Lily and Chew

The Beach Boys - Vegetables
Os Mutantes - Panis Et Circenses (Bread And Circuses)
The Chocolate Watchband - Dark Side Of The Mushroom
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - Peanuts
Kingsmen - Mashed Potatoes
Just Brothers - Sliced Tomatoes
Beastie Boys - Egg Man
Southern Culture On The Skids - Red Beans n' Reverb

A few months ago my girl, Jess, and the fabulous Ching-Li, started a food blog. It embraces all aspects of vegetarian food, featuring recipes, reviews, tales, tips and tricks. It's a great read and since man cannot exist on a diet purely consisting of killer cuts, I heartily encourage you to visit.

In celebration of vegetarian cooking and the Lily and Chew food blog, Diddy Wah presents eight animal friendly food tunes. Starting with the most obvious and most lovely 'Vegetables', a Brian Wilson masterpiece from 1967's Smiley Smile. Listen out for Paul McCartney crunching on his favourite vegetable, celery.

Os Mutantes provide some vital carbs and fun with 'Panis Et Circenses (Bread And Circuses)'. The term bread and circuses goes back to Roman times and refers to the practise of feeding and entertaining the masses to placate or distract them from pertinent issues. This track has one of the most memorable melodies of any song I know. After seeing a reformed Os Mutantes play last year I couldn't get it out of my head for weeks, and nor did I want to.

Californian psych-rockers, The Chocolate Watchband, take a bite from my favourite fungus with 'Dark Side Of The Mushroom'. It's from their debut LP, No Way Out, which was released around the same time as the previous two tunes.

'Peanuts' by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, who were probably simply known as The Four Seasons in 1963 when it was released, was originally recorded by 'Little Joe and the Thrillers'. It's a simple song about a man's love for peanuts. Back in 1920, John Harvey Kellogg (as in Cornflakes), suggested that nuts should take the place of meat as a main source of protein in the American diet.

The Kingsmen, most famous for their smash hit version of 'Louie Louie' supply the 'Mashed Potatoes'. The last track from their first album, it comes complete with overdubbed crowd noise. The Just Brothers instrumental northern soul floor shaker 'Sliced Tomatoes' came out in 1972 but is most recognisable as the basis of Fatboy Slim's biggest big-beat belter, 1998's 'The Rockafella Skank'.

No strangers to sampling, and from their best album, Paul's Boutique, it's the Beastie Boys with 'Egg Man'. And to wrap it up Southern Culture on the Skids give us their tasty twanging take on Booker T & the MGs' 'Red Beans and Rice'.

Lily and Chew (vegetarian food blog)