01-05 Meat without Meat

“Mom, Ian farted. That’s okay. But it’s nicer to say, Ian passed wind.” A lesson at age eight playing with my kid brother.
Well, speaking of “passing wind” we have a billion cows around the world sending methane into the atmosphere. Now, that’s not nice. And to my surprise, burping at the front is more of an issue than passing wind at the back.
Anyways, methane from cows represents 15% of greenhouse gas emissions. How about that?
Most of these cows are in India, something like 300 million. Holy cow. And they are revered by Hindus, who are vegans. So loving cows isn’t about the meat.
Speaking about diets, I am a diabetic with both high blood pressure and cholesterol. And what I eat is a good plan for anyone. No sugar, less red meat, less carbos, more veggies and no processed food because of the salt. Perhaps I should become a vegan.
Some memories here. It would be tough to be a vegan in “meat-eating” Argentina in the 1980s. It was those famous low-fat steaks made from grass-fed cattle. And, what fun seeing them being grilled in the restaurant windows.
But, speaking generally, people are cutting back on meat and eating more veggies. The issue is why? Is it about health or the environment? This is another one of those quirky climate issues. Something driven by one thing impacts another. Eating “meat without meat” because it is healthier reduces greenhouse gases. Holy moly.
What is happening around the world is that plants are not showing up as veggies on your plate but as fake meat. Call it plant-based protein, or “meat without meat”. Or call it by one of the hot new trade names. What is so interesting is that the ingredients of two leading US trade names contains different plants, and yet both taste like beef. Some serious food processing going on here.
And this is not just a US phenomenon, but a craze that is sweeping the world. And in those nations that are taking the lead in replacing fossil fuels with renewables, we find they are also taking the lead in replacing meat with plant-based protein. At McDonalds in Sweden you can buy a “McVegan” burger. Yummy.
But the cattle industry sees the threat of “meat without meat” in the same way the fossil fuel industry sees the threat of electric vehicles.
They are trying to breed nicer cows. Apparently, researchers hope to genetically modify cows, so their wind is more like “eau de toilette”.
And, how about this entrepreneurial farmer in California that is catching “cow wind” to use as fuel. You’ve heard that rude expression, “Shove it up your ___.” Well, that is exactly what he does.