An academic (of course) from Swansea University, Shareena Hamzah, looks forward to the obsolescence of such expressions, in an article in a journal called The Conversation. The condescension drips like fat from a roast turning on a spit:



Photo credit: Pxhere.

In today's reality, meat is repeatedly the subject of much socially and politically charged discussion, including about how the demand for meat is contributing to climate change and environmental degradation. Studies have indicated the negative effects of meat-eating on the human body. When concerns about animal welfare are added to the broth, the growth of vegetarianism and veganism threatens to dethrone meat from its position at the top of the food hierarchy.

Given that fiction often reflects on real world events and societal issues, it may very well be that down the line powerful meat metaphors are eschewed. While its [sic] unlikely we'll start saying that someone has been overlooked like "chopped cabbage", some shift in language is inevitable.

The increased awareness of vegan issues will filter through our consciousness to produce new modes of expression – after all, there's more than one way to peel a potato. At the same time, metaphors involving meat could gain an increased intensity if the killing of animals for food becomes less socially acceptable. The image of "killing two birds with one stone" is, if anything, made more powerful by the animal-friendly alternative of "feeding two birds with one scone." If veganism forces us to confront the realities of food's origins, then this increased awareness will undoubtedly be reflected in our language and our literature.