meat can be fun again.

If you're looking for something to pass the time, here are some meat reads:

the new york times regarding cheaper cow cuts and discount bin meats
bbc news on why fat is good for you (if you're a rat)
and, just for fun, twilight... with cheeseburgers.

on my soapbox again: the nytimes and red meat bashing.

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The New York Times ran an article yesterday regarding red and processed meat consumption and death rates among Americans. I am pretty sensitive to inflammatory articles such as this. I wish that the approach could have been focused on being a responsible and informed consumer; taking the time to learn about what one puts into their body. Here are the two snippets that make sense to me, though logic should kick in at some point:

To prevent premature deaths related to red and processed meats, Dr. Popkin suggested in an interview that people should eat a hamburger only once or twice a week instead of every day, a small steak once a week instead of every other day, and a hot dog every month and a half instead of once a week.

A question that arises from observational studies like this one is whether meat is in fact a hazard or whether other factors associated with meat-eating are the real culprits in raising death rates. The subjects in the study who ate the most red meat had other less-than-healthful habits. They were more likely to smoke, weigh more for their height, and consume more calories and more total fat and saturated fat. They also ate less fruits, vegetables and fiber; took fewer vitamin supplements; and were less physically active.

Healthful eating should not be a luxury; it is an important part of taking care of one's self, like getting moderate exercise, regular physical exams, or brushing your teeth! If this article assumes that the average red meat-eater blindly sucks down a cheeseburger a day, isn't there a good chance that he will see a headline stating that this routine is not the healthiest choice and switch to the fettuccine alfredo? This switch will reduce red meat consumption but increase his fat and calorie intake and remove any possibility of lettuce, tomato, or onion- perhaps the only vegetable he'll eat that day. Needless to say, this article also did not address the issue of meat quality (i.e. the health benefits of grass fed meats vs. corn fed, hormone and antibiotic-laden vs. natural) or red meat options other than beef (game meats like buffalo, venison, or elk), which play heavily into the cholesterol factor.

If we've learned anything by observing global diets, Europeans are far thinner and have less problems with chronic illness than Americans-- and they eat plenty of the good stuff. The solution does not always have to be to run away from sausage, bacon, or even cured deli-sliced meats. Sure, pre-packaged discount meat products usually contain nitrates, excessive saturated fats, and unbelievable sodium levels, but really, those facts are right on the label! Take the time to learn which brands produce additive-free products and watch for sales and coupons to make them fit your budget-- and then eat them in moderation, a concept that is foreign to many.

where food and fuel collide

While browsing a stack of magazines today, I unexpectedly came across a great article in Los Angeles magazine. This is not one that I usually peruse, so I was pretty excited to find something of interest.

The article entitled "The Other Recycling Business" brings light to the rendering industry. Don't know much about rendering? Neither did I. Apparently, about half of the cattle, hogs, and chickens that were slaughtered in the United States last year did not find their way to your plate, but instead were chopped up and drained of their juices to be made into all sorts of unsuspecting goods, including personal care products (think: shampoo, shaving cream, collagen bases, mouthwash), protein additives for animal feed, and biodiesel. Fat is quite the precious commodity, and the perspective of this article is quite fascinating, juxtaposing snippets about Wolfgang Puck's carnivore haven Cut Steakhouse with the story of Jim Andreoli, a pick-up truck driving Dirty Jobs contender. Take a look at what Andreoli envisions in this "diagram of the week."


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Here is where the conflict lies. Renderers such as Andreoli are walking a fine line. One could make a case for only raising and slaughtering animals necessary for human consumption, but even if that was the case, we are still left with animal "waste" products-- bones, head, guts, etc. Instead of letting precious tons of products go to waste, he puts them to use. And to good use, even. Who can argue with turning Burger King's troughs of run-off grease into biofuel? PETA, that's who. Can't win them all. Well intentioned, I'm sure, but certainly lacking in logic. Andreoli really has a passion for what he does and believes that he can make great strides for the environment, and he loves a great piece of meat! What more can you want, really?
(source article - "The Other Recycling Business," Los Angeles Magazine, April 2009)

the hip and healthy butchers!

while looking for a good wine pairing chart, i came across this site.
http://www.thehealthybutcher.com/
i really love what they're doing.. and in canada! those canadians, you never know what they're up to! i was pleasantly surprised and inspired to see that it is run by a young, hip-looking group of people with a really great mission-- to be an old-fashioned butcher shop providing their customers with with fresh, local, organic meats. what more could you want? butchering and cooking classes, did you say? weekly newsletters with recipes? they do that, too.

oh, the wine chart.
http://www.thehealthybutcher.com/livetoeat/volume11/TheHealthyButcher-WinePairingGuide.pdf

and also, my recommended reading for the week:


here's the blurb from the inside cover:
"For all of history, minus the last thirty years, fat has been at the center of human diets and cultures. When scientists theorized a link between saturated fat and heart disease, industry, media, and government joined forces to label fat a greasy killer, best avoided. But according to Jennifer McLagan, not only is fat phobia overwrought, it also hasn't benefited us in any way. Instead it has driven us into the arms of trans fats and refined carbohydrated, and fostered punitive, dreary attitudes toward food-- that wellspring of life and pleasure.
In Fat, McLagan sets out with equal parts passion, scholarship, and appetite to win us back to a healthy relationship with animal fats. She starts by defusing fat's bad rap, both reminding us of what we already know-- that fat is fundamental to the flavor of our food-- and enlightening us with the many ways fat (yes, even animal fat) is indespensable to our health.
Mostly, though, Fat is about pleasures, the satisfactions of handling good ingredients skillfully, learning the cultural associations of these primal foodstuffs, recollecting and creating personal memories of beloved dishes, and gratifying the palate and the soul with fat's irreplacable savor..."
(image and text courtesy of http://www.amazon.com/)

i know what i'll be using my next border's coupon on!