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Just Add Bong Water: Punk Rock Recipes

By J.Caleb Mozzocco
Columbus Alive | January 18, 2005
Punk rock and veganism have long gone hand in hand, two ways of rejecting mainstream culture and identifying oneself as an outsider. On a deeper level, being punk and/or vegan is less about identifying oneself and more about how one relates to the world, hopefully making it a better place.

That positive, transformative effect is well known to Niall McGuirk and his Dublin, Ireland, scene, and he makes the link between the two lifestyles explicit in Please Feed Me: A Punk Vegan Cookbook (Soft Skull). McGurik tells the history of the Hope collective, which helped bring punk bands and culture to Ireland in the mid ’80s, and intersperses its story with recipes from bands who played Hope shows (Fugazi, Bikini Kill, Chumbawamba).

While McGuirk’s prose can be dry, the attitude associated with punk certainly comes through in the recipes. Where else are you going to find smart-ass recipes like ones for a “Bread Sandwich” or “Survivor’s Pie” (which calls for bong water and Taco Bell hot sauce packets), dishes with names like “Spinach and Ginger Bowel Loosener” or directions like “Add vodka to taste”? A member of the band the Keatons includes a list of poverty-inspired vegan dishes he’s eaten, including fried breadcrumbs and spaghetti with mustard, something to keep in mind while reading and experimenting. Even the worst recipe here beats spaghetti with mustard. Well, except for maybe Survivor’s Pie.
Tags: vegan, punk rock, Fugazi, Dublin, Hope Collective, Niall McGuirk, Please Feed Me: A Punk Vegan Cookbook, Soft Skull Press

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Founded in 1983, Alive is the Capital City's oldest and only independent alternative and is known for providing a forum for the area's free thinkers. The paper's spirited and original perspective on music, arts and culture distinguish it from the...
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