healthier life with a more balanced and less meat focussed diet. I should also point out that when you don’t eat meat all the time you enjoy it so much more when you do.

So, that’s where I stand on the whole thing. I still have to justify my viewpoint quite frequently and with some people, especially those from older generations, I accept that the idea of a meal without meat strikes them as substandard and always will do. But people who have an interest in their health coupled with the intelligence to make an informed decision should not rule out vegetarian meals as part of a normal, balanced diet (or in fact a fully vegetarian diet).

Whilst I quietly persevere with this belief and increase my own library of articles on the same; Morrissey, bless him, is ranting in the corner like a renegade, one man offence generator. His most recent assertion was to liken the recent atrocities in Norway to McDonalds’ and KFC’s treatment of animals for meat. Yes. Really. He has also quite famously got into hot water during various interviews when he has made statements which are either ill considered or overtly confrontational (or both?). A famous example referred to Chinese people as a ‘sub species’, again referring to their treatment of animals. I really do not think this brand of daft racism (the sort I might expect to see from someone either far older or far less intelligent than this man) helps his cause.

I guess the saddest thing is that Morrissey could be such a strong figurehead for promoting a vegetarian lifestyle and indeed I do think in the earlier years (before he seemed to stop engaging his brain before his mouth) actions like calling an album ‘Meat is Murder’ highlighted a lifestyle which at the time was struggling for positive role models. It is a real shame that when I think now of ‘famous vegetarians’ the two which spring to mind are Morrissey and (whiner extraordinaire) Heather Mills. I never would have wanted to group them together but for a multitude of unfortunate reasons that’s where they now sit. Hung by their own petards.   

Of course, anyone who dares to criticise Morrissey will face a barrage of abuse from his legions of sycophantic fans. As a cultural icon, it is not surprising that Morrissey is so revered but it does sometimes amaze me the lengths people will go to to excuse his behaviour in the name of being his 'fans'. I do think that when you have been lauded as some kind of god for most of your adult life, the tendency is always going to be there to start believing that you can get away with anything. 

Anyway, this blog post was not intended as a rant, merely a sad observation that a man I grew up admiring so very much for his music can sometimes, truth be told, be a bit of an arse. Separating the man from the music does not lessen my appreciation of the latter, but it is sad that someone so intrinsically linked with a cause close to my heart continually manages to come out with such unbelievably ill timed comments. 

Vegetarian cooking is something I will continue to do and to blog about; despite the doubters, critics and continual neanderthal berating from some quarters. It is a topic which makes me think about the human spirit and fear of change, two things which I find fascinating and which are clearly linked. 

If you read this today and it made you consider a vegetarian meal for a change then that is fantastic, if not, well thanks for reading anyway. Life is all about being open to new ideas in my experience and I am certain that this subject will continue to provoke opinion from all quarters. 

Right, off for a bacon sandwich then....