This tribe has a focus on eating food that is locally produced – they have their roots in knowing the farmer which is a good thing when it comes to transparency but there is a great deal of ambiguity about how “local” is local i.e. at a stretch could ‘earth’ be considered ‘local’? Frequently found with hessian bag in hand at the local farmers market they are a font of knowledge about what food is produced where (and what is currently in season).
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This tribe like to eat food that is preservative free (i.e. clean) so they are interested in unprocessed foods and could probably indulge in a bit of clean chocolate in front of the Locavores and, do so with good conscience. Often taking longer in the supermarket (it takes time to read labels) this tribe are the go to people if you want to know what those ingredient numbers mean.
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No, this tribe doesn’t have some weird ritual about eating charcoal under the table they are interested in the environmental impact of their food consumption. How was the food produced and how far did it travel? It’s logical that they are also spotted wandering around farmers’ markets, string bags bulging with leeks. They are also informal experts in knowing where food is produced and how it is transported – informal food supply chain experts.
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Easily spotted as this tribe hanging around the butchery (unlike the non meat eaters who tend to rush past it avoiding eye contact with the porterhouse). Red meat eaters (they may not necessarily be big fans of fish or fowl) they are definitely easy to cater for at the work BBQ or school sausage sizzle. Of course, there is a subset of all of these tribes (sub-tribes) that differentiate between organic and conventional.
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This tribe avoids red meat and poultry but chow down on fish and seafood. They are the sort of easier-to-deal-with vegetarian because there is nearly always fish on the menu. There’s a sub-tribe who only eat sustainably caught seafood – long lines and cod pots, no bottom trawling advocates here.
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(Which differs from the commonly seen Studentarian who eat what they can find in the fridge); the Flexi eats a predominantly vegetarian diet but will eat red meat on occasion (e.g. “man, that steak looks good I think I’ll just try a little”). Definitely one of the easier tribes to invite around for a BBQ.
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The Pollo will eat poultry and fowl sometimes the Pollo will branch out from the restrictive white meat diet and add in fish (becoming a Pesce Pollotarian in the process). Otherwise, it’s veges and nuggets but they really do come into their own at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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One of the more daring tribe names to bounce around at the office ‘do’ is the Lacto-ovo Vegetarian. Which can (as the name does suggest) make some listeners believe that human physiology is being discussed. No, nothing to do with breeding the LOVegetarian does not eat red meat, fish, fowl or eggs but does consume dairy and egg products. There are sub-tribes here. First up is the Ovo Vegetarian and, as the naming pattern suggests, this sub-tribe do not eat any animal products except eggs. And then, the Lacto Vegetarian who do not eat any animal product except dairy products. Phew.
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The gold-star in knowing what is / isn’t allowed goes to the Vegans. Simply avoiding all food produced by animals including all of their by-products. Nuts, (not the Vegans), fruit and vegetables are easy meals for this crowd. If you want to spot a Vegan look for cloth shoes and PVC handbags (they tend to sport a good body mass index (BMI) too).
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Vegetarians almost seem a bit pedestrian now that there are so many others tribes – this tribe sticks to a plant based diet. In salad season they come into their own but are also the go-to people if you have need 101 things to do when there is a glut of pumpkins.
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