Filed under: All about me
In the last two weeks I have had these infinitely bizarre cravings for foods that I have never in my life craved. Things like steak with bleu cheese, teriyaki chicken, miles of sushi, perfectly grilled bratwurst, a juicy burger smothered in bacon, bacon smothered in bacon. People, I think this is a disease.
I find myself at an interesting cross-roads; a few weeks ago I finished The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan which discusses, among other things, where exactly our grocery store beef and chicken come from. We’re talking details, people. It was horrifying. I am still horrified. I have actually stopped purchasing meat from the grocery, organic or not, it’s still slaughtered the same way and that is horrific. I make exceptions at restaurants because, well, I’m two-faced like that. I just can’t read the label “Tyson” or “Private Select” and not think of all the facts Pollan delves into regarding these companies and their treatment of animals. Really, it’s absolutely appalling. Chickens and beef cattle are literally fattened at the expense of their health and their overall body function, kept in squalor, and then sent to your local grocery store. The cows are fed corn (cows are not made to eat corn, it messes with their insides), and the chickens are fed corn (they aren’t made to eat corn either) and both are fed the leftover bits of each other to fatten them up as well. Cows eating chicken bits, chickens eating cow bits…apparently we stupid humans eventually figured out that when cows eat cow bits they get Mad Cow Disease…so they stopped that, but still…ew. (“Ew” doesn’t even come close to being able to describe it, actually, but I’ll refrain. Some of you may be planning on eating sometime in the next 48 hours.)
Ok, I didn’t really mean to go off about that. I’m sorry if any of you were planning on having steak or chicken for lunch. But here’s the thing, after reading this book I not only appreciated my food more, but I was more repulsed by it. If SuperSize Me turned the nation off to fast food (in theory), then The Omnivore’s Dilemma will turn us off to mass-produced meat.
For the last two weeks I have been pretending to be a vegetarian. Vladd and the family he/I live with are vegetarians and I have been cooking all Vladd’s meals, and they are all vegetarian. Here’s the scoop–I am just as disgusted with meat substitute as I am with corn-fed chickens raised in 10″ square cages. I just don’t understand how something that processed–it is cut and colored and odored to resemble bacon–can be healthier for you. Bacon is delicious, but it takes a pig to get bacon. Not a mishmash of protein cells doused in Eau de Bacon with a good dip in Red 40. That’s not bacon. That’s fake. Like bologna.
So now I find myself in an odd middle-ground. I don’t want to buy meat at the grocery store. I don’t live on a farm where I can get fresh meat on any kind of regular basis. I cannot stomach the idea of the fake-meat vegetarian option.
Where does this leave me? Well, yesterday after a grocery store run it left me with a small baggie of turkey from the deli, which I ate unceremoniously and as quickly as possible just to taste meat. (Ew, that sounds so barbarian! Me! Meat! Now! It’s so, Mannish!) I will admit to probably being protein deficient in the first place, which may have a lot to do with my snorking of the sliced turkey while hunched in the drivers seat of my car. I am ashamed. I could have at least waited until I got home, put it on a little roll, added a little cranberry sauce, made a little sandwich, you know, acted like a civilized human being instead of a crazy person.
What about you. Are you a vegetarian? Are you vegan? (I could never be vegan, I need cheese too much. Yes, I said “need”.) Are you a meat-and-potatoes-every-day kind of person? Do you ever think about it seriously? I’m genuinely curious, because obviously I can’t continue with what I’ve been doing (pseudo-vegetarian with occasional meat-binges), it’s just too sad and pathetic.
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I’m sort of with you on this in some way, I know that it’s a difficult one, I try to keep a balance and always try to buy organic as it is at least raised with respect! I follow the belief that if we all became veggies, then the animals we use in the farming would become extinct, they have no natural habitats left & they would end up in zoos!
Comment by grungedandy 2009 November 18 @ 8:30 amAlso we do need meat probably not as much as we do eat but we are omnivores by nature, we can tell this as we can get ill with out certain vitamins that we get from meat.
I know that I personally couldn’t raise & then kill my own live stock I’m way too soft for that, so I have to rely on the industry.
It has taken quite a few years but our local supermarket now only supplies eggs that are not from battery hens, the hens are allowed to roam around free either in barns or grounds. This has been a battle but they eventually caved, so this is what we have to do with other practices. Anyway it won’t hurt to go veggie for a bit just remember to keep up your zinc & B vitamin! Seeya Hugya *G*
I’m not, and I’ve never really seriously considered it. Though I would love humane conditions for animals, obviously. The only thing we do in the name of that sort of thing is buy cage-free, vegetarian-fed eggs. Oh well.
Comment by Jess 2009 November 18 @ 8:32 amI’ve been struggling with this one too, lately. My yoga teacher has been super preachy about vegetarianism/veganism lately, which just makes me feel guilty and resentful. Vegetarianism is just not something I feel called to do right now (and veganism- never!) All the same, I do tend to eat vegetarian by default most of the time anyway, because it’s cheaper and I don’t need to eat meat at every meal. I just hate the all-or-nothing nature of vegetarianism. I should be able to eat a hamburger once in a while without feeling guilty about it!
Comment by DiaryofWhy 2009 November 18 @ 10:11 amI’m an omnivore, edging on vegetarian. I do eat seafood and fish, but no chicken, steak, etc. Pescetarian, I think, is the proper term for me. I eat vegetarian at least 2/3 of my meals, and it works for me. I get enough protein from fish, nut butters, beans, and lentils, and I should probably eat more eggs than I do (I don’t really like eggs much). As for other stuff, I eat lots of fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Mostly I try to stay away from processed foods. In general, I feel pretty healthy.
Processed soy products aren’t all that good for you anyway, so don’t feel guilty about not liking fake meat.
Comment by Stacy 2009 November 18 @ 10:13 amI am not vegetarian. And after reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma, I am still not a vegetarian. But, I definitely do think more about the meat I eat, where it comes from, etc. I think of that book the way I thought of Kitchen Confidential when Anthony Bourdain wrote it (all about the disgusting things that happen in restaurants). In his final passage, he said something to the effect of, “I wrote this not to scare you away from restaurants, but to make you more informed. Our bodies are not shrines and can put up with more than we think.”
Comment by SoMi's Nilsa 2009 November 18 @ 10:55 amI was a vegetarian for a few years, and I didn’t miss meat at all. There have been times in the past few years when I’ve been a raging carnivore (went through a phase with McDonalds quarter pounders; it wasn’t pretty.) I could easily be a vegetarian again, except that it simplifies family meals to be able to cook some hamburger and do something to it and call it dinner.
That probably didn’t help at all. But I will say this: meat ruins any, and I mean ANY subway sandwich. Mmm, veggie sandwiches are tasty!
Comment by Becky 2009 November 18 @ 11:17 ami’ve been a vegetarian for well nearly 25 years now, and i would never ever eat meat again. how people treat animals (just think killing newborn baby cows, lambs, pigs for meat…) totally and utterly disgust me. the things humans see fit to put animals through is just appaling.
i’ve never been interested in eating vegetarian options that are made to resemble meat, i don’t see the point. my vegetarian protein stuff of choice is often halloumi (love it!) and quorn, sometimes soy of some sort or tofu. feta cheese is good and different sorts of mushrooms and beans. texture, freshness and flavour is what makes food good for me. oh there’s so much great stuff out there that doesn’t equal pain and death for innocents!
Comment by Pia 2009 November 18 @ 11:21 amI have been a vegetarian for about 20 years or so. I stopped eating meat after I watched a video on meat packing plants. It disgusted me. I don’t think I could ever go back. I do love vegetarian meats, though…at least some of them! I’m pretty picky, but there are some that are quite tasty and that my meat-eating friends/relatives think taste like real meat.
Comment by Cady 2009 November 18 @ 11:54 amI call myself a Pescatarian, I’ve been one for most of my post-college life. It’s just easier to say “vegetarian” though. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s the myth of “you need protein” when protein = meat. Everyone needs to find a balance that makes them happy, and for me not eating meat is the way I do it.
Most of what I hear now says that eating local trumps everything: vegetarian, organic, free-range. I bet with a little research, you can find a farm or store nearby that sells locally grown meat, which is worth the extra cost in all ways. I’ll be interested in hearing how you do!
Oh, and I’m a fake meat hater, but for or tofu or beans or portabella mushrooms, which make nice substitutes. But fake whatever? No thanks. I’ve made it as a vegetarian for all these years without it, just fine.
Comment by Noelle 2009 November 18 @ 12:31 pmOne, I suggest looking for an Amish market around you. No idea if they exist there but hey, if they do in the Detroit metro they can anywhere!
I feel your pain. I don’t know what to do either though!
Also, cheese is a NEED. Good job.
Comment by kait 2009 November 18 @ 2:21 pmI’m an omnivore but I always think about where my meat is coming from and what was done to the poor animal. Living back east I used a butcher. Butchers usually use local and they cut/prepare things in a “more civilized” manner. Since living out here in Utah I haven’t found a butcher. I would also agree that buying local is better then buying mass produced meat. I miss mom and pop stores for this reason.
Comment by Lex 2009 November 18 @ 2:28 pmI also think if you are craving meat you could be low on iron. Now, how you get your iron, is up to you. I have to take an over the counter supplement because I don’t get it in my meals.
Good luck!
I looooooooooove meat… but I’m seriously thinking about becoming a vegetarian. Not so much for the way they kill animals, but that they kill them at all, and I couldn’t bring myself to kill an animal and so I feel like a hypocrite.
I share cooking with my flatmates, however, who scorn the idea, and so it’s difficult to force that onto other people.
And, like you, I looooooooove meat and am not sure if I could really go without it for long periods of time.
Comment by Allie 2009 November 18 @ 2:38 pmI used to be a pescatarian and still eat only seafood or vegetarian the majority of the time, but I found that diet so restrictive (and, ahem, lacking in bacon). I decided to remove the restriction of not being ALLOWED to eat meat and just eat it whenever I want, which is honestly not all that often. I rarely eat beef, usually just in spaghetti sauce or hamburgers, and I still like veggie burgers (some use “fake meat” which I don’t particularly like, but some veggie patties are more rice/mushroom and spices and are pretty tasty… try Garden Burgers, you might like them). I eat chicken once or twice a week, and the rest of the time it’s fish or vegetarian for me. When I do eat meat, I buy organic most of the time. I haven’t read this book but I think it would upset me to read about an industry that I try not to support anyway.
I also need cheese, I fully understand your feelings on the matter. Also cream for my coffee and butter. Good heavens, I could not live without butter. I’ve tried, it’s a hollow shell of an existence.
Comment by A Little Coffee 2009 November 18 @ 3:07 pmOh man, I could eat a good steak EVERY SINGLE day. I don’t.. But I don’t know that I could never eat one again. I enjoy meat..But when its brought up that it was once alive with nice big buggy eyes it makes me sad and I stay away from the steak.. But I can’t stand the thought of them being tortured! That is just downright inhumane!
Comment by Jessica 2009 November 18 @ 4:32 pmI SO can’t stop myself from responding to this blog. You’ve touched on a bog subject for me.
Meat is delicious. Cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, sheep, fishies… pretty much anything that walks or crawls or swims is delicious. Personally, I don’t care how they killed it or under what circumstances it happened. I’ll still eat it. I’m not squeamish at all about those kids of things. As long as it’s clean and properly cooked before I get it, I’ll eat it.
I could never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever be a vegetarian. I have nothing at all against a good salad, but salad is not a meal. Salad is what meals eat before I eat them. And don’t get me started on Vegans. Meat-hating fascists the lot of them. Skinny, malnutrition ed, depraved, hollow-looking souls with no joy in their diets. Forget that. Eating is a pleasure, not some sort of test. Enjoy food. (Note: Brussel sprouts are NOT food.)
Oh, and one last thing. I wanna kick that SuperSize Me douchebag in the balls as hard as I can, repeatedly. He’s an idiot.
Not many things can beat a good steak.
Comment by sov 2009 November 18 @ 4:32 pmI saw a video last year about how chickens are treated at the Purdue factory, and promptly decided to never cook meat again, but…I failed at that. I do consider myself semi-vegetarian, though. I eat fish, because…I guess I feel like fish are kinda dumb, and un-cute. I eat chicken/turkey occasionally, but not all that often.
One thing I won’t ever eat is pork or pork proucts, because did you know that pigs are smarter than dogs?? I like the taste, but just can’t justify it. And cows! And sheep! So sweet and gentle…I never eat beef or lamb unless I’m at someone’s house an there aren’t any other options.
I have great recipes for tofu and beans and high-protein grains, and I really don’t miss the meat. There are some healthy fake-meat products too…organic veggie burgers, for example, and I’ll have those when I need a meat fix. I have to say I feel SO much healthier since I started cutting down meat, and I lost some weight too. I really recommend it, and I’m hoping to eventually have enough willpower to become fully vegan. (Cheese is the hard one, though. Will never be able to go with fake cheese. Yuck.)
Comment by Elizabeth 2009 November 18 @ 5:28 pmi’m a eat everything kind of person. well i should eat more veggies but i’m so dang picky that it makes it pretty difficult most times. but i have become more adventurous in my food trying lately which is good i suppose. and yeah i’ve seen the videos and read the articles but i can’t stop eating meat any which way.
Comment by katelin 2009 November 18 @ 5:35 pmWe are designed to be omnivores.
Today I was eye-raping everyone’s delicious looking turkey sandwiches in the cafeteria at school because I hadn’t had any substantial meat lately, and your body knows when it needs protein. Sometimes meat is just the easiest way to get it. I had chicken for dinner, so all the sandwiches should feel safe from my covetous gaze now.
I don’t know. I haven’t read the omnivore’s dilemma, and I don’t plan to. I don’t like touching raw meat, or preparing it myself, and I don’t like thinking about the animals it used to be. But I know a good steak or brat or porkloin or chicken breast is de-freaking-licious. Maybe as a society we have become so removed from the preparation of our own food that we are detached from a desire to respect the animal that we consume. So maybe that needs to change. But I’m not going to stop eating meat in favor of bean curd shaped like chicken. Puke.
Comment by Sra 2009 November 18 @ 9:13 pmI read Omnivore’s Dilemma last year, and it haunts me. It really changed the way I eat and think about food (for the better). We joined a CSA farm share and the produce we got from there was not only great tasting, but also organic, local and much cheaper than similar stuff at Whole Foods! So that works out really well. Finding humanely raised meat is more difficult. The Virginia farm he talks about in the book is within a few hours’ driving distance, so I at first considered driving there to buy our meat, but it never happened. We did find a bison farm much closer by, and their bison are grass fed and allowed to graze (we visited them last weekend! So cute!). I haven’t found out how they’re slaughtered yet, but it’s a small farm which gives me hope. We bought a ton of stuff there to stock up. It’s crazy expensive compared to the grocery store, but I don’t care. I am willing to pay an arm and a leg (no pun intended) to know that my meat comes from animals that were allowed to live natural lives, nevermind the fact that grass-fed beef is so much healthier for us and for the enviroment. So that’s where I am. We also started buying our chicken and eggs are the farmer’s market, from a stand that says their chickens are naturally raised and allowed to free roam and peck to their heart’s content.
I am OK with eating meat as long as the animals are allowed to live their lives naturally (not kept in cages and forcefed corn) and are humanely slaughtered. I’ve considered vegetarianism just because it’s so hard to find meat that fits that criteria, but my husband is an omnivore through and through so I’m working harder to find meat I can live with instead of just swearing off it.
I don’t like the ultra-processed veg. foods, either. Some veggie burgers are truly delicious, but when veg. stuff attempts to mimic meat…yuck.
Comment by Operation Pink Herring 2009 November 19 @ 10:44 amI don’t eat much meat, but it’s because I don’t like the sensory experience it provides (taste, texture, smell). I’m weird, I know.
However, I really wanted to comment on your post from the farming side of things. I grew up on a dairy farm where most of our cows eventually ended up being sold for beef. I now work in the dairy industry so my professional and personal experiences shape my position on this issue.
This overly dramatized portrayal of the food industry does injustice to the many good families and businesses that bring food to our tables each day.
The most vocal folks in the current food debate have no idea what it’s like to be a farmer or rancher and they are contributing to America’s increasing confusion about how we raise their food. Less than 1 percent of us work in agriculture, and the average American is more than three generations removed from farming. The situations represent the worst examples of modern agriculture. Yes, these are horrible examples. But they are not the norm.
As for organic foods, as far as dairy is concerned, there are no health or safety benefits from choosing organic milk over conventional products. All milk goes through the same rigorous screening process and none contains antibiotics. If it’s not perfect, it’s pitched.
There is a certain fallacy that organic milk comes from cows that are treated better than “regular” cows. I take offense to that. I grew up on a farm where we milked about 45 cows – not organic. I spent uncountable hours herding cows from the pasture and into the milking barn where they were fed a meal formulated by a nutritionist. We used electronic milkers to gently remove the milk from the udder then either kept her in the barn for the night if the weather was inclement or turned her loose to frollick in the fields. About 99 percent of dairy farms are family-owned. It’s not an easy life by any means, so I believe the people who choose to do the work are good people with good intentions.
I don’t mean to be preachy, this is a topic that is near to my heart. Ultimately you have to be comfortable with the food you choose to put in your body. But I wanted you to hear agriculture’s side of the story, too.
Comment by PomJob 2009 November 19 @ 1:05 pmFrom Julochka:
brit cook hugh fearnly-whittingstall did a 3-part documentary on chickens and how they’re produced and i haven’t bought chicken from the grocery store since. i do occasionally buy organic, free range chickens from the company that delivers my organic box on fridays, but i’m sure i don’t want to think about how those are slaughtered. but at least they have a good life while they’re raised, unlike the normal chicken in the store. it’s more expensive, yes, but i’d rather eat a chicken that’s been treated well once in awhile than the other kind regularly.
we’re trying to eat less meat in general and i’m getting better about making more vegetarian meals. i find i turn to curries, which is a good thing and makes the chick peas more palatable.
i was buying more fish, but i saw a piece last week on norwegian television about the conditions for farmed salmon and i’m not sure it’s any better. sigh.
i don’t really want to go whole hog (pun intended) vegetarian, but i’d like to live in a kinder way towards the planet. it seems like eating less meat is one way that i, as an individual, can choose to do that.
just be choosy about the meat you eat and make a conscious effort to enjoy it when you do partake.
Comment by heidikins 2009 November 20 @ 11:56 amWell, almost everyone (young people) in the east is fascinated with zach not eating meat. I am kind of shocked when I interact with families who are not substituting garbanzo beans for steaks, and veggie burgers for hamburgers. But it takes time. We are able to buy meat that we killed ourselves by going to a farm. Even though we live in the city, it’s possible. If you want to make it a little easier, look for Hallal or Kosher meats. I know in the book they probably said those are killed badly too, but some people kill their own and it’s really a good way to eat meat if it’s from a farm. Utah does have farms, if a group of people go together to pay for a cow, is costs about 1200 for a cow, divided by 12 people you’ll get tons of meat to freeze, and no guilt! also chicken can be handled the same way. Anyway, there’s so much to this issue. You’re a very creative cook. I’ve found most of your receipes are easily converted to hallal, or meatless, or kosher or something. You’re not far off the mark, ma’am.
Comment by Jen 2009 November 22 @ 6:25 pmThe real question is do you hate corn? I do. Ever since 2007 when Pollen enlightened me to the history and multi-faceted uses of corn.
Comment by Nate 2009 November 23 @ 8:50 pm