Vegans are often pegged as being high-maintenance people. We make fun of them for constantly informing waiters about their animal product-free diet. And we roll our eyes every time our vegan friend asks if literally everything is, in fact, vegan. Although these stereotypes aren’t always true, some vegans are bolstering people’s preconceived notions by trying to rid the world of meat-related iconic phrases. Say goodbye to “bringing home the bacon,” and hello to “bringing home the bagels,” or perhaps, “bringing home the beans, tofu, and a helping of tempeh.”
On November 22nd, Shareena Z. Hamzah, a postdoctoral researcher at Swansea University, published an article on the academic blog site The Conversation entitled, “How the rise of veganism may tenderise fictional language.” In her piece, Hamzah recounts how meat has been an important part of every meal for hundreds of years, and has therefore migrated into everyday fiction, metaphor, and language.
However, with veganism gaining popularity, Hamzah believes we may see a shift in our use of meat-related idioms.
“Given that fiction often reflects on real world events and societal issues, it may very well be that down the line powerful meat metaphors are eschewed,” Hamzah writes. “While [it’s] unlikely we’ll start saying that someone has been overlooked like ‘chopped cabbage,’ some shift in language is inevitable.”
Hamzah believes that as vegan ideals become more mainstream, the intensity of meat-related idioms will increase and become less “socially acceptable.”
She continues, “The image of ‘killing two birds with one stone’ is, if anything, made more powerful by the animal-friendly alternative of ‘feeding two birds with one scone’. If veganism forces us to confront the realities of food’s origins, then this increased awareness will undoubtedly be reflected in our language and our literature.”
In her piece, Hamzah links to a PETA article pertaining to animal-friendly idioms. The organization suggests using phrases like, “spill the beans” rather than “let the cat out of the bag,” or “be the test tube” instead of “be the guinea pig.”
PETA argues that switching common idioms with animal-friendly ones in the presence of young children will lessen normalization of abuse.
“Teaching students to use animal-friendly language can cultivate positive relationships between all beings and help end the epidemic of youth violence toward animals,” the organization writes.
As Hamzah concludes, the shift from these commonly used idioms to pro-animal ones will take time — that is, if it happens at all. Until then, keep bringing home the bacon or getting that bread. The choice of idiom is up to you.
