The Foodways of the Intellectual Dark Web: To “Meat” or not to “Meat” Tina Sikka * This article provides a critique and explanation of dietary practices that are part of a mediatized subcultural political movement associated with the right of the politi- cal spectrum in the United States. This movement has brought together political ideologues, academics, public intellectuals, and young, largely white, men for whom particular foodways play a part in the reclamation of a perceived lost sense of dignity, status, and power. I argue that in examining the rise of the paleo and vegan/vegetarian diets a largely ignored aspect of a subculture that has been gain- ing both increasing attention can be better understood and challenged. Introduction The study of food choice and dietary praxis, in relation to their affili- ation with particular political, social, and cultural movements, is an area of re- search with a rich history (Atkins and Bowler 2016; Flandrin and Montanari 1999; Montanari and Ipsen 1994). In this article, I make the case this same historical and culturally nuanced perspective has not been adequately applied to the study of our contemporary context, which is constituted by intense po- litical polarization and a highly media saturated media ecology. What this piece aims to do is to provide an overview and critique, while also placing in context, dietary practices that have become part of a mediat- ized subcultural political movement largely associated with the right of the po- litical spectrum in the United States. This movement has brought together political ideologues, academics, public intellectuals, and young, largely white, men for whom particular foodways play a part in the reclamation of a per- ceived lost sense of dignity, status, and power. I argue that in examining the rise of the paleo/keto and vegan/vegetarian diets in particular and placing their adoption by these groups in context, a largely ignored aspect of a subcul- ture that has been gaining both increasing attention and notoriety can be bet- ter understood and challenged. School of Arts and Cultures, Newcastle University *tina.sikka@newcastle.ac.uk socpol: Social Politics, Fall 2021 pp. 730–754 doi:10.1093/sp/jxz014 # The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com Advance Access publication May 10, 2019 Social Politics 2021 Volume 28 Number 3 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/sp/article/28/3/730/5487290 by University of Newcastle user on 30 June 2022