Lesson 29

Veggie

Part One

Watch the video and do the exercises

Part Two

The Most Famous Vegetarians in History

The name of the ancient philosopher Pythagoras of Samos (c. 570—c. 500–490 BCE) is so closely tied to the idea of rejecting meat and fish that until the word vegetarianism was first used in the 1840s, such diets were often called “Pythagorean.” It’s surprising, then, to find out that there is some debate over whether or not Pythagoras did actually practice a vegetarian diet in the modern sense.

The problem is that Pythagoras didn’t leave any writings behind, and there are no detailed accounts of his behavior. Many sources say that Pythagoras followed a restrictive diet that did not include animal flesh. There is confusion about the specifics of the diet, though. Some reported that the Pythagoreans refused to eat any animals and even went so far as to avoid hunters and butchers.

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo’s vegetarianism has not been proved beyond all doubt. But there is some evidence that he may have practiced vegetarianism. First, there is a contemporary letter that describes Leonardo as refusing to eat animal flesh. It is a letter from the Italian explorer Andrea Corsali describing the vegetarians he had encountered in India: “Certain people are so gentle that they do not feed on anything which has blood, nor will they allow anyone to hurt any living thing, like our Leonardo da Vinci.”

We also have Leonardo’s notebooks. Although he never mentions whether or not he personally ate meat, Leonardo’s writings display a deep concern with animal welfare and horror over the fact that animals are raised to be killed and eaten by humans.

Gandhi

The great Indian leader and activist was a vegetarian from childhood, having been raised in a Vaishnava Hindu family that practiced vegetarianism. In his adolescence, though, Gandhi strayed from the traditions of his family, smoking and occasionally eating meat. Gandhi reaffirmed his commitment to vegetarianism while studying law in England, even though it often meant walking 10 or 12 miles a day to find vegetarian restaurants.

Mary Shelley

The term vegetarian didn’t exist at the start of the Romantic era, but some of the literary figures most closely associated with that time followed meatless diets. One of the characteristic ideas of the Romantic movement was a deep appreciation for the beauty of nature; for many Romantic intellectuals this was simply incompatible with eating meat.

Mary Shelley, the author usually credited with creating the genre of science fiction with her book Frankenstein, ate a meatless diet, and the book itself can be read as a kind of vegetarian manifesto. If you’re familiar with the Frankenstein story from one of the film versions, you’re aware that the monster is assembled from parts of corpses. In the original, though, Shelley specifies that the monster’s parts come not just from hospitals but from the slaughterhouse, a place she must have regarded with equal horror.

Despite the terrifying and unnatural circumstances of his creation, the monster himself is a vegetarian and lives in communion with nature.

John Harvey Kellogg

At the turn of the century, the medical doctor and health-food fan John Harvey Kellogg was the biggest supporter of vegetarianism in the United States. Kellogg promoted vegetarianism as part of a philosophy of “biologic living” that also required people to avoid alcohol and tobacco and to exercise vigorously. He sought to accomplish this by placing his patients on a bland diet that was low in protein and high in carbohydrates. Two of the food products that he invented for that diet, granola and cornflakes, are still around today.

Part Three

Movie Trailer

The Game Changers

Part Four

Vegan Celebrities

Zac Efron

In recent years Zac Efron has become a vegan, even crediting his toned physique to his plant-based diet.

Sia

Superstar Sia has been a committed vegan since 2014.

Benedict Cumberbatch

He announced the lifestyle change during promotion for Avengers when he was asked if he had to eat anything “gross” to get in the shape for the movie: “No, no – well, I eat a plant-based diet”

Ellie Goulding

In January 2018, Ellie Goulding announced her decision to go vegan. "Once I fully understood where meat came from … I found that concept quite hard to live with. If you don't need meat to survive, I don't see why you have to have it”

Miley Cyrus

Miley has never been one to shy away from her ever-changing lifestyle choices but her path to veganism in 2014 was slightly more subtle than the rest. After the death of her dog, Floyd, her animal eating days were over.

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande chose to take a completely began path in 2013. During an interview with the Mirror she said "I love animals more than I love most people, not kidding".