Arriving in France on a Sunday evening is never ideal. It feels like the entire country has gone into hibernation. Once outside of Paris, it can be an adventure in finding a grocery store, pharmacy or even gas station open past lunch. Combine that with arriving in Lyon, home of this year’s quadrennial Women’s World Cup, (congrats Team USA), and hotel rooms are about as scarce.
Read MoreIt’s become a bit of a tradition for my family to visit with my wife’s aunt just outside of Aix-en-Provence each summer. This Saturday, I’ll pack up the wife and kids and whisk them away from all the crazy in California for a few weeks. While there, I will continue to blog, but with a bit of French flare, a lot more photos, and probably a baguette and glass of wine (or two) in my belly.
Read MoreNot only are stressed animals unhappy and unhealthy, but for decades we’ve known that an anxious animal ain’t any good to eat. And although we mention this phenomenon in every one of our bi-weekly butcher classes, I’ve never really explored why. It turns out the science behind this is quite literally an acid trip; but a pretty straight forward one. Temple Grandin is the godmother for humane animal husbandry, and wrote one of the most influential manuscripts on the importance of humane slaughter practices.
Read MorePaul is just as concerned about re-invigorating the soil, as he is about raising chickens. If he only worried about the size of his hens, he could easily pump them full of antibiotics and hormones. Instead, Paul worries about rotating the birds regularly to actually rebuild the organic material and microbial diversity of his pastures. This effort protects the land from erosion, and builds up biodiversity. One look at his green fields and plumped chickens, and it seems he’s on to something.
Read MoreThe founding fathers (and mothers) of the organic movement had the right idea: food should come from local, renewable sources that conserve soil and water, and improve the environment. But then the established food industry discovered they could increase their profits by getting on the organic bandwagon. That’s when things started to go “crazy,” according to Paul.
Read MoreEvery year, five fantastic chefs compete to make mind-blowing, multi-course meals, each using an entire heritage breed pig sourced from a local farm. “Cochon” is now in 13 cities across the country, culminating with a Grand Cochon Finale in Chicago each fall. All funds raised go to keeping heritage pigs around, and educating the public about their value to the world.
Read MoreBeef consumption per capital in the US has decreased dramatically over the last 40 years from almost 100 lbs. per person in the 70s, to about 55 lbs. per individual in 2015. If beef were such a telltale of cardiovascular risk, and its consumption has gone down, shouldn’t we see rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes also going down? Instead, they’re accelerating.
Read MoreThe feedlot became popular in the 1950s and 60s. With soaring beef demand, surplus subsidized grain, and cheap growth hormones and antibiotics, American ranchers turned away from the millennia-old habit of raising free-range cattle on open grassland, and instead replaced it with faster, more predictable, and more profitable mechanized feedlots. The concept caught on quickly.
Read MoreYet again, cattle are considered the top cause of environmental disaster. This time, it’s rain-forest destruction. And I have to admit, the data is terrifying. Referenced accounts suggest 50-75% of all clear-cutting in Brazil goes to grazing lands. Although deforestation levels are down overall, they spiked this last year, turning 3,000 square miles into mulch.
Read MoreCattle have been scapegoated (scape-cowed) as the root of all agricultural and healthcare evils for more than half a century. Ask your circle of friends which food is most responsible for society’s downfall, and they’d probably say Bessie the cow. Progressive acquaintances often say to me apologetically, “I eat meat occasionally,” but quickly follow up with the asterisk, “just not beef.” Beef has become ground zero for what’s wrong with the planet and our American diet.
Read MoreI’ve learned a bit in my short career as a meat seller, and I think I can help shed a little light on the passions and politics that have led us to seeing meat eating as a guilty pleasure, or an environmental catch-22. It’s a fascinating subject, full of contradictions, so maybe we can have a laugh or two together as well, otherwise you might just cry in frustration.
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