NO MEAT MONDAYS

mdablog002, originally uploaded by thompswl.

I am not a vegetarian, but I have been looking for ways to reduce my environmental impact. Usually this is reduced to turning off lights and recycling but after reading a letter from Paul McCartney on Goop I thought I would pass this idea along. Everyone should be able to give up meat for 1 day, especially when a recipe like this one from Mr Chow is included. The first time I went to New York City with my parents we went to Mr Chow uptown, I still remember that incredible trip and these amazing lettuce wraps. I've been back since that trip (I lived in NYC for 3 years) and ordered these lettuce wraps every time I was every lucky enough to dine there. Enjoy the recipe and the informative letter from Mr. McCartney.


Ok, here’s the story on Meat Free Monday. In 2006, the United Nations issued a report which stated that the livestock industry as a whole was responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the whole of the transport sector put together. I found this interesting particularly because people at the UN are not a vegetarian society and therefore, could not be accused of bias. They pointed out the following facts:

The Livestock industry produces gases that are extremely dangerous for the future of our environment.

The two main gases, methane and nitrous oxide, are considered to be more harmful than CO2 (methane is 21 times more powerful than CO2 and nitrous oxide is 310 times more powerful than CO2) so the data suggests that this is causing a highly dangerous situation for ourselves and, more importantly, for future generations.

Methane also remains in the atmosphere for 9 to 15 years; nitrous oxide remains in the atmosphere for 114 years, on average, and is 296 times more potent than CO2 - the gases released today will continue to be active in degrading the climate decades from now.
Livestock production is land intensive: a recent report by Greenpeace on land use in the largest meat producing state in Brazil found that livestock (cattle) production was responsible for vastly more deforestation than soya.

A third of all cereal crops, and well over 90% of soya, goes into animal feed, not food for humans. Eating less meat will free up a lot of agricultural land which can revert to growing trees and other vegetation, which, in turn, will absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Livestock production is water intensive: it accounts for around 8% of global human water use. The estimated 634 gallons of fresh water required to produce one 5.2 ounce (150g) beef burger would be enough for a four-hour shower. For comparison, the same quantity of tofu requires 143 gallons of water to produce.

Livestock production is the largest source of water pollutants, principally animal wastes, antibiotics, hormones, chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and pesticides used for feed crops, and sediments from eroded pastures.

The meat industry is set to double its production by 2050 so even if they manage to lower emissions by 50%, as they have promised to, we will still be in the same position.

Vegetarian ‘Squab’ with Lettuce

Serves 4 - 6
75 grams zucchini
75 grams bamboo shoots
4 Dried Shitake Mushrooms (reconstituted in water for 20 minutes )
2 spring onions
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch dried red chilli peppers
1 tablespoon Chinese wine
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon sesame seed oil
3 - 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Iceberg lettuce
Plum sauce to serve

Finely dice the zucchini, bamboo shoots, spring onions and shitake mushrooms. Heat the oil in a wok to a medium heat. Add all the vegetables and stir fry until cooked ‘al dente’ Add the salt, white pepper, chilli peppers, Chinese wine and Sesame seed oil to finish. Reduce without overcooking the vegetables. If there is still too much liquid, drain before serving. Trim the individual iceberg lettuce leaves to 10 – 11 cm diameter, dry and serve cold and crispy. Place a little plum sauce in the lettuce cup, add a spoonful of the vegetable mixture, and roll up into a parcel.

*Also don't you just love this photo taken from the window of the Hotel on Rivington (in my old neck of the woods) I found it on the blog "our labor of love"