December 12, 2008
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It’s hardly news that some people seem unusually devoted to eating meat. A new study gives some insight to a possible cause. Here’s how Women’s Health summarized the study:
Subjects registered their social values and diet choices, then took a sausage-roll taste test. Those who prized traits such as authority and wealth rated rolls labeled “beef” tastier than ones labeled “vegetarian”—regardless of what was actually in the wrap.
I have no idea how deeply ingrained beliefs like this could be overturned, but I’d love to learn about this topic. (Thanks, Stephanie). Link.
December 12, 2008
The new issue of Egg Industry magazine is out, amusingly comparing us to Josh Balk’s favorite villain. They write that in the wake of Prop 2, “Opponents of intensive animal production will be back like Freddy Kruger, emboldened by their success in the Golden State.”
One meat industry trade site wrote this week that the Prop 2 vote “sent a shudder up the spines of many involved in animal agriculture.” And with nearly all of the absentee and provisional ballots now counted, it turns out that Prop 2 was the most popular citizen initiative in California history.
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof had a great column in yesterday’s paper in which he wrote about Prop 2 and the Obama administration’s potential to change the USDA. Also, there’s an interesting article I recommend about the growing influence of HSUS in American society.
December 12, 2008
Last Saturday, I blogged about Ireland recalling all pork produced since September, due to dioxin contamination. Yesterday, the USDA announced recalls of Irish pork — more than 70,000 pounds of the stuff — in three states.
How hard is it for a meat import company to know they’ve been purchasing Irish pork? Maybe you can come up with a sensible explanation for the five day delay. I can’t.
But not to worry: “FSIS believes the probability of adverse health effects related to consumption of these pork products to be low…”
When have these whoresons ever announced the risk is high? (Thanks, Bea). Link.
December 11, 2008
For anyone thinking about jumping off the vegan wagon, these food photos will doubtless inspire you to jump back on. How Long John Silver’s Crumblies came in third rather than first is the greatest injustice of our century. Link.
December 11, 2008
The New York Times has a profile of Clint Eastwood. The reporter went to Eastwood’s restaurant to interview him, and writes:
In 1986 he bought the property and rebuilt it to his taste, with a piano bar, heart-stopping views of the ocean spray on Point Lobos and plenty of meat on the menu. Despite what you might have read on Wikipedia, Mr. Eastwood is not a vegan, and he looked slightly aghast when told exactly what a vegan is. “I never look at the Internet for just that reason,” he said.
I wonder how these myths get started. Link.
December 11, 2008
This is homemade. A really impressive looking effort.
December 11, 2008
Here’s a year-old hour-long video of Steve Chu discussing energy policy and global warming. President Elect Obama has just named Chu, a Nobel Laureate, to be the next US Secretary of Energy.
It’s the most interesting and important video I’ve seen all month. Unfortunately, it doesn’t show the slides Chu refers to. The video player has a less-than-intuitive plus sign that will enlarge the video to full screen. (Via BoingBoing). Link.
Update: One of my readers works for the National Academies, and they hosted a more recent talk with Dr. Chu this past March. There’s a lot of overlap and I’d watch the other talk first, but this one is also worth seeing. Link.
December 10, 2008
Dan Piraro’s latest. If you’re one of the lucky few to have not yet heard of turduckens, read this first. Don’t miss giving some thought to the chairs in this drawing; they might be the funniest background cartoon gag I’ve ever seen. Link.
December 10, 2008
This is really preliminary, and it’s certain that agribusiness would fight this proposal tooth and nail, but the EPA is mulling initiating a tax on each cow and each pig raised in the United States. The idea is that the tax would reduce the number of methane-producing livestock, and thereby reduce greenhouse gases.
Between high grain prices and the threat of special livestock taxes, the future for cheap red meat is looking increasingly rocky. Link.
December 9, 2008
One of the sad but true facts of life is, if you give an omnivore two otherwise identical desserts, one made with butter and eggs and one vegan, they’ll prefer the non-vegan dessert every time, right? Apparently not. A DC dessert chef has been churning out vegan and non-vegan variations of the same desserts, and discovering that omnivores consistently prefer the vegan versions. According to the Washington Post:
She thinks it’s the butter, or lack of it, that does the trick. Without dairy products, her cookies taste clearly of chocolate, ginger or pecans because, as she puts it, “the flavors have not been taken over by the butter.”
Little by little, butter and eggs are losing their reputation as essential dessert ingredients. Link.
