Our Desk | The food discrimination chain

Julie Zhu

Do you eat blood? I mean any kind of edible blood, like the French and the Chinese do. Do you eat goose liver like the French, or pig liver like the Chinese? Why? Because you must be careful with what animals you eat, with what parts of the animal you eat, and which country you eat like if you wish to stay on top of the food discrimination chain.
This chain of discrimination has different circles and each circle has a different ranking. If you are unlucky and have found yourself on the lowest level already, please don’t discriminate against yourself at least.
There is the meat circle, vegetable circle and the fruit circle. First of all, be proud of yourself if you happen to belong to the meat circle, as this circle is the “highest” among the three, followed by the vegetable circle and finally, the fruit circle. Simply speaking, vegetarians discriminate against meat eaters, and, in turn, fruitarians discriminate against the other two. However, since the majority of successful people are meat eaters, then meat eaters are the superior circle and have the right to feel as though they are as well.
Assuming you have already established which circle you belong to, here’s the point: I believe that the majority of us have identified ourselves as belonging to the meat circle.
Interestingly, inside the meat circle itself a massive discrimination chains exist where you can find yourself a place.
Speaking in terms of cuts of meat, the meat-eating discrimination chain works a bit like this: if you eat what’s considered “normal” meat, you are on top; if you eat “abnormal” parts, such as livers, you are somewhere in the middle; and if you eat “dirty” parts, such as feet, you are at the bottom. Yes, I know this is a blunt interpretation. I believe you know that this chain could be even more detailed.
Speaking in terms of the type of “animal,” consuming the same parts of different animals also gives you a different superiority. For example, eating the liver of various animals may define how “noble” or how “peasant-like” you are. If you wish to stay on top of the chain, please make sure you eat foie gras, or goose liver. If you happen to like pig liver, then I’m sorry but I have some bad news for you: you’ve hit rock bottom.
Eating food at an improper time may also change your life. If you eat meat or fried rice for breakfast, unfortunately, you are the “lowest” tier in the chain. If you eat a slice of bread and have a cup of tea for breakfast, you may be in the middle. If you buy a slice of pastry and have a cup of coffee, and it must be an espresso, then congratulations, you have every right to discriminate against everyone else.
When you eat, just be sure to be careful about what you eat for which meal, the hour at which you eat, the drink you choose, and the kind of tableware you choose.
If you desperately want to win this competition, try this tip: name which country the food comes from.
Furthermore, to win at this game, especially if you are afraid of other people’s judgement, may I also suggest that you simply not eat?
Honestly speaking, if you happen to be on top of these chains, please remember that what other people eat is none of your business. If you are at the bottom of these chains, please tell others that it’s none of their business either.