I wouldn’t be surprised if that name was on the table at some point during the marketing meetings for the Famous Bowl.

Alas, I haven’t eaten meat for awhile now, so even though I still think fried chicken smells really good, I’ve been craving a veg/vegan Famous Bowl Experience. Thank you for creating it and testing it out. New frontiers! I’ve done a veg shepherd’s pie before (hey—good for St. Patrick’s Day!), but the Famous Bowl is so totally AMERICA (Fourth of July?!). Throw some hot dogs or Cooler Ranch Doritos on top, and we could rename it the Freedom Bowl.

To the liberated vegans and vegetarians of the world I vehemently remind you:
Twizzlers CAN be a meal,
tofu tastes best deep fried with gravy,
soy dream “ice cream” goes great in malt liquor,
and most importantly,
Paul Davis is your savior for making the single greatest culinary creation of our lifetimes safe for conscious consumption.
May the bowl indeed be infamous!

I don’t begrudge anyone their right to enjoy novelty food.

But the veganizing of the famous bowl is just about the pinnacle of non veganism to me. It adheres to the letter but not the spirit of the law in a troubling way. It is my opinion (and I live with him so I get an opinion) that Mr. Davis’ glee over the famous bowl, and I believe most people’s, has to do with the excitement of stretching the boundaries of what we can call a meal. It seems in plausible that the famous bowl’s contents could be combined and called a meal but if KFC says so then it must be okay to eat! I think what people are enjoying is it’s inherent ridiculousness and the almost kitsch value it has as a representative of Americana. By eating the famous bowl we are exercising our right as Americans to enjoy the incredible combinations of crappy foods that are our birth right.

To eat the famous bowl one must treat is as though it exists in a vacuum. The egregious combination of substances when taken as a whole represent a bowl of bad policy and the height of nutritional failure, reasons that would compel anyone to agree it’s inedible. I hold the same position as Mr. Davis in that I have no desire to fight things in the you’re damned for eating a cheeseburger vein. We agreed before he moved in to respect each other’s lifestyles and this was in a pro cheeseburger phase for Mr. Davis. Still he’s crossing the line perpetuating the “self-flagellation” myth about vegans. I am always surprised when people comment,” That’s nice for you but I actually enjoy my food.” I would be willing to argue that I enjoy my food more than the most fervent famous bowl consumer.

I can appreciate my food in a different way because I am aware of it’s relationship to my body and I understand how it is interacting with me. I appreciate it as a very specific choice, I eat what I eat on purpose with a clear sense of why I choose it as opposed to other food. I appreciate my food because in a daily way I am expressing my own ethical and moral beliefs regarding my own health, the health of animals we consume and the health of our country. I appreciate my food because I don’t feel duped or confused by the FDA, I am making my choices free of influence. I understand what is necessary and unnecessary for my well being and don’t second guess my choices because of a new ad campaign for bread or pork or milk or what have you.

And to Mr. Davis’ Acorn Squash comment- it has been my experience that by cutting out the many many additives and stimulants we take for granted in our food I can actually taste an acorn squash and appreciate it’s flavor. I remember after the first three weeks of vegan living eating a power bar and feeling like I had just buried my face in a bag of sugar. I realized that my taste buds we’re operating from a new perspective and my ability to taste food had completely changed.

Finally veganism is not about recreating the famous bowl to me. Mr. Davis is still participating in what is often referred to as the world of Industrial Organics or at the very least the new mass culture of “healthful” foods that get sold on the merit of undefinable words like “natural” on the packaging. Buying Chick Patties is not vegan to me, yes there are no meat or dairy products in it, but there are also zero meaningful health benefits and they perpetuate a negative idea about what a meal MUST consist of. Veganism should be about health not replacing one nutritionally poor habit for another.

While I respect Mr. Davis’ whimsy and dedication to humorous and novelty food items I would ask that he enjoy these things without knocking my desire to eat swiss chard.

I’m totally a meat-eater, but I had the most bangin’ mac and cheese I’ve ever had in my life at this place called Soul Vegetarian Cafe and Exodus this past weekend and it’s vegan. I went back and had some more today. Soooo good!

To wit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slinger

Game on.