Authorship, Eating Animals, and Intentional Ripoffs
Leaving the world of activism (yeah right), Inland Empress reports that Moby has co-authored a book, Teany Book: Stories, Food, Romance, Cartoons and, of Course, Tea.
Moby was named the world’s bestselling alternative musician in 2001 and is the winner of four MTV Music awards. Known for his political and social activism, he has been a vegan for more than fifteen years.
Kelly Tisdale worked with Human Rights Watch before becoming co-owner of Teany with Moby. Both live in New York City....
From the ninety-three teas on offer to the tempeh turkey club, Teany’s mix of delicious vegetarian and vegan cuisine with a mellow atmosphere has made it a hit with the Lower East Side denizens who make it a habit to attend Teany’s casual afternoon tea (cucumber sandwiches anyone?). Since opening in 2002, internationally acclaimed musician Moby and his partner Kelly Tisdale have made Teany a home base for all things Moby—a hipster hangout, chic contemporary tea shop, and host to political and charity events.
With Teany Book, Moby and Kelly distill Teany into an idiosyncratic yet functional gift book that will teach the art of making Teany’s special lavender iced tea and creating nosh-worthy vegan lunches that even carnivores will enjoy, while also functioning as a popular history of the Lower East Side. In addition to instructions on how to become a true tea connoisseur and vegan chef du jour, Teany Book includes witty vignettes on Teany’s history, anecdotes from Moby and Kelly, and tea-based health and beauty tips, such as how to cure a hangover with green tea. At once a unique glance at the culture of downtown New York and a quirky cookbook highlighting a nutritious and beneficial diet, Teany Book is a perfect purchase for tea fans, foodies, and hipsters alike.
Moby's account:
one morning in December of 2001 Kelly and I were having breakfast, and somehow we ended up talking about how we both had always wanted to own a restaurant or a cafe. This was one of those ideas that we had both harbored in private, but talking about it and realizing that we shared each other's enthusiasm made us actually think seriously about finding a space and opening a little restaurant/cafe. What made the idea seem even more appealing was that we both had very similar thoughts about what this restaurant/cafe should be like. We agreed that it should be local (What's the point in owning a café if you can't hang out there?). It should be vegetarian but should appeal to everyone (as kelly is a vegetarian and I'm a vegan). It should be clean and bright and contemporary (but not contemporary in a cold and trendy way, contemporary in a clean and simple and lighthearted way). It should be relaxed and comfortable, and we should have two tea-robots as our mascots...
Inasmuch as I am less trendy than the Inland Empress (although I do have a Moby video in my LAUNCHcast video list), I had to look up the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan:
Vegetarians, or lacto-ovo-vegetarians, do not eat any meat products, but they eat dairy products and eggs. Vegetarians need to know whether a product contains gelatine or other meat-based products. Vegans do not consume any animal products.
I could bring up the whole lacto-ovo-pollo thing, but that's been done.
Excuse me while I rip off Tony Pierce for a moment (actually, it's not a precise ripoff, since I use Capital Leters At Times - plus, it's more of an homage)
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