For some odd reason, I’m suddenly craving bacon.
For as long as people have been foreswearing meat, they’ve also been sneaking the occasional corn dog. The difference is, vegetarians used to feel guilty about their sins of the flesh-consumption. Now, thanks to the cachet attached to high-end meat, they are having their burgers without sacrificing the moral high ground.
The word “flexitarian,” meaning someone who mostly eats vegetarian with the occasional cheesesteak thrown in, has been around for a while. But only recently have former vegetarians been so smug about their forays to the dark side. “There is something almost primal about it,” writes lapsed vegetarian Tara Austen Weaver, describing her first meat-buying expedition in The Butcher and the Vegetarian. “I haven’t actually hunted dinner myself, but I set my sights and claimed the prize I sought.” The “primalness” of the meat-eating (or meat-purchasing) experience comes up a lot in these conversion narratives, which inevitably take place at a quaint, family-run butcher shop.
[…]Buying only grass-fed, sustainably raised (and incredibly expensive) meat allows former vegetarians to maintain the same sanctimony they expressed with their old “I don’t eat anything with a face” T shirts. In response to an article by Jonathan Safran Foer about his decision to give up meat, a Brooklyn meat moralist wrote, “lovingly raised meat is not as hard to find as [Safran Foer] seems to think—at least not if you have the good fortune to live near a farmers’ market. Almost all the sheep and cattle and most of the pigs and chickens raised by the farmers who sell at those markets have spent their lives in the fields, free to run, graze and root as their natures dictate.”
I’m not vegetarian but see the healthy life choice as good. While I most often have black bean garden burgers, a good Porterhouse steak ever so often is fantastic.
When I do buy, I buy grass fed beef from Whole Foods to avoid the who knows what hormones added. The movement towards a more humane treatment of animals is a great trend.
“I don’t eat anything with a face”
This could explain the over-abundance of waffles with images of Jesus on them.
“lovingly raised meat”
Why do I have this image of Kathy Bates from “Misery” as the butcher?
RBG
What I hate is when you lovingly raise your own meat then bloody vegetarians come around and decide that they will happily eat the meat that you raise, but never offer to pay for, help prepare it, or even muck out … if any veggies ask I usually say that I tenderise for the meat for a couple of days before slaughter 😀
Somewhere in my photo archives, I have a pic of a friend chasing a herd of cattle on western range land, with a knife and fork in hand. Now that’s fresh meat!
The energy derived from meat has about a 6:1 inefficiency ratio, i.e., it takes six times as much energy to produce a pound of meat versus the amount of energy derived from its consumption.
As th cost of energy increases, expect less meat in your diet!
OTOH, once upon a time, all meat was lovingly raised. Industrialized meat is where the problems come in. Antibiotics, growth hormones, industrial feeds, animals raised industrially, etc.. When it comes to food I’d rather pay more for quality than have no choice but to eat industrially produced food. You wanna eat cheap go ahead. You wanna live long and healthy, drive out to the farmer’s market.
I shouldn’t worry about energy ratios when it comes to meat.
In the end if cattle, swine and fowl becomes hard to come by; I know a great recipe for meat pie and I’ll be serving the best people in town.
Cursor_
Is it naive to think that we as compassionate humans could train at least some of the wild animals to kill their prey in a way that lessens suffering?
RBG
All I require of my food is the 10 second rule.
Deja Vu all over again… Didn’t Douglas Adams write about something like that in “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe”?
(Favorite line from the book: “Hey Earthman – what’s eating you?”)
Haha, You should have had the “BS Meter” attached to this one.
“Flextarian”, “The primalness of [purchasing meat]” – oooh, those quaint vegans! How like a bunch of preening pussies for them to make “happy” roadkill.
Puleez
I have to question the validity of any purchase at a farmer’s market if you cannot directly trace the food back to the farmer.
I worked at a grocery wholesaler for several years. This wholesaler also had a “cash & carry” building where you could purchase half cases, damaged cases, etc. Much of our produce sales were to entrepreneurs who then sold the produce at roadside stands or farmers’ markets. No difference with the produce in the local supermarkets.
#5 that’s why some of us still like to raise, or catch our own meat producers.
This vegan wont be eating animal byproducts anytime soon!
These stories always have some ridiculous claim, such as “all “vegans” sneak meat when they think they no one is looking!”
UGH!
If you know someone who claims to be a “vegetarian” or “vegan”, yet who eats meat etc every now and then, go ahead, and point it out to them! They give all Vegans a bad name. But dont assume all Vegans are alike, if you meet one vegan who is annoying, doesnt mean all vegans are annoying.
Have a great day guys! 🙂
#14 no assumption needed.
“As th cost of energy increases, expect less meat in your diet!”
Here in MO, about 1/2 the land isn’t much good for row crops. The land that isn’t good for row crops gets used for raising cattle. How is that an inefficient use of the sun’s energy? Fattening is still done with grain, but that could go away tomorrow and you’d still get quality meat to the table of the midwest.
I prefer grass fed beef. We used to raise our own. I’d say one of the main reasons to grain feed is to get more fat and who the heck needs that these days?
Grass fed beef is the greatest thing. I recently bought a side of beef to be butchered. I even got a picture of the steer while he was still grazing with his mom and family.
Great flavour, much safer (e coli) and a very sustainable process.
Of course, I have to figure out how to use all the odd cuts, since you can’t get a steer with only steaks… And honestly, it’s great fun to try and figure out what to do with cuts of beef that were standard 50 years ago but have become passe with all the industrial meat production and steaks cheaper than broccoli…
Good think I have cook books from 1930…
Now, to eat a nice grass fed vegan…. MMMMmmmmm..