Rants and Raves

Eat Tofu, Kill Earth

February 19th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit (1)Comment

Now that is a band.

Once upon a time there was a group of people called vegans.  Among other things, these people claimed that their diet was better for the environment than eating meat.  Had they been right, the world would be a much different place, but luckily for us, they were wrong.  In fact, they eventually learned that their diet was actually worse for the environment than eating meat.

Ok, so maybe the vegans haven’t learned yet, but new research shows that vegan staples like soy, chickpeas and lentils are doing more harm than good.  It’s enough to make you want to sing “Killer Tofu,” by The Beets.  Remember that fictional band from Doug on Nickelodeon?  If not, here’s a refresher:

But I digress.  The WWF found that in Great Britain, since most of the land is unsuitable for growing soy and other vegetarian crops, these products have to be imported from thousands of miles away.  This transportation itself is bad for the environment, but to make matters worse, these crops are grown in countries like Brazil, where they are clear-cutting the rainforest.  I won’t get into all the details of the effect this clear-cutting has on the environment, but it’s pretty terrible.

So next time you opt for the vegetarian option in a meal (which I’m sure you would never do), make sure you think about the environmental implications first.

(via Times Online)


One Response to “Eat Tofu, Kill Earth”

  1. patti says:

    Globally, the livestock sector uses approximately 70% of all agricultural land for feed and pasture. Generally the soy/corn/grain etc that meat eaters “don’t” eat has already been eaten by the cow that they find themselves eating so your theory doesn’t make sense. Only 20% of cattle feed in Europe is locally grown, the rest is imported, in particular from South America. I am sorry – but your argument just doesn’t hold up here…

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Going Global at Plan Check

Fries of the world.

A couple of weeks ago, The Backyard Bite invited me to The Burger Culture Clash, sponsored by Stussy (which apparently still exists) and Plan Check. Plan Check, by the way, is a sort of new (since February) restaurant in West LA with Chef Ernesto Uchimura of Umami Burger fame. As my love of burgers, especially those of the umami variety, I jumped at the opportunity.

Although I arrived alone, I was not the only lone eater. Just next to where I was seated, I met e*star LA and we decided to share a meal called loneliness, because it’s better than eating alone. We made quick friends over our respective blogs and Midwestern roots, then got to work at dissecting the special menu, which Plan Check will be featuring for the next month if anything tickles your fancy. Continue Reading»