FAMED LABOR ORGANIZER, civil-rights activist, and longtime vegetarian César Chávez once said: “The people who give you their food give you their heart.” Known best for unionizing California farmworkers, Chávez (whose connection to his dog Boycott inspired him to give up meat) is an icon when it comes to practicing radical non-violence, so it’s no surprise that his worldview extended to his plate (it’s also no surprise that his great-grandniece is modern-day environmental and animal activist Genesis Butler).
Chávez might as well have been a man after my own heart, because in the tradition of my cultures (Jewish and Italian)—and probably in your cultures, too—food is a very clear way to express affection. So
