Ethicurean
Encyclopedia
An ethicurean is a person who attempts to combine ethical food consumption with an interest in epicureanism
, eating ethically without depriving oneself of taste. The approach takes into account the effect of one's food production and consumption
on the environment, as well as the quality of life of animals involved in production of anything they consume.
An ethicurean also commits to minimizing the amount of waste produced, the recycling
of waste and the mindful use of resources (energy, water etc).
The Ethicurean is the name of a collection of chefs that run the award winning café
at The Walled Garden
, Barley Wood in Wrington
, Somerset
. The café serves food from local suppliers including Trethowans Dairy, Lahloo Tea and Mark's Bread of Bedminster, Bristol. However, the majority of the food served at the café is sourced from the beautiful walled garden
in which the café sits. Apple juice
is also produced by the Ethicurean and is sold on site. In February 2011, The Ethicurean featured in the television show The Secret Supper Club on Channel 4
. In October 2011, The Ethicurean won the Observer Food Monthly award
for the best ethical restaurant in the UK.
and an adjective
.
As an adjective, it refers to tasty things that are also sustainable, organic, local, and/or ethical — SOLE food, for short.
As a noun, ethicurean means someone who seeks out ethicurean food, and pursues an ethicurean approach to food.
The term originated with the ethicurean group blog with the groups blog's announcement of existence in May 2006
. The following is an incomplete and sometimes conflicting list of considerations about what to eat. For example, Fair Trade
items may have many food miles
, but the distance traveled is offset by the fair price paid to producers.
. The ideal draws from the Slow Food movement http://www.slowfood.com/, among others.
movement, it is difficult to gauge the impact of ethicureanism. The viewpoint is part of a broader discussion on the local and global effects of food policy.
Back to the land movement
Epicureanism
Populism
Raw milk
Epicureanism
Epicureanism is a system of philosophy based upon the teachings of Epicurus, founded around 307 BC. Epicurus was an atomic materialist, following in the steps of Democritus. His materialism led him to a general attack on superstition and divine intervention. Following Aristippus—about whom...
, eating ethically without depriving oneself of taste. The approach takes into account the effect of one's food production and consumption
Consumption
Consumption may refer to:Economics* Use of final goods by a consumer until disposal* Consumption * Consumption function, an economic formula* Consumption Sociology* Consumption Other...
on the environment, as well as the quality of life of animals involved in production of anything they consume.
An ethicurean also commits to minimizing the amount of waste produced, the recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
of waste and the mindful use of resources (energy, water etc).
The Ethicurean is the name of a collection of chefs that run the award winning café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
at The Walled Garden
Walled garden
A walled garden is specifically a garden enclosed by high walls for horticultural rather than security purposes, though traditionally all gardens have been hedged about or walled for protection from animal or human intruders...
, Barley Wood in Wrington
Wrington
Wrington is a village and civil parish in North Somerset, England. It lies in the valley of the Congresbury Yeo river about east of Weston-super-Mare and south-east of Yatton. It is both a civil parish, with a population of 2,896, and an ecclesiastical parish...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. The café serves food from local suppliers including Trethowans Dairy, Lahloo Tea and Mark's Bread of Bedminster, Bristol. However, the majority of the food served at the café is sourced from the beautiful walled garden
Walled garden
A walled garden is specifically a garden enclosed by high walls for horticultural rather than security purposes, though traditionally all gardens have been hedged about or walled for protection from animal or human intruders...
in which the café sits. Apple juice
Apple juice
Apple juice is a fruit juice manufactured by the maceration and pressing of apples. The resulting expelled juice may be further treated by enzymatic and centrifugal clarification to remove the starch and pectin, which holds fine particulate in suspension, and then pasteurized for packaging in...
is also produced by the Ethicurean and is sold on site. In February 2011, The Ethicurean featured in the television show The Secret Supper Club on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. In October 2011, The Ethicurean won the Observer Food Monthly award
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
for the best ethical restaurant in the UK.
Definition
The word Ethicurean (rhymes with Epicurean, with which it is broadly synonymous) is used as both a nounNoun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
and an adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
.
As an adjective, it refers to tasty things that are also sustainable, organic, local, and/or ethical — SOLE food, for short.
As a noun, ethicurean means someone who seeks out ethicurean food, and pursues an ethicurean approach to food.
The term originated with the ethicurean group blog with the groups blog's announcement of existence in May 2006
Ethical concerns
There is considerable discussion regarding what is an ethicurean dietDiet
Diet, in relation to food, might mean:*Diet , the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group*Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake*Diet food, foods that aid in dieting...
. The following is an incomplete and sometimes conflicting list of considerations about what to eat. For example, Fair Trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
items may have many food miles
Food miles
Food miles is a term which refers to the distance food is transported from the time of its production until it reaches the consumer. Food miles are one factor used when assessing the environmental impact of food, including the impact on global warming....
, but the distance traveled is offset by the fair price paid to producers.
- SustainabilitySustainabilitySustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
in production, packaging, and transportation. - Organic products.
- Locally sourced products, such as items obtained from a farmer's market or local producer, with an emphasis on organic foodOrganic foodOrganic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
. - Items with fewer food milesFood milesFood miles is a term which refers to the distance food is transported from the time of its production until it reaches the consumer. Food miles are one factor used when assessing the environmental impact of food, including the impact on global warming....
, to reduce their environmental impact. - Free rangeFree rangethumb|250px|Free-range chickens being fed outdoors.Free range is a term which outside of the United States denotes a method of farming husbandry where the animals are allowed to roam freely instead of being contained in any manner. In the United States, USDA regulations apply only to poultry and...
meat and animal products (eggs, milk etc), with an awareness of whether the animals were pastured or merely granted limited outdoor access. - Fair TradeFair tradeFair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
products, where producers in developing countries have been paid a fair price for their goods. - Foraged plants, including urban and ex-urban foraging
- Wild legal game Game (food)Game (food)Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
, humanely killed - Fish caught using sustainable methods
- Foods from one's own garden
- Awareness of waste from food production and packaging
- Tasty food
Cuisine
Ethicureanism does not prescribe a particular cuisineCuisine
Cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from...
. The ideal draws from the Slow Food movement http://www.slowfood.com/, among others.
Impact
As a nascentNascent
Nascent may refer to:* Birth* Nascent hydrogen* Nascentes do Rio Parnaíba National Park, a national park of Brazil* Nascent-polypeptide-associated complex alpha polypeptide, a human gene* Nascent market...
movement, it is difficult to gauge the impact of ethicureanism. The viewpoint is part of a broader discussion on the local and global effects of food policy.
See also
AgrarianismAgrarianism
Agrarianism has two common meanings. The first meaning refers to a social philosophy or political philosophy which values rural society as superior to urban society, the independent farmer as superior to the paid worker, and sees farming as a way of life that can shape the ideal social values...
Back to the land movement
Epicureanism
Epicureanism
Epicureanism is a system of philosophy based upon the teachings of Epicurus, founded around 307 BC. Epicurus was an atomic materialist, following in the steps of Democritus. His materialism led him to a general attack on superstition and divine intervention. Following Aristippus—about whom...
Populism
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
Raw milk
Raw milk
Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized or homogenized.-History:Humans consumed raw milk exclusively prior to the industrial revolution and the invention of the pasteurization process in 1864. During the industrial revolution large populations congregated into urban areas detached from the...