I’ve been thinking lately about meat. Sausages, grilled chicken breasts and porterhouse steaks. Yum.
But at the back of my mind there’s always that thought that I should be a vegetarian.
In fact, I hate holding a piece of raw chicken as it slithers between my fingers while I try to cut it. It would be so much easier to chop up some carrots and throw them in a salad. I find my disgust toward any type of raw meat — chicken, beef or pork —funny, considering I want to go to culinary school after I graduate.
So, why exactly am I the typical omnivore, hungry to bite into anything fleshy or green?
The simple answer would be that I love food, but it’s much deeper than that.
Have you ever been to a restaurant with someone and ordered two different things to share, only to realize that you wish you had gotten what your friend has?
That’s how I view vegetarianism. I would want meat so bad but I would settle for something that’s just OK only to find out I’ve been missing out on something I know would be tasty.
To me, tofu burgers are not a meat substitute. Pork — the other white meat — is.
I love the texture of a steak, and the way the juices from it sizzle when it hits the grill. Chicken Alfredo and burgers and gyros—oh my! What delights!
But, some people are vegetarians because of the torturing of innocent animals.
While I agree that is wrong, aren’t we going to eat them eventually? If we were all vegetarians, wouldn’t domesticated pigs be extinct? I mean, what other purpose does the animal serve? I can’t remember the last time I heard of someone with a pet pig in a penthouse suite in Manhattan.
Now, I’ll probably get a letter from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals condemning my column, but enjoying meat is natural and you can still maintain a healthy diet while eating it, contrary to popular belief.
Of course, a balanced diet is important to have and eating McDonalds every day would make your arteries hate you, but food is one of the many pleasures in my life. But I’m proud to have my broccoli right next to my Double Whopper with cheese. You shouldn’t feel guilty or unhealthy if you take a bite out of a Big Mac. — Stefanie Toth is a sophomore journalism major. Feed her some comments at st135906@ohiou.edu
Reader Comments
Good point. I'm glad not everyone is a health nut these days.
Those poor vegetarians don't know what they are missing. Nothing wrong with a good steak, indeed!
One of the top brass in the ASPCA said the best thing about PETA: "We call it People for Extortion, Terrorism and Abuse."
Speaking of a good steak, can we ban A1 sauce, please? All a good steak needs is some salt, pepper, a knife and a fork (though the last two are optional, depending on the company you keep).
Thanks for the comments on my column! I probably won't post here much. I don't want to have a comment war(as I think it's unprofessional). If you want to read more of my stuff check out my food blog at www.readyfordessert.org. Thanks again!
A few things coming from a butcher here.
First of all, this was a very good column.
Ground lamb is healthier for you than ground pork. It's leaner and it's better for hamburgers. Ground pork is actually very fatty and usually comes from whatever trimmings the shop has from pork chops and roasts while ground lamb is usually pre-ground so there's consistency with the amount of fat. Other good, healthier, alternatives include ground turkey, ground chicken, and ground salmon. As for ground pork, shape that into a patty and put it on a bun and you basically have a McRib.
As for culinary school, I looked into it as well, and it would cost over $40 grand for an associate's degree, and that's with some general education classes taken out because you took them to get your bachelor's degree. It would likely take less than a year since you would have some of your classes already done.
As for the slaughtering of animals, there is the Humane Slaughter Act of 1958, which ensures that any meat comes from humanely slaughtered animals. Basically all animals that are to be killed for consumption are stunned unconscious before they are killed.
If anyone on here wishes for any cooking tips/recipes, feel free to e-mail me at as132802@ohio.edu, and I would be happy to help you out.
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