Ezra Klein Discusses Meals Without Meat

I know some people won't read this piece simply because Ezra Klein is not vegan or even vegetarian, but I think he makes some excellent points. A lot of the meat-based meals in restaurants are due to chefs schooled in the French tradition. And, as one chef put it, cooks use meat to "express themselves."

Well, I think this article makes some good points. It's not about cooking "vegetarian," but cooking food you like that doesn't have meat. Other cultures don't have such a problem because meatless dishes are simply more prevalent.

Anyway, I appreciated his views.

Ezra Klein Bemoans Vegetarian Fare at Restaurants

This is an article that really hits the mark. Ezra Klein talks about the lack of vegetarian options at a restaurant he attended. Why do people assume that vegetarians eat nothing but vegetables? We eat LOTS of things. I find it very insulting that we are pigeon-holed in our food choices. But this is another example of the general ignorance displayed in restaurants and cooking shows like Top Chef. Real food only comes with meat. If you don't eat it, then you must not enjoy food that much. Have a carrot!

Meat Grown in a Petri Dish?

From an opinion piece in the Times of India....

Scientists at Eindhoven University in the Netherlands have grown in-vitro meat, using cells from a live pig to replicate growth in a petri dish. They haven't been able to actually taste
the pork they've grown because of lab rules. Nevertheless there's potential here for two giant breakthroughs. It could mean not only an end to killing animals for food, but also significantly aid the fight against climate change.

This would be great. But what is this drive to eat the flesh of a living creature? Why this stubborn disconnect from the fact that we are eating corpses? Why is that my husband won't eat bones with fat on them because they are "gross," but will eat burgers and processed meat? They come from the same source right? Or is it because one is so much cleaner and antiseptic than the other? You can forget who you are eating when it's processed so cleanly.

So many people I know get really guilty when they hear about conditions at factory farms, but then just keep eating the same things. Da da da da! It's like...hello?!

Humans Not Natural Milk Drinkers

I've heard this before, but it's fascinating every time it comes up.

There is such a push in society to drink milk for calcium for strong bones. But really, it's not natural for us to be drinking milk past infancy. It's the perfect example of a market being created out of nothing. Of misinformation that is repeated so often it becomes fact. If you really think about it, how many prehistoric people were grabbing pregnant cows to suckle on?

Lactose intolerant people are actually the normal ones.

Gordon Ramsey Apologizes for a Change

I used to be a big fan of Gordon Ramsey. I was fooled by his slick Kitchen Nightmares show into thinking he may be a decent fellow. But then I got really mad by his ongoing insulting comments about vegetarians. (Look, if I don't want to eat meat, then it's really none of your business so just shut up.) Then I learned about his weird affair with some professional mistress. Then I learned that the business acumen that he flaunts in the show is actually not that great...his empire is struggling mightily.

So, now I think he's actually quite a jerk. So I was glad to see that he had to apologize to an Australian journalist for offensive remarks about her appearance. He claimed that his mother made him do it, but rumors are flying that his mother never said a word to him about it.

The guy just needs to keep his big mouth shut sometimes.

Belgian City Goes Vegetarian Once a Week

Last week, the City of Ghent in Belgium started eating vegetarian one day a week. Public officials and politicians will start, with school children following in September. It's their way of acknowledging the impact of livestock on the environment.

Not only is there reason to believe that livestock contribute to greenhouse gases, but meat is resource-intensive to produce. A lot of land and money goes into producing meat in a world with diminishing space. Is meat really the best way to feed our growing population?

I honestly believe it will take environmental catastrophe for people to stop eating other species. I have very little regard for the human conscience when it comes to empathy outside themselves. Only when humans start to freak out about their own survival will they stop eating meat. In the meantime, they will always justify it in some manner whether it be "logic" or "God."

The Ex-Vegetarians Among Us

Of my current circle....

I have two friends who, before I knew them. were vegetarians for years before switching back to meat-eating. I recently found out that a male coworker was also a vegetarian for eight years before reverting back to meat. That's three people that I know who are ex-vegetarians.

Not counting myself, I only know one other vegetarian/vegan.

That's a ratio of three ex-vegetarians to one practicing vegetarian (in a very non-scientific survey.) It makes me wonder how many other ex-vegetarians are out there.

I haven't asked these people why they went back to eating meat. My two friends, both female, are sensitive animal-lovers. I've gathered that it was because of "health reasons" and I suspect one was advised by a doctor to eat meat for protein reasons.

Being a vegetarian is more than just a diet choice. It's a statement of values, whether one wants it to be or not. People don't usually become vegetarians because they don't like meat....in that case, they just don't eat it.

It's hard not to be disappointed in people who became vegetarians and then went back. Particularly when it's for "health reasons." There are many other sources of protein, iron, etc. out there that do not have to be dependent on meat. I think it shows a weakness of principle and conviction. I hate to say it, but I have more respect for people who have always eaten meat than those who make the vegetarian choice for years and then just give up.

Economic Conditions Make People Eat Less Steak

...but don't get excited. They're just eating chicken instead.

PAH!

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies!

A great dessert from Vegan Nutritionista!

Vegan Cosmetics Are Out There

I like this post from morbidoutlook.com. I haven't checked to see how many of the links are still active, but it's still a good read, especially if you like more daring makeup.

British Hospitals to Offer Meatless Alternatives

It's all part of a campaign to cut carbon emissions.

Meat-free menus are to be promoted in hospitals as part of a strategy to cut global warming emissions across the National Health Service.

The plan to offer patients menus that would have no meat option is part of a strategy to be published tomorrow that will cover proposals ranging from more phone-in GP surgeries to closing outpatient departments and instead asking surgeons to visit people at their local doctor's surgery.

Some suggestions are likely to be controversial with patients' groups, especially attempts to curb meat eating and car use. Plans to reuse more equipment could raise concern about infection with superbugs such as MRSA.

PETA Commercial Makes it to "The View"

PETA knows how to get attention. Their Super Bowl ad was rejected by NBC, but now everyone's talking about it. Even "The View."

PETA's Veggie Commercial Too Sexy for NBC

NBC rejected PETA's Super Bowl ad because it was too sexual.

You have just got to see it and judge for yourself. It's quite memorable.

A New Generation of Vegetarians?

A recent federally funded study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 1 in 200 American adolescents are vegetarians. Is this a long-term trend? Stay tuned.

Don't Eat Camel - Eat Schmeat!

I'd rather not any meat at all, thank you, but for those meat addicts like my husband, this could help. This article on Gristmill (excerpt below) goes into detail on pros and cons of "schmeat."

Earlier this year, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals announced that it will offer a $1 million X Prize for the creation of affordable, humane, and "commercially viable" test-tube meat by 2012.

Shmeat is grown from a cell culture (hence the in vitro or cultured prefixes), not from a live animal. These harvested cells are taken from an animal, such as a pig, and placed in a "nutrient-rich medium" that mimics blood. Once the cells multiply they are attached to a spongy scaffold or sheet (sheet + meat = shmeat) that has been soaked with nutrients and stretched to increase cell size and protein content.

This shmeat could, in theory, be harvested in vast quantities and used in minced meat products: burgers, nuggety things, or potted meat-food products, etc. While scientists (they call themselves "tissue engineers") admit that growing a pork chop with a bone without a real pig attached is not likely, the say also that affordable, palatable minced shmeat might be available at a grocery store near you within a decade.

Vegetarian Web Site

Here's another web site for vegetarians. Really good, basic information. Consider it vegetarianism 101.

International Vegetarian Club of Beijing

I was just surfing about looking for any Chinese websites on animal issues (that I could actually read), when I came upon the International Vegetarian Club of Beijing.

Study Shows Vegetarians Live Longer

The title says it all....bwa-ha-ha!

Vegetarians Making Inroads

I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian (I still eat eggs and dairy.) Most of my friends and family are meat eaters, although some do draw the line at veal and lamb (only some). But what I find heartening is the slow change in society to include people who don't eat meat.

Just in the past week, I had a veggie burger at Burger King. And today I was at a wedding that had vegetarian burgers. Of course, it's still a meat-eating world, but I think that just being a vegetarian and asking for alternatives is having an impact. It is raising awareness that there are alternatives, even if people may not agree with them.

Change has to start somewhere. The constant question though is whether humans and animals have run out of time for the change to be complete.

Shopping at an Asian Supermarket in Seattle

I don't eat meat or fish and sometimes shopping can be a little tricky depending on where you shop. I find that the best places to shop for tofu, soy and other meat and dairy substitute products is at Asian supermarkets. Great variety, great prices. But I tend to avoid them because sometimes the meat they do sell is, well, kind of against my principles.

Well, yesterday, we happened across a great Asian supermarket with affordable, tasty food and I was really enjoying the shopping experience....and what do I see as I round the corner with a cartload of food?

LIVE LOBSTERS! LIVE CRAB! and LIVE TILAPIA! There was some more live stuff, but I couldn't bear to look.

Well, I'm no hero. I went ahead and paid for the groceries and scuttled my way out of there without looking back. Even though I didn't buy an animal product, I still felt like scum.

Happy New Year to me.

Photo by latoyajnb.