Of Flaming Oreos and Bigoted Chickens

Lacking the time to write a real post, I did want to at least make note here of some of the interesting food politics things that have been going on...

In the wake of the fuss about Chick-Fil-A's anti-LGBT politics, Autostraddle published the hilariously-entitled Gays Fight To Enjoy Shitty Fast Food In Good Conscience, Which Is Impossible:

... part of what distinguishes queer politics from mainstream politics is our position outside of the mainstream, a position which enables us to question dominant culture and fight for the rights of all outsiders and disenfranchised or mistreated citizens. The fast food industry is an inexorable element of that dominant culture. For many of us, giving up fast food altogether is impractical and expensive, but it's silly to act like there's anything exalted about patronizing fast food restaurants in the first place. If Chick-fil-A does back down from its anti-gay stance, there's still plenty of issues for it to reckon with, and although I'm ambivalent about anybody's choice to eat there, I'd be disappointed to see the restaurant applauded by Gay Inc in any context. Fast food will never be ripe for the queering.

It's a bit like the flurry of activity that hit my facebook wall after Kraft/Nabisco released an ad with photo of a rainbow Oreo in time for Pride: mostly comments like "I CANT WAIT TO STUFF MY FACE WITH GAY OREOS!!!!"  I'm glad that Kraft is receiving positive public feedback about their gay-friendly policies, but at the end of the day, they're still the second-largest food corporation in the U.S., and you're still eating a cookie full o'corn syrup.  
 
Now, I will continue to indulge in some Oreo ice cream at Scoops from time to time, and I may even roll down to the Hollywood Chick-Fil-A next week to make out with my girlfriend... but I guess what I'm thinking is: the easier and "cooler" it is to be an "activist," the easier it is to have the same kind of knee-jerk reactions that characterize, well, you know, the other guys.  And I'm never going to eat Chick-Fil-A, no matter how many rainbow chicken sandwiches they offer to their angry gay customers.

Um, and here are some pickles I made out of cucumbers from Sina's garden.  Water, red wine vinegar, rice vinegar, and a little salt, sugar, and cayenne.