Moby, one of my favorite musicians, was at the Skirball Cultural Center last night on tour speaking about his new book Gristle. It’s a compilation of 10 chapters on topics including health, environment, and government subsidies that make less healthy food cheaper and more accessible that healthier options. Moby’s got quite a sense of humor. He’s funny.
Moby co-edited Gristle with leading food policy activist Miyun Park, a spunky, tattooed, muscular, well spoken, Korean American beauty. Nice to see a strong Korean American woman who obviously tells it like it is, no holds bar.
Moby explained how he used to be one of those annoying, extremist vegans, and would irritate his family and friends. Today, he has compassion and understanding for people from all backgrounds and experiences. Rather than being militant about veganism, he recommended we lead by example by looking healthy and happy. I love his message, and share the same philosophy. We won’t win people over by making them feel bad, alienated, or wrong.
I was happy to be able to gift Moby with an early copy of Ani’s Raw Food Essentials, and Miyun with a copy of Ani’s Raw Food Desserts. 
I met up with the lovely Frances Fisher, nominated in 1998 for her outstanding performance in the film the Titanic. Frances was sharing with me her story about her last Christmas event that was catered vegan. No one realized there was no meat served. That’s always the best way, when the food tastes so good, no one misses the meat!
I looked up Frances’ age (born 1952), and my goodness, she looks great! Obviously, her diet and lifestyle make her radiate with health and vitality.
The same crew where all there to see Moby as the past several days of vegan events: Brendan Brazier (contributor to Gristle, bravo!), Robert Cheeke, Jordan and Jolia Allen, Benny Chan, Kato Space, and many other friends. It was a great eve, and I’m realizing I need to get back to the Skirball to check out the exhibits during the day soon.
I’m so thankful to hear about Moby’s attitude towards others. Absolutely no one wants to be told what to do and how to be, especially about something as personal as their food choices. Too many vegans come across as grim, angry and humorless. I believe they are negatively affecting their own health holding all that outrage and anger. I have a yoga book called Yoga of the Heart, by Alice Christensen. She had some profound mystical experiences and started teaching yoga in the sixties. She was definitely a yogi back when yoga wasn’t cool. In her discussion of ahimsa, nonviolence, she mentions that she became a vegetarian. She says to this day she never shares anything about her food choices unless asked. She believes that to try to persuade others to change is in itself a subtle form of violence (and sometimes not so subtle). I have taken that message to heart. Sister Chan Khong, a close associate of buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn, answers a question about being vegetarian this way:
“Thay Nhat Hahn asks us to practice mindfulness deeply every time we eat or drink. If we do so, we may find that our appetite for meat and fish begins to diminish. The important thing is to be aware of what we consume….Some vegetarians are too extreme, and are unkind to those who cannot give up meat-eating. I am more comfortable with a meat-eater than an extremist vegetarian who is filled with self-righteousness.”
I couldn’t agree more, and hooray for Moby. So glad to see this expressed.
Well said Mindy, I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for sharing!
i love both you and moby, you guys are the best!
Moby is the man, I’ve always like his music and his message even before I was Raw Vegan. I really like how he says “Rather than being militant about veganism, lead by example by looking healthy and happy.”
…YES…
This has been my mantra and is exactly how I live my daily life. We’ve got something very special with the Raw Vegan lifestyle… no words required. The vast majority of the Raw foodie community look radiant, healthy and are kindhearted loving people… nuff said! 🙂
ONElove,
-Brother Echo
In my opinion, Moby is one of the greatest musicians of our generation.
It is wonderful that he is so environmentally-and health-conscious.
I have had a similar challenge moving from being an overly hard core vegan and raw food advocate to trying to be more compassionate towards the vast majority of people who are not as concerned with these issues…
Moby and Ani are two my “heroes.”
Music I love, food I love, what a lovely marriage!!
DEAR ANI’S I HAVE BEEN HEALTH CONSCIOUS SINCE
THE DAY I MET DR BERNARD JENSEN ,BUT NEVER
TOOK THE PATH INTO BECOMING A VEGAN UNTIL SIX
MONTHS AGO AND YES I HAVE FOUND MYSELF TELLING
MY FRIENDS TO GO VEGAN ,AND TODAY I REALIZED I
HAVE TO KEEP MY MOUTH CLOSED AND LET PEOPLE TAKE
THE ROAD THEY WISH AS OF THIS TIME THEY ARE STILL
MY FRIENDS.SINCE READING JORDAN RUBIN BOOK ON RAW
TRUTH AND WATCHING YOUR VIDEOS ON THESE DELICIOUS
RECIPES ,I DO HAVE A VITA MIX SO I MAY GIVE THE
RAW ROUTE A TRY IAM 77 YEARS OLD STILL ACTIVE IN
BUSINESS SO AT MY AGE I THINK I WILL GIVE IT A TRY
AND TRY SOME OF YOUR RECIPES.I PRESUME I CAN
PURCHASE ONE OF YOUR RECIPE BOOKS ON LINE AND WHICH
ONE WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THAT IS SIMPLE AND QUICK
REGARDS
MARTIN CARRIGAN