Challenging Meat’s Dominance:

From Counterculture to Systems Change with Alicia Kennedy

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About the Guest

Alicia Kennedy is a food and culture writer. She is the author of the bestselling book No Meat Required: The Cultural History and Culinary Future of Plant-Based Eating and the forthcoming On Eating: The Making and Unmaking of My Appetites. Desde mi escritorio, a collection of her essays in translation, was published in Spain, and her recipes have been included in Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Eating and the 50th anniversary edition of Diet for a Small Planet. Her work has been published in Harper’s Bazaar, Mold, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Lux, and the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Food Studies, and it has been anthologized in Best American Food Writing. She has given talks at MIT, Tufts University, Boston University, UC Berkeley, and more. From the Desk of Alicia Kennedy, her weekly newsletter on culture, media, and politics, has 40,000 subscribers and has been mentioned in The New York Times, Vogue, The Nation, The Atlantic, and more outlets. 

About this episode

In this episode of the Eat for the Planet podcast, Nil Zacharias speaks with Alicia Kennedy, author of No Meat Required, about challenging meat’s dominance in the food system and exploring the cultural, culinary, and systemic shifts needed to create meaningful change. They discuss how plant-based eating, rooted in countercultural movements, can serve as a force for transformation while navigating the challenges of identity, desirability, and accessibility. Alicia critiques the focus on hyper-realistic meat substitutes and advocates for a return to celebrating vegetables, grains, and whole foods as a path to reimagining food systems. She emphasizes the importance of community-driven food and the need for systemic solutions that address labor, access, and sustainability.

Key Takeaways

  1. Meat as a Cultural Symbol: Meat represents more than sustenance—it’s deeply tied to cultural identity, masculinity, and affluence, making it resistant to change.

  2. Challenges of Plant-Based Meats: The focus on replicating meat may alienate consumers; celebrating vegetables and whole foods could be a more effective approach.

  3. The Role of Identity: People’s reluctance to adopt plant-based eating often stems from resistance to the identity or ideology associated with veganism, rather than the food itself.

  4. Reviving Countercultural Roots: Reconnecting with the values-driven, community-based ethos of early plant-based movements could help reinvigorate the space.

  5. Desirability and Normalization: Making plant-based food desirable and accessible, without emphasizing its absence of meat, is key to shifting consumer mindsets.

  6. Personal Connection to Food: Alicia underscores the importance of empowering individuals to cook and enjoy plant-based meals as a way to reconnect with food systems and build a sense of community.

  7. Broader Vision for the Food System: A sustainable food future requires addressing systemic issues like labor practices, food access, and economic inequality alongside promoting plant-based eating.