The Sexual Politics of the Vegetarian Section of the Freezer!

Was doing my grocery shopping today. On my way to the vegetarian section of the freezer, I noticed there was a man choosing some vegetarian frozen options. Noone out of the ordinary, your average Joe if you will, but you know what? I stopped in my tracks because at the moment that I noticed him, I had to mentally slap myself on my mental behind because not only was I shocked, but I was also puzzled. Puzzled that a MAN would be buying vegetarian food. Had it been a woman I am certain my reaction would have been blind indifference. However, here was this man making the choice I agree with and do you know what rushed through my mind?? "Huh! What's HE doing there? Oh, he's probably buying for his girlfriend!"
Can you believe that?? This is what society has reduced us to! It's a truth as old as time, but for a man not to eat MEAT points negatively toward his masculinity! For a woman, it has always been expected that she would ensure her man received the meat, since he was the dominant member of the family and for the dominant member of the family, the best foods are firstly his. Confound it, but I still cannot believe I subconsiously associate men with meat and meat with power. But I do. I do, and I believe that mostly everyone does too.
This was the idea behind an extremely interesting book I read last year. Click here
to check it out. The objectification of animals is equated with the objectification of women. The consumption of meat, equated with the consumption of women (whether through pornography or rape). It's an extremely interesting book and one which I would encourage anyone to read.



According to the website here's a little peek at what to expect:

- Sexualized fragmentation. Fragmented body parts of animals who will be eaten depicted in such a way that thoughts of women as sex objects are clearly evoked as well. Breast and thighs advertised on menus, as well as specific examples like "We serve the best legs in town," draw upon the patriarchal fixation on women's bodyparts.

- Animals feminized/sexualized. Animals presented in poses and clothes human females are represented in our culture (svelte legs, a "chick" in high heels, often animals posed like women, animals who are four-legged made to appear both "sexy" and bipedal, animals in bikinis). "I ate a pig..." Exactly who are they referring to?

- Back-entry shots of both animals and women. In pornography, back entry shots are constructed to convey both women's accessibility and imputes to them an "animal-like" nature, that is, "animal-like" in a speciesist culture, a view that sees women as desiring being sodomized; sometimes animals who are seen as consumable are positioned that way as an invitation to consumption.

- Connecting flesh eating and other forms of animal oppression to prostitution and pornography ("strip", "buck-naked", "Live Nude Lobsters!", and the "Happy Hooker," etc.).


Now you must excuse me, I have some peas to shell and a hut to clean... "COMING HONEY"

The Sagernator

THE SAGERNATOR...

Possibly coming to an Irish City near you soon!! Stay Tuned!!

Don't Correct Disney! Or Israel!

Listening to the "Tiny Cities" album by Sun Kil Moon, those of you in Cork, you should have read my review on it! In the fabulous An Sceal... No? *sigh* Yes I know, I hadnt heard of it either, until they asked me to start doing reviews that is.

Today, Liam Thornton told me a story which I think pretty much sums up the attitude taken by the States (and its Corporations) towards Israel.
While in school, him and his class were taken to Euro Disney, Paris, for a trip. Anyhow, some ride, I think it was "It's A Small World" (the classic that it is), showed the countries around the world and their respective capital cities. Jerusalem was listed as the capital of Israel. What was the capital of Palestine? Nothing, since there was no mention of Palestine...at all. Liams teacher stood up and brought to the attention of the workers there that the information shown was wrong, and that Jerusalem is NOT the capital of Israel. The capital of that "country" is Tel Aviv. Simply a teacher of Geography pointing out a simple mistake. Like if they listed Manchester as the capital of England. I'm sure it would be EXPECTED that someone would point out the mistake.

Apparently Disney didnt take lightly to this simple correction...they threw the teacher out of the ride for Anti-Semitism!!

A Helpless Situation?!

I've always been told never to talk about religion or politics. Why? Because it just leads to arguments. Somehow though, I seem to always want to talk politics. And I'm not referring to internal national politics. I'm referring to INTERNATIONAL politics. Especially things close to my heart...for example the Palestinian situation.
I cannot explain how much what's happening to the Palestinians upsets me. Even talking about it upsets me, and what gets me the most is that way that the majority of the world are Pro-Israeli. Or if not Pro-Israeli, then Pro-letting it all carry on the way its been for the last century because they couldnt care less.

This is the problem with the world...they couldnt care less. As long as they're happy, as long as they are not directly affected, they're happy to carry on even while this injustice is being carried out not very far away.

Im so sick of it, because I don't know what I can do. How can I make people care? How can I change the way people think? How can I make some people realise that the way they are thinking is completely one-sided and totally influenced by Western media? I dont know what I can do. I don't know what I should do. It feels like such a helpless situation. For once in my life...I feel totally, completely and utterly helpless.

The Sugar Hut

What an amazing end to a brilliant weekend!!

Last night we went to what has to be one of the coolest places I've been to in a long long time. The Sugar Hut.

The girls made reservations, and we arrived to the place. All that marked The Sugar Hut out along the street was a massive, black, iron door towering over the sidewalk. No way to open it from the outside. Just a doorbell, and a small round peep hole of sorts.
We rang the doorbell and waited...
A dark shadow was cast upon the peep hole as someone plainly stepped up to the door and looked us up and down. Slowly the door swung open...
"Can I help you ladies?" A bouncer of gigantic proportions stood in the doorway, and by his side, a little man that couldnt have been taller than our waists.

Our names were on the list, and the, now gentle, giant stepped back, and let us through. We stepped into the dark and with a flourish, the BFG had parted the thick velvet curtains that hung before us. We had arrived. We had discovered an eden among the dark, dirty streets of London. We were home.

Before us lay a sea of people lounging on sofas, cushions, tables... the air was thick with the smoke of a thousand cigarettes and a hundred shieshas. The atmosphere was static. The crowd electric. The mood chilled. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings, candles lit the tables...and in the background. In the background was the funkiest beat I have ever heard. Every atom in your body was vibrating with the need to dance. The desire to move. Of their own accord your walking feet stepped in time to the bass. Your hips swayed in time to the rhythm. Whatever you wanted to say or do was put on hold... the desire to surrender to the mood, surrender to the music...the desire to do so was overwhelming.

We were shown to our table, and then began one of the funk-tasti-est nights of my life!
One of the best things about The Sugar Hut was the feeling, nay the knowing, that what happens in The Sugar Hut, stays in The Sugar Hut. No matter who you were, no matter what you did, the fact seemed to remain that within the confines of that eden in Fulham, you were merely another person searching for that perfect beat in that perfect place. The band who were playing there were called "Rain" and if you EVER get the chance to check them out I couldn't encourage you more. Although the vocalist brought alot to the performance, you knew that without him the beats would still be just as freaky and just as freaking good.

Service at The Sugar Hut was very good, with

taxi just came! ill finish later

Dancing With The Common People

Well its a bright, crisp, fresh morning in London town and I've just had my breakfast and had a daily dose of Sex in the City...the TV series that is!
Absolutely WRECKED! Got to sleep at about 7 this morning and subsequently dragged myself out of bed 4 hours later! The LAST thing I want to do while in London is sleep! Although, believe me, the need to do so is quite over-whelming!

The girls are still asleep, and rather than wake them up too early, I'm going to update everyone on our Saturday night escapades.

First and foremost, before I delve into our midnight adventures, I feel that I really must tell you that I fell in love yesterday. Somehow deep in my heart I know this is neither fleeting nor superficial. It's as real as I am, and I'll tell you this much...I'm a changed woman. Yesterday in Portobello market, I found the shoes that I want to spend the rest of my life with! They were f**king amazing boots, and I was so close to bringing myself to the point of bankruptcy and shelling out the 600 pounds for them there and then! Only thing stopping me was the fact that they didnt have my size yet. Still though, like I said yesterday... at least I had my moment with them!

Portobello Market was great. The atmosphere was addictive and there were some unbelievably original clothes, shoes and accessories! All types of people, all types of things...a perfect metaphor for the city of London itself.

We tried to get a table at Nobu for dinner last night, but unfortunately we couldnt. Even though Mudawi has Virtue, which is this cool phone that provides access to a concierge 24 hours a day. Usually he can get you anything...but apparently last night Nobu was the exception. Not to worry though, because we went for the most delicious Japanese noodles in Soho instead! Yum!

For an update on what else we did check out Buthy and Leen's blog...I'll add their address to my quick links on my sidebar.

Our clubbing experience was cut short by the arrival of some obscure pop star called Antoine (WHO?!) and his entourage. Honest to God, they even had a camera man with them. I use the term "man" loosely, as he more resembled someones 12 year old brother with a camera on his shoulder. Honestly, I felt like a second class citizen! The bouncers were pushing everyone out of the way for these people who obviously believed they were much more famous than they really were. They had a table, which we didnt. Nope, we were resigned to standing on the dance floor...the cattle mart that most clubs are! A table for our crowd would have cost 1000 pounds! One Thousand Pounds?! No thank you! Maybe if it was somewhere incredibly amazing, but this was just an ordinary club. Nothing more, nothing less. So we danced with the commoners while Antoine and his not-good-looking-at-all posse watched on. Hmmm..somehow, no matter how hard they tried, they just couldn't pull off that LA gangster feel that you know they so desperately were trying to project!

Needless to say, we left for greener pastures! Something a little closer to home, and had hummous, fatayer, sambousa, and all the rest of it in a cosy little Lebanese place that apparently never closes!

So that was yesterday, and today's today, and I've wasted too much time telling you all about it! It's time to go get ready and head into town.