In the summer of 2017, my trusty Ford Taurus sedan, a vehicle I bought new in 2008, was pushing 215,000 on the odometer and growing tired. Maine’s winters and the deterioration they cause were winning the battle. My attempts at DIY body shop touch-up weren’t able to keep up, as “rust never sleeps.”
When you’re 6’3”, compacts and sub-compacts won’t do. I figured I’d remain in a sedan, and so began my search for a lightly-used vehicle that wouldn’t break the bank. I looked at several brands including Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda. It was time to end my Ford streak I’d been on since the 1990s.
I ended up with a 2014 Honda Accord and after Sunday’s ho-hum Super Bowl and the Hyundai ad dissing vegans, I’m so glad I didn’t opt for their Sonata.
Glad I have a Honda, not a Hyundai.
I’m sure the “geniuses” that populate Hyundai’s creative suite or whoever they farm their marketing out to thought that equating a vegan dinner party with things like a root canal and jury duty among other dreaded tasks was piss-your-pants-funny, but what it really did was show how out-of-touch the creators really were. And what fucking vegan do you know (if you know any!) has even heard of beetloaf? I’ve been plant-based for more than two years and I’ve never considered making one. I have a great “meatloaf” that’s plant-based and you’d never know it if I served it to you.
The usual suspects have weighed-in, like PETA. That’s cool. Despite the stereotyping that this committed organization endures, they were spot-on in calling out Hyundai for the ad.
One of the reasons I became a vegan was because I couldn’t deny how damn good the food was that I was eating that was plant-based: none of it required slaughtering animals, either. All the reasons that non-vegans cling to in justifying their diets that contribute to climate change as well as unnecessary cruelty and suffering for animals are similar to the car company’s failed attempt at comedy—they are outdated and missing the shift happening in food throughout the world, especially in countries that don’t allow the meat and dairy lobbies to dictate dietary choices.
Anyone Mary and I have ever entertained and cooked for never got served anything like beetloaf. I’m amazed at how broad our palates have become since we decided to embrace a plant-based diet.
But the narrow-minded and ill-informed will continue clinging to their ideas about food that aren’t rooted in science or even culinary acumen.
Oh, and btw, the winning team’s quarterback, the age-defying Tom Brady—arguably the greatest QB of all-time—eats a plant-based diet that seeks to reduce inflammation. And despite out-playing peers that are nearly 20 years younger than him, hacks-masquerading-as-journalists continue mocking him with their equivalent of “come on Tom, just eat a goddamned steak and shut the fuck-up, will you!”
No recipes for beetloaf, here.
As Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero wrote in their wonderful book, Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, “Vegan Food=Normal Food.” They go on to say that their “mission in life is to prove that vegan food doesn’t have to be repetitive, difficult, or inaccessible.” A good cookbook and some skills in the kitchen will take you far with your plant-based food prep and their book is a must-have.
And Hyundai—you need to be better, too.