More Meat For Me
So the NYT wants us to eat less meat, eh?
LET’S suppose you’ve decided to eat less meat, or are considering it. And let’s ignore your reasons for doing so. They may be economic, ethical, altruistic, nutritional or even irrational. The arguments for eating less meat are myriad and well-publicized, but at the moment they’re irrelevant, because what I want to address here is (almost) purely pragmatic: How do you do it?
I’m not talking about eating no meat; I’m talking about cutting back, which in some ways is harder than quitting. Vegetarian recipes and traditions are everywhere. But in the American style of eating — with meat usually at the center of the plate — it can be difficult to eat two ounces of beef and call it dinner.
Who cares how? Go! Eat less beef! Eat less chicken! Eat less wonderful, delicious pork! You know what that means? More meat for me.
Now, you may say, well, CDE, that’s all well and good for you to say, but won’t less demand for meat actually lead to higher meat prices? Answer: yes, but at higher prices, you can expect more production of better, leaner, more healthier meat. All that kicking people who don’t appreciate meat out of the meat market really does is decrease the market for substandard meat.
Now, you may say, well, won’t these people (once they get tired of salads and pilafs) inevitably migrate to faux meats – fungus-based meat substitutes, lab-grown meat, etc? Fine. Let ‘em. It’s all the same thing – more meat for me.
In fact, I’ll echo the great Charlton Heston; the only way you’ll get the T-bone away from me if you pry it out of my cold dead hands.