Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Lifestyle and Something Publicly Paleo: A tangent?

You know, something that I've come to realize is that when people can categorize something they tend to analyze how they feel about it and either approve or shut it down. Categorization makes things easier. OK-- so that is a little vague. I believe the "paleo/primal" crowd tends to be more quiet about their eating than many of the other (categorized) eaters of any particular food-choice, but it seems that the general public has this instant urge to tell you how they feel about it. If you met someone and said "I prefer chocolate pudding to vanilla," they would probably take it at face value. If you told someone "I don't eat spicy food," same gig. As soon as yous start with "I try to avoid grain..." or anything of the sort, they will immediately become defensive and, surprisingly, quite self-righteously expert on the subject. Can you imagine in the first case if you told someone that you prefer "Chocolate Pudding" if they quickly scowled and said "What are you, on a diet? You are wrong and Vanilla Pudding is perfectly fine and actually it is better for your health. I'm just saying. You are wrong."

For some of us (I'm trying to avoid the self-righteous, hipsteresque "I did it first" feel here) Paleo living is a nice kind of thing to have a name for because it organizes and categorizes what we largely already believed. It makes it easier to find your lifestyle compadres and recipes you trust or activities you'd like. I remember when I was a little kid, growing up with mom's old Tabi socks and an affinity for Tabi-boots, designing three-toed (like a paw) boots that would help you run while letting your toes spread out, and then a foot-shaped shoe as well. Cool, Vibram made a move years later and made such things available. I remember making my favorite dinner, Salmon and Broccoli, as soon as my parents had somewhere to go in the evening. It doesn't mean I knew everything, or that I "was there first," but that primal living definitely was not a difficult transition for me. I always wanted to be strong and I believe my best-friend and I were the only girls in the high-school weight-training class. I went dove-hunting with dad. I live the way I live because it is my lifestyle, tried and true, and I would hope that most humans can say the same-- though every day we are faced with things that make us wonder.

Now why is it that the general public seems bent on belittling the choices of the other part of the general public? I don't mind if you're a boxer. I don't care if you like country. I'm alright if you're a vegan, just don't preach to me. Part of what I like about 'this' 'lifestyle' is that I have seen, thus far, the lack of general evangelism-- but as time progresses, and popularity increases, there will inevitably be those radical 'Primal Preachers' that give us a bad name. Please, guys. Leave the preaching in your dining room and eat with the world in peace. And certainly-- if you and I eat differently-- either have an intelligent, open-minded conversation, or better yet... shut up and eat.

No comments: