Too much meat...

I think we (the people of the developed world) are eating way too much meat... It’s a complex issue with many sides, but personally I think people eat too much meat either because they are lazy, greedy or ignorant (or all three). I’m not trying to offend anyone, I myself used to be all three. I used struggle to understand how vegetarians could think opting out of eating meat was an ethical choice, but I just didn’t understand the argument. Granted meat is the most efficient thing for us to eat in terms of calorie content and nutritional value and for that reason it is a convenient way to eat, however it is by no means the most energy efficient thing to produce, or the healthiest option. The fact that cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of men and women in this country must be telling us something.

So why is this happening? Is it the break down in the connection between the people who produce the meat and the people who consume it? A break down in the cultural traditions that used to dictate the treatment and ceremony of meat? Public pressure for higher volumes of a cheaper, more "affordable" product that has enabled the industrialisation of meat production? Everyone want the cost of living to be less, pressure by consumers to produce more chicken at a cheaper price has led to the establishment of battery hens in the most pitiful of conditions, the true cost of your daily chicken stir-fry or green chicken curry is the torture of an innocent bird. Clearly this is a subjective issue, I've heard people argue that they can’t taste the difference between cage eggs and free range and therefore there is no difference. I understand there are people who say they can't afford free range/organic food - but if that is what it costs to produce meat and eggs humanely and you can't afford it, doesn't that just mean you should be eating less?

some happy free ranging chooks...

My current solution to this issue is to eat less meat, cutting back to two-three times a week (less when my boyfriend is away) and when I do eat meat I try to buy free range/organic produce from local producers and treat meat as a side dish, not central to the meal. Supermarket meat does not enter my kitchen, I'd rather eat baked beans. 

I do however eat meat sometimes when I eat out - which is lazy of me - how can I be all preachy when I eat a roast duck noodle soup for $11? After a recent news bulletin on ABC 7:30 report, I'm not sure how much longer I'll be eating roast duck...

I'm still conflicted about this but perhaps that's where I should be. I should be considering the welfare of the animals I eat, the conditions they lived in and how they were slaughtered.  I have heard it be said that lamb is the most reliable "free range" meat because you can't make a sheep eat grain - they have to eat hay or grass. But even that doesn't ensure their transportation and slaughter is in line with what I would consider humane. I have seen plenty of trucks transporting sheep crammed in, legs poking out at all angles, with the top level open to the elements, often in scorching heat. Not to mention the number of sheep paddocks I have seen devoid of a single tree or shade cloth, with sheep hiding under each others bums from the 40 degree heat.

Needless to say, it's is just about impossible to always eat "ethically reared, humanely treated" animals.  Unfortunately regulation standards on this don't currently exist at level I am satisfied with. Which is why many people choose to be vegetarian.

So after all that, last week I bought two lamb chops from the butcher last week. You should see the perplexed looks I get from my local butcher "200 gm of organic mince thanks".... "anything else love?...". which is part of the problem, there are people out there that can't imagine what you could do with only 200gm of mince... Anyway I enjoyed two lovely BBQ'ed lamb chops, steamed broccoli, peas and roasted sweet potato and red onion. I eat most of the fat on the chops.. because I think the lamb was nice enough to grow it for me, I should eat it.... but that's mostly a justification for myself because I love the taste... tell me I'm gross if you want...