Anntian Spring'11, Eat the Living & Animal Rescue Corps

• ANNTIAN's Spring 2011 lookbook, inspired by the natural, ripe lushness of fruit, features bright colors,  organic, lux textures and patters, and hints of psychedelic tribalism - an ode to the future hippie in a sane world. Anttian says "Behind this is our wish to touch on the subject of how important the relationship and behavior towards nature and food and "living together" is. Anntiain strives to use sustainable materials like organic cotton.

• "Should we name them?" This was one of the first things one of the "foodies" asked before eating live lobster at 15 East for the sake of Zagat. Immediately the woman in the middle says, "No That will give them personality" and the man on the far right, "then there'll be a whole faction of PETA people that think we're terrible". Eating an animal while it's still squirming requires a serious disconnect, but even more-so, it requires a desire to be seen as controversial, edgy, experimental, brave and cool . The website challenges, "If you’re brave enough to experience it yourself, the special is $120 and feeds two." Listening to the people in the video fumble through rationalizations for doing this is amazing. See for yourself:

This reminds me of the recent article, The Moral Crusade Against Foodies, by B. R. Myers, which is a must-read for anyone concerned with food and ethics issues.

Image credit: John Cuneo

“A true gastronome,” according to a British dining manual of the time, “is as insensible to suffering as is a conqueror.” But for the past several decades, factory farms have made meat ever cheaper and—as the excellent book The CAFO [Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations] Reader makes clear—the pain and trauma are thrown in for free. The contemporary gourmet reacts by voicing an ever-stronger preference for free-range meats from small local farms. He even claims to believe that well-treated animals taste better, though his heart isn’t really in it.

• I love the aesthetic of the Animal Rescue Corps. It's very effective, using a military-inspired logo and language like "serving" animals.  The real heroism of this organization is showcased in their organized,  rescue operations - and President Scotlund Haisley is certainly a Discerning Brute, with impressive and extensive experience in animal rescue, shelters, advocacy, fund-raising and legislation - even rehabilitating 11 of Michael Vick's dogs, and working to rescue of over 1,000 animals in post-Katrina New Orleans. With a focus on Puppy Mills, Companion Animal Abuse, Animals in Agriculture, and Animals in Research, the Animal Rescue Corps is a reserve of true heroes. Why not join them?