High times

[Re: “Take me to your dealer,” Nov. 15] Wow. I never thought the Mirror would openly publish a story about pot smoking from one of its columnists—but they did.

And I for one celebrate this. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve read anything that resembles so closely how I sometimes feel when I abuse the almighty ganja. I started smoking about a year ago and I’m 36. I too was of the “non-smoking militant” sort until I dared to try it out and was eternally glad I did. If you’re anything like I am, dorky, a bit strange and definitely not one to fit in, you’re probably as stressed an individual as I am. In fact, you probably bite your nails as if your life depended on it—like it’s a bloodsport—like I do as well. If it is the case (and if not, I apologize for assuming) then you probably have acknowledged that as well as the incredibly pleasing effects this substance has, it is appeasing and oh so unbelievably relaxing.

I’m also quite pleased you listed some of your activities while under the influence. I have no clue if it is a widespread template of “things to do while you’re high off your motherf***ing arse” but I can’t personally think of better things to do than what you wrote.

To paraphrase any pothead or, hell, me for that matter: dude, you, like, totally nailed it, man. I mean, like absolutely as if you could read my mind, man. Now where did I put my dealer’s number?

P.S.: I wrote this at work, sober. I thought I should point that out.

>> Anonymous

In defence of meat

[Re: “Meat no good,” Letters, Nov. 15] Manish Patwari and Lucas Solowey both completely missed the point about Anthony Bourdain.

Bourdain is a bad boy. He LOVES making people upset about anything. He’s fractious and irritating and he knows it and plays it to the fullest, to which both Solowey and Patwari fell victim. Don’t believe me? Read the highly entertaining and annoying Kitchen Confidential, you will wonder how he managed to live so long, truly.

Veganism and vegetarianism are choices, as is meat eating. To “limit your choices to fundamentalist-type beliefs and behaviours is wrong” is, I believe, the basis of Bourdain’s statements about these particular choices.

Reasonableness and moderation in any diet are necessary—if you consume meat daily and/or several times per day, you are indeed making cruel and wasteful choices, and are causing harm to yourself, to all the animals involved and to the environment.

Meat eaters can make choices that are appropriate for the health of their organism and that are healthier than an all-out constant and daily meat orgy, such as choosing to eat meat only occasionally, making it organic, not being wasteful and not participating in the mass-market of unhealthy diet choices (i.e. fast “food”).

If you don’t eat meat for environmental reasons, blame your diet if you can’t keep your measly bag of water warm in the winter and end up jacking up your heating bills as a result. There is a reason why many cultures that live with cold winters tend to eat meat and dairy—animal fat helps keep you warm in winter.

It’s true that meat eating is damaging to the environment, but also consider that virtually no one talks about birth control these days—and they bloody well should be. Today, there are 6.7 billion people on this planet. Consider what that means to life in general, okay? That’s a way more important argument to be making.

And for Mr. Solowey’s information, no animals are skinned alive in dairy production.

>> Fran Sendbuehler

Help or shut up

[Re: “Goodbye Montreal, again,” Letters, Nov. 1] I am writing to you because I can’t get the letter the Torontonian (and former Quebecer) wrote two weeks ago, regarding the language politics here in Quebec, out of my head.

If English-speaking Quebecers choose to scurry away and flee, the very least they could do is take up the issue where they are and not cowardly abandon the people they’ve left behind. Both English and French.

Why can’t former Quebecers pester their present governments and municipalities to offer services in French? Or at least make bilingualism mandatory at every public service post across the country? Wouldn’t they be helping the country as a whole if they did? As Fascist as the letter writer says Quebec is becoming, there are a number of other provinces that are already there.

So run away and help make things better or just shut up. We don’t need any added whining from those who have already fled.

>> Michael Mitchell

Asherman piece praised

[Re: “A fight for harvests and housing,” Nov. 15] I thought Christopher Hazou did a terrific piece on Arik Asherman. He got to the essence of what he is about better than The Guardian, The Times of London and The Scotsman. The tone was perfect.

>> Eric Scott

Correction: The full name of the H20 gym profiled in last week’s sports supplement is H2O Martial Arts Academy. Their Web site is www.h2oma.com.

WE WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR!