Why Everyone Should Embrace Their Inner Sloth

Sloths featured on IFL Science!

Definitions of the sin of laziness have changed notably over the centuries…In the medieval period…the concept broadened to encompass all forms of sinful inactivity and workshy idleness, from neglecting everyday chores to falling asleep in church.

Images of sloth in the modern world have precious little to do with its origins in early Christian theology…What, we may ask, would a time-travelling visitor from the medieval period make of our fondness for sloths? …We could reassure our sceptical visitor that it’s possible to learn a thing or two from sloths.

They live a low energy lifestyle; they are generally peaceable; and they understand the virtues of taking your time. Any animal that takes two weeks to digest a meal could certainly teach us a valuable lesson in the virtues of mindfulness and contemplative patience. The sloth is the perfect mascot for a culture that is looking to cure itself of addiction to a hyperactive 24/7 work ethic. Now that we have rehabilitated sloths as the slacktivists of the animal kingdom, perhaps the time has come to formulate a laziness ethic as an alternative to the work ethic that has dominated our society for so long.

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Recipes to make you feel like a sloth

From Buzzfeed

1. Fruit and Bugs

Fruit and Bugs

Sarah Kobos / BuzzFeed

FRUIT AND BUGS

Serves 1-2.

INGREDIENTS:
Fruit
Bugs*

Assemble your favorite fruits on a plate. Really try to think about how a sloth would go about eating this dish, and try to incorporate more of your favorite fruit. In the case of some sloths, that would be grapes.

Arrange the fruit in easy to grab piles. Sloths don’t want to spend any extra time when enjoying a meal, so make it as effortless as possible to chow down.

When you’re pleased with the overall fruit aesthetic, sprinkle nutritious bugs* on top to complete the meal. These will provide an added texture and crunch to this sweet dish!

(*We used chia seeds.)

2. Leaves

Leaves

Sarah Kobos / BuzzFeed

LEAVES

Serves 1-2.

INGREDIENTS:
Leafy greens

Arrange giant leaves of plants on a plate, paying close attention to the colors and textures. While sloths may typically enjoy the leaves of whatever tree they happen to be hanging around in, they also deeply care about the composition of their meal.

Anything huge, leafy and generally green is perfect for this dish. The more exotic, the better. When selecting your leaves, think about how proud you’ll be able to sound next to the other pretentious folk at the grocery store in the leaf section when recounting your sloth diet backstory.

3. Grapes

Grapes

Sarah Kobos / BuzzFeed

GRAPES

Serves 1-2.

INGREDIENTS:
Grapes

Put grapes in a bowl. Sloths love a simple meal, and they’ll never turn down a grape. It’s easy, it’s pretty, and it’s healthy as well! Who doesn’t enjoy fruit? This meal is perfect in the morning or as a mid-Slothsgiving snack. Perhaps it could act as a palate cleanser between the courses of your feast.

This dish is best enjoyed while reclining, perhaps on a chaise-type chair that’s perfect for lounging. Bonus points if someone elsefeeds you the grapes!

4. Shoots

Shoots

Sarah Kobos / BuzzFeed

SHOOTS

Serves 1-2.

INGREDIENTS:
Shoots

Where there’s shoots, there will be sloths. Sloths. Love. Shoots. Especially if they’re juicy shoots. So, grab your favorite shoots and sprouts and throw them together on a plate.

No need to sauté these shoots, as sloths don’t have access to cooking utensils or heat sources. Just select the best shoots you can find, and chow down!

5. Leaves and Eggs

Leaves and Eggs

Sarah Kobos / BuzzFeed

LEAVES AND EGGS

Serves 1-2.

INGREDIENTS:
Leafy greens
Eggs

Feeling a little unsatisfied from your plate of leaves earlier? Sloths have found the solution to that! Did you know sloths are known to eat small eggs that are around the trees they’re chillin’ in? It’s true! So, why not toss a couple onto your leaves and call it a salad!

Obviously, these eggs have been prepared, but that’s because sloths are way more wacky than humans. They can eat eggs just straight up raw. Raw! No need to make your tummy go insane on this holiday – leave the insanity to your families, am I right???

6. Shoots and Fruits

Shoots and Fruits

Sarah Kobos / BuzzFeed

SHOOTS AND FRUITS

Serves 1-2.

INGREDIENTS:
Shoots
Fruits
Optional: bugs

Time to combine the juicy goodness of sloths’ favorite foods all in one dish! Combine the best berries, and of course the necessary grapes, with the choicest of shoots. What could be better???

As always, this dish is all about simplicity and the amount of effort it’ll take to eat it. For best results, consider just tipping the plate directly into your mouth/gullet and going with the flow of life.

7. Eggs with Bugs

Eggs with Bugs

Sarah Kobos / BuzzFeed

EGGS WITH BUGS

Serves 1-2.

INGREDIENTS:
Eggs
Bugs*

This is the ultimate protein-packed meal! A perfect way to cap off your celebrations. Prepare your eggs in your favorite method (for sloths, again, this just means raw as heck), and sprinkle with the appropriate amount of bugs.

There’s crunch, there’s nutrition, and there’s plenty of interesting textures to keep you and your party guests intrigued from start to finish. This dish is ready to give you so much energy, even though you won’t need it for this celebration!

When non-sloths react to sloths

“What is this sloth hiding?”

 

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Chelsea (NY): He hid a lil poop in your apartment, up to you to find it.
Tom P. (London): The exact time and nature of your death.
Baxter (Mexico): He is the two-faced sloth. One of the Original Five who roamed the Earth. He is not hiding anything, he is just showing us his vengeful face. On the other side, we can see his forgiveness face.
Chris G. (NY): *Opens fridge to find an empty milk jug. Looks up.*
Kaelin (NY): He just ate the last Pop-Tart but didn’t throw the box away, so your ass is about to be tricked and disappointed.
Candace (LA): He just crop-dusted.
Flo (London): He’s a gay sloth.
Michelle (SF): He’s a cat in a sloth costume from Party City.
Summer (NY): He’s literally a living dwarf planet (like Pluto!) covered in fur and sent to earth to make people happy.
Andrew (NY): “…I can run.”

 

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