If It’s Wednesday, I Must Be Vegan
Taleb describes using the Greek Orthodox fasting calendar to decide what he eats on particular days. He favors episodic rules over a fixed dietary camp and presents fasting as a way to question entitlement in conditions of abundance.
THE IDEA
IF IT’S WEDNESDAY, I MUST BE VEGAN
Sometimes, for a conference dinner, the organizers send me a form asking me if I have dietary requirements. Some do so close to six months in advance. In the past, my usual answer had been that I avoid eating cats, dogs, rats, and humans (especially economists). Today, after my personal evolution, I truly need to figure out the day of the week to know if I will be vegan then or capable of eating those thick monstrous steaks. How? Just by looking at the Greek Orthodox calendar and its required fasts. This confuses the usual categorizing business-reader-TED-conference modern version of the naive fellow who cannot place me in the “Paleo camp” or the “vegan camp.” (The “Paleo” people are carnivores who try to replicate the supposed ancestral high-meat, high-animal-fat diet of hunter-gatherers; vegans are people who eat no animal product, not even butter). We will see further down why it is a naive rationalistic mistake to be in either category (except for religious or spiritual reasons) except episodically.
I believe in the heuristics of religion and blindly accommodate its rules (as an Orthodox Christian, I can cheat once in a while, as it is part of the game). Among other things the role of religion is to tame the iatrogenics of abundance—fasting makes you lose your sense of entitlement. But there are more subtle aspects.
When to use it
Using a weekly meal schedule to simplify planning while considering individual needs.
Using religious or cultural fasting rules as a source of discipline and humility in abundance.
Trying an episodic rule, such as avoiding social media on Sundays, and observing its effects on attention and habits.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Conference Dinner Dietary Form
The author confuses organizers by answering dietary requirements based on the Greek Orthodox calendar rather than a fixed camp: vegan on fasting days, meat on non-fasting days.
Paleo vs. Vegan Dichotomy
Taleb contrasts fixed Paleo and vegan identities with his own calendar-based practice. His argument favors episodic rules; the anecdote does not compare the health effects of the diets.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
What might a calendar-based rule simplify for you, and what other considerations would still matter?
What are the benefits of using external heuristics (like a calendar) rather than trying to optimize every meal?
In what other areas of life could you apply the principle of 'if it's Wednesday, I'm X' to reduce decision fatigue and entitlement?
Often confused with
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Antifragile (Nassim Nicholas Taleb)