So I was going to write about that “scientist” who claimed that the organic material on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is due to living things. But that was crushed within a few hours. I’m not an insta-journalist. There is plenty of evidence for non-life processes to make the types of compounds found on the comet, so that’s a non-starter.
Instead, I found another article that I wanted to think about. Some of you know that this is often how I think. I will start writing about a subject, doing research as I go and then see what comments come up. I can often find a solution or position that I’m happy with after this process.
For the last year or so, I’ve been uncomfortable about my eating habits. Not eating too much chocolate or whatever, but the consumption of meat. I’m a die hard carnivore. I was raised by some people who thought that beef was best when it was barely cooked. My dad once went so far as to suggest he liked it best when a vet could resuscitate it. I’m not that into it.
However, over the years, I’ve found that my body works best on a high protein diet. My stomach is calmer, my intestines are calmer (and everyone appreciates that).
I know though, that meat animals are not sustainable. It takes something like 30,000 calories worth of plant material to produce 1,000 calories of beef. I also like animals. I’m confident that if I had to kill and butcher my own, I would be a vegetarian in short order.
That all being said (and those are good reasons), I just don’t like vegetables. I like some veggies, prepared in very specific ways (i.e. sufficient to mask the texture and flavor of the vegetable. Tempura fried carrots and zucchini, broccoli with cheese, green beans with bacon… that I can handle. I’m a huge fan of peas, beans, and the starchy veggies (corn, potatoes, etc). I recently discovered Yukon gold potatoes and honestly wonder how I survived without them.
But there may be some hope. The idea of turning vegetable matter into meat substitutes. Let’s face it, there will never be a case where a veggie burger can match a meat burger in juiciness, flavor, and… well… meatiness. But I think I could survive without that. And the current hypothesis is that if you make a meat substitute, then cover it in flavor, people might not miss it.
I actually love tofu, when it’s mixed with various Chinese inspired sauces and veggies. I generally shock people who haven’t known me long by ordering orange tofu. It’s great. And that’s where we need to go.
Not to replace meat as meat, but to replace meat as an ingredient in food. If you try to pan fry a fake chicken strip, then eat it, you probably wouldn’t be impressed. But if you mix it with a black bean sauce, some pico, and shredded lettuce, then most people (I think) wouldn’t even realize that it wasn’t real chicken.
I became aware of a product yesterday called Beyond Meat. I’m going to give it a shot and report back. I’m going to try and stealthily incorporate it into fajita or spaghetti night and see what happens.
