Dialect and Diet

Popular media has become extremely fond of catchy combo nouns:  Bennifer, Brangelina, TomKat, and so on.  After my initial annoyance, I’ve come to realize that I can’t really blame them.  There are some extremely useful Frankenstein words out there, although you won’t catch me uttering any of the aforementioned.  The American Dialect Society recently voted “plutoed” as its new word of the year.  Other contenders included “boomeritis,” “firecrotch,” and “lactard” (my personal favorite).  In case you were wondering, plutoed  means “to demote or devalue someone or something, as happened to the former planet Pluto when the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union decided Pluto no longer met its definition of a planet.”  I dare say it’s quite useful.

However, my all time favorite new word is the 2003 Champion, “flexitarian.”  It precisely describes my diet and personal convictions surrounding nutrition.  Although I am incredibly disgusted by the treatment of animals in the meat industry as a whole, I have not decided to become vegan.  I have several reasons.

1. I feel that the exclusion of all meat and animal by-products from my diet would result in numerous uncomfortable situations, not the least of which would be offending my host or going hungry.  This is largely due to my close family and state of residence.
2. In matters of diet, I believe in moderation and variety.  Meat is high in saturated fat and contributes greatly to our nation’s high rates of obesity, heart disease, and cancer.  When I cook for myself during the week, I never prepare a meat or poultry dish.  My meals usually include a fruit or vegetable, a whole grain, some dairy, and a lean protein such as tofu or fish.
3. I refuse to give up animal by-products, especially dairy.  I have a cook’s soul and am in love with traditional methods and ingredients.

A flexitarian understands the benefits of a mostly meatless diet while acknowledging that an occasional deviation is healthy and normal.  Whether it be due to social constraints or the love of a particular dish, flexitarians are…flexible.  Not only that, flexitarians are aware and, intentionally or not, forward thinking.