How Cults & Communes Cultivated Common Cuisine

When it comes to spiritual belief, the United States is very unique.  Since religion is protected by the first amendment, the country has been fertile ground to many spiritual groups, cults, communes, and other religious groups.  Some have taken an isolation approach, and if your group is remote, you will have to grow and make your own food.  That is where today’s story takes place, right at the intersection of food and religion.  In her new book “Holy Food“, Christina Ward walks us through how a lot of our modern food movements have been influenced by religious groups.  Thanksgiving?  Religious holiday.  Little Debbie’s and Kellogg’s corn flakes ?  Made by a religious organization.  Check out the Pastafarians, they are literally a group that worships a sentient bowl of spaghetti.  Come take a cult-fueled culinary journey with us.

The Communes of California
As the center of the hippie movement, California has a long history of cults and communes.  In this bones episode, we tell the story of how religious groups helped popularize the modern Vegetarian movement, as well as the sordid background of the beloved Kettle Chips.