Expanding on Meat is the New Black - Is it Really?
It was a typical Sunday in San Francisco and as usual, my friends and I were sipping glasses of Sancerre at our favorite wine bar, but we could feel something odd in the air. Maybe it was the moon’s tilt or the way the sun was hitting the earth, but all of us had this crazy feeling that something monumental was about to happen.
The four of us were planning to attend a tasting. Not a wine tasting, they happen almost every day (how about hour) in this city known for its amazing wine, but an epicurean exploration of another kind. This was a tasting that many would argue had no place in the city by the bay, where vegans and vegetarians rule and their eating establishments get extremely high Zagat ratings (imagine that in Duluth??). We were on our way to a meat tasting, yes a meat tasting, to help celebrate a newly launched magazine, Meat Paper, a heady journal all about the culture of meat. Giddy with our stomachs growling like a bunch of young teenagers right after school, we had no idea what we were in for.
On the ride over conversation flowed and all of us questioned what would be there. Anticipating treats such as cured salami and salumi, roasted duck and beef carpaccio, our minds wandered, but our mouths watered even more. And what would they pair these meats with, a rich Zinfandel perhaps or what about a complex Cabarnet and possibly a taste of scotch to whet our palettes? Anticipation that could be compared to a 1970’s Heinz ketchup commercial was welling within each of us.
As the cab door flew open we were shocked and amazed. Hundreds of people crowded into the host restaurant. The scene had the makings of a Purdue Farms chicken coop right before the daily slaughter. Slowly squeezing our way in we grabbed for clean plates, a glass of the Zinfandel “tasting” (think 1 tbsp pours in thick rimmed and rented catering glasses) and pushed our way into the meat line, which was longer than a Manhattan food kitchen queue on a holiday.
All around us there were well-dressed and seemingly well-mannered people pushing, prodding, shoving and clawing their way to the numerous meat buffets scattered around the room. Grasping for air and struggling to get just a morsel, we did our best to collect ourselves while dodging the shameless carnivores grabbing at any slice of Proscuitto they could ram their forks into. We watched in disgust as the angry mob eagerly sucked the marrow out of veal bones and strategically avoided the oddly present “vegan” table. (Note: this was likely a move to please those in favor of the ‘Omnivores With Disabilities Act’ currently being batted around the political and lobbying tables throughout California.)
In a rare occurrence at any event, it was much easier to get to the bar or the bathroom than it was getting to the food. We thankfully succeeded at actually getting to the meat without having our fingers gnawed off and after filling our bellies we high tailed it out of there.
What was going on? Where did these meat lovers all come from? Most of us knew at least 5 or 6 veggie-only people; thrown in with the increasingly popular vegetarian defects that claim the title of pescetarian or commonly state ‘I only eat chicken… well at least ever since Jerry Garcia died.’ And in a city like San Francisco, the vegetarians and vegans always outnumbered the meat eaters, so the attendance was a huge surprise. As I pondered the crazy experience, I asked myself… Is meat must be the new black?
Before continuing, it is important to disclaim that personal credit cannot be taken for the pithy saying that I was convinced I created. My friend Marcia, a prolific food writer in the Bay Area, informed me that not only she, but also others have uttered these words. My goal, however, was to explore this question even further to learn more.
So I logged on and learned some interesting facts. According to the USDA, Economic Research Service, in 1950 US per capita meat consumption was 144 pounds person. At the time the study was published, November 2006, it was projected that this would amount to 222 pounds per person at the end of 2007 an increase of 54%. This increase is 4 percentage points higher than the growth in US population since 1950. Although the number is low meat still grew 4% more than the population. Hmmm….
Digging even further I learned that the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates total for red meat and poultry production. In 2006 the annual production of red meat and poultry was 89 million pounds and is estimated to grow to over 91 million by the end of 2008. Couple that with predictions that world meat consumption will double by 2050 and we can definitely say that the love of meat is not only growing, it is also a huge part of our everyday lives and has been for many years. Even if we factor in mad cow disease scares and efforts by animal cruelty organizations to shut down meat packing facilities and/or change slaughter practices we can definitely say that meat has been and will be here to stay for a long time.
My research, and experience with meat gnawing carnivores confirmed something for me. Meat is not the new black it is THE black, has been THE black and will be THE black for a very long time. So put down your vegetable peelers, pack up your Birkenstocks and cook up a few burgers. Meat is here to stay.
As my father would often say when we sat at the dinner table staring down a piece of rare meat and fearing the gristly flavor, “eat it or wear it”. If you want to be part of the hot shot set of meat loving trend setters and also avoid ordering the wrong thing during your next visit to a Chiurascura familiarize yourself with some of the best cuts by strolling over to your local meat man and ordering by the pound.
