Quick post today, unfortunately I've been getting out of the habit of posting on Saturday mornings.
This terms is something I came across after I bought Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, a cookbook I am thoroughly enjoying.
It's a great cookbook, because it gives you basic ideas of how cook all sorts of vegetables, but also includes information on cooking techniques, which potatoes to use for what and all sorts of handy information.
Flexeterianism is about consciously choosing to eat less meat on a regular basis. My wife and I have certainly done that. Mostly for me it's about exploring what other kind of meals are out there, and also for environmental reasons. It's astonishing how much energy and time goes into producing meat, and how especially with industrial farming how unsafe it is.
The hard part for me has been trying to make the change, I read Fast Food Nation a while back, and was appalled at the meat packing plant parts in a chapter he calls "The Worst Job in the World" , and how Mexican immigrants were exploited and shipped into Tyson plants. The sad fact that "European Union" days when they prepared thing for the European market were much safer, as they require a much slower speed and more rules.
Then there's the continuing stories about E-coli including this one, which make me question whether to ever buy pre-packaged hamburger again.
So it's taken me a while to get to this point, and I still feel pretty awful about eating fish, which I try to do every week, given the exploitation of the ocean and declining fish stocks. I don't eat much shrimp even though I like it, even less since I heard about all the destruction they cause in East Asia.
But it's difficult to deny yourself things, and I totally understand those who continue to eat a lot of meat. This includes myself on some weeks, but I have chosen to noticeably reduce my meat consumption.
It's been fun to discover the wonders of eggplant, bok choy, and last week, brown lentils. I made a few dishes and they were great! So I expect that I will continue down this path, though it may be difficult this spring after I buy a BBQ.
I'm sure there are some pretty good vegetarian options for the grill though. I am looking forward to grilling eggplant for sure.
1 comment:
It's always good to hear that people are trying to eat more consciously. I've been vegetarian for over 25 years now and there are plenty of great things to eat that don't involve dead animals. Check into ethnic cuisine in particular - not the North Americanized versions. They cook some amazing things with legumes, vegetables, grains, tofu, etc. Indian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Mediterranean, African. Most people in the world aren't accustomed to as much meat at we eat in North America
Post a Comment