meet your meat zine final
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A Melbourne based organisation encouraging others to reduce their meat consumptionTRANSCRIPT
Meet Your Meat
A Practical Guide to Reducing Your Meat Intake
Louisa Keck Izzy Roberts-‐Orr Evangeline Yin Lia Karl Yusni
Meet Your Meet by Louisa Keck, Izzy Roberts-‐Orr, Evangeline Yin & Lia Karl Yusni October 2015 on.fb.me/1R7WRqB soundcloud.com/izasmiz/sets/meet-‐your-‐meat
Editorial: The Ethics of Meat Consumption in a Warming World Izzy Roberts-‐Orr A 2006 report, Livestock’s Long Shadow from the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimated that
livestock were responsible for about 18% of human-‐caused
greenhouse gas emissions. The same report stated that ‘Animal
industries are one of the most significant contributors to the
most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local
to global’.
A study conducted by University of Oxford scientists in July
2014, Dietary greenhouse gas emissions of meat-‐eaters, fish-‐
eaters, vegetarians and vegans in the UK, found that meat-‐rich
diets (consumption of over 100g per day) resulted in 7.2kg of
carbon dioxide emissions. In contrast, both vegetarian and fish-‐
eating diets caused about 3.8kg of CO2 per day, while vegan
diets produced only 2.9kg. The study analysed the diets of
30,000 meat eaters, 16,000 vegetarians, 8,000 fish eaters and
2,000 vegans.
You can markedly reduce your environmental footprint simply by eating less meat.
Essay: On Eating Animals
Damned if you do… Louisa Keck
How a non-‐committal approach may actually be just the thing
to get the ball rolling when it comes to the ethical consumption
of meat.
Speaking up about outside of the box eating patterns doesn’t
always go down smoothly among the most easygoing of
crowds. I get it, glutards can be annoying. But what is less
tolerable is the judgment that gets thrown around when it
comes to the ethical consumption of meat.
Damned if you do and damned if you don’t, there seems to be
a fair bit of shame propagating for those of us who fall roughly
halfway along a spectrum joining vegans to paleo-‐devotees.
Momentarily ignoring the ethical dilemma of killing live animals
for food despite the plethora of cruelty-‐free options available
to most of us in Australia, the meat industry is an incredibly
troublesome beast. A 2006 report from the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimated that
livestock were responsible for about 18% of human caused
greenhouse gas emissions. The same report stated that ‘animal
industries are one of the most significant contributors to the
most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local
to global’.
A study conducted by Oxford University in July 2014 found that
meat-‐rich diets (consumption of over 100g of meat per day)
resulted in 7.2kg of carbon dioxide emissions per day. In
contrast, both vegetarian and fish-‐eating diets caused about
3.8kg per day, while vegan diets produced only 2.9kg. The
study considered the diets of over 56,000 subjects, and
included meat-‐eaters, vegetarians, fish-‐eaters and vegans.
Historically, few could deny the shaming propagated by meat-‐
eaters toward vegetarians and vegans, particularly in the years
before education about the effects of meat consumption
became prevalent. In certain circles that mentality has dribbled
through to today, and bizarre misinterpretations of vegetarians
and their beliefs prevail.
But as is the case in any cycle of oppression, eventually the
marginalised will start to bite back. I recently made the mistake
of proudly telling my strictly vegetarian friend that I was
planning to reduce my meat intake to only five days a week.
Expecting praise, instead she scoffed and proposed my plan -‐ in
the nicest way possible -‐ just a little bit pathetic.
“Make a decision either way,” she said, as if by reducing my
meat intake by approximately 71% was somehow worse for the
environment and my own ethics than doing nothing at all.
While she had been slogging out the hard yards for years
restricting her eating habits, she found it borderline offensive
for me to come along proclaiming that my newfound non-‐
committal eating plan was lending me some sort of saintly
quality. Suffice to say, my confidence faltered and I decided I
was kidding myself -‐ I was a meat eater through and through.
This kind of reductionist attitude seems to help no one. Not
committed enough to convert fully to a vegetarian diet, I
returned to my normal eating patterns, contributing the same
quantity of carbon dioxide as always and killing the same
number of animals.
There should be no shame involved in reducing one’s meat
consumption. We should celebrate each other for the small
changes each of us can make on a daily basis, like asking the
waiter to hold the bacon with your scrambled eggs or
subscribing to Meat Free Mondays. We all should have the final
say in what we put into our own bodies, just as we should feel
empowered by the ways we can use our diets, our words and
our support for others to make a difference, for the sake of
animals, the environment and our own bodies.
Getting Started: Cooking at Home Easy, Meat-‐Free Recipes
Tomato Tart Evangeline Yin Simplicity equals perfection in this easy but delicious tart that's
ideal for relaxed summer entertaining.
Ingredients
All-‐purpose flour 1 sheet frozen all-‐butter puff pastry 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 c. whole-‐milk ricotta 4 oz. soft goat cheese
2 large eggs ⅓ c. chopped fresh basil ¾ tsp. Kosher salt ¼ tsp. Freshly ground black pepper ¾ lb. assorted tomatoes
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with
parchment paper.
2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out pastry to a 10-‐
by 15-‐inch rectangle and transfer it to the baking sheet.
3. With a paring knife, score a border 1 inch in from the
edge all around the rectangle, cutting into, but not
through, the dough. With a fork, prick the dough inside
the border all over (this will allow border to rise higher
than the center that's been pricked). Brush the center
with 1 tablespoon oil.
4. In a large bowl, stir together ricotta, goat cheese, eggs,
basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Spread mixture over
the center of puff pastry sheet. Top with tomatoes,
overlapping slightly. Sprinkle tomatoes with remaining
1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
Bake 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and
filling is set.
Vegie Stir-‐Fry Izzy Roberts-‐Orr
Although the humble vegie stir-‐fry isn’t much to look at, it’s a
quick and easy meal that keeps well and is cheap as chips.
Ingredients
Vegies of choice – for this one, I used: 2 bunches of baby bok choy 1 bunch of Chinese broccoli 2 carrots 2 giant mushrooms 1 small broccoli Other vegies that are delicious in stir-‐fry include: Capsicum
Eggplant Bean shoots Garlic / Onion Ginger / Curry Paste Fish or Squid sauce (leave out to make vegan) Chilli sauce / Sambal 2 large eggs (leave our to make vegan) 2 small packs of rice noodles 250g hard or medium tofu Handful of crushed peanuts Sesame / Peanut / Olive Oil Soy Sauce Coriander Directions
1. Chop all your veg into bite-‐sized chunks 2. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and leave to the side 3. Boil the kettle and leave your rice noodles to soak in
boiling water until they are almost soft enough to eat 4. Gently simmer the garlic / onion and ginger / curry paste
in oil. 5. Chuck all your veg into the wok or pan, starting with the
veg that takes the longest to cook. For example, carrots, then broccoli, then mushrooms and tofu, then leafy veg such as bok choy and Chinese broccoli. If you’ve got bean shoots, always leave them til last, or use them as a garnish.
6. Time for sauces! Add fish sauce, chilli sauce, soy sauce and whatever other dressings you like to taste.
7. Cover the wok and allow the veg to simmer. 8. Drain the rice noodles, and throw them in the pan too. 9. Pour the eggs in, and mix everything around until you’re
satisfied the egg is cooked through and it’s not too gooey.
10. Voila! Serve with a handful of crushed peanuts and some coriander.
11. Save the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Eating Out: Where to Go and What to Get Melbourne has a wide array of inexpensive vegetarian and vegan options Green Breakfasts Izzy Roberts-‐Orr I love to eat breakfast and brunch out, although increasingly
I’m too busy to do so. Generally, I grab a pre-‐prepared chia
pudding in a jar with some banana/berries, nuts, seeds and
almond milk thrown in (look them up online – so easy to make,
so easy to impress dinner guests with as a dessery, especially if
topped with home-‐stewed fruit!) or have two fried eggs and
half an avocado for brekky.
Green Refectory on Sydney Rd, Brunswick, is ridiculously good
value for money. I’m pretty sure the prices haven’t changed in
at least 5 years. The vegie breakfast stack is a solid favourite,
and the tofu scramble is the most delicious vegan breakfast I’ve
ever had. At $10 each, you can’t go wrong with either of these.
Melting Lunchtime Moments Lia Karl Yusni
Melted avocado melt sandwich from BUTTERDISH -‐ melted
cheese whole grain bread with sautéed avocados, mayonnaise,
lettuce and a special sweet sauce. It cost me 9 dollars, which i
feel very reasonable price for a very filling sandwich. I find the
taste quite overwhelming with the amount of mayonnaise but
cutting it in half and eating them at separate times makes it
better. Overall, it was a delicious nonetheless. The avocado was
a perfect touch to my healthy lunch.
Cornerstone of a Healthy Dinner Louisa Keck
This is a meal from one of my favourite cafes Cornerstore & Co
in Hampton, that I often recreate at home as a really quick and
easy # meatfree dinner! This is a macro bowl with ancient
grains, peptitas, avocado, pickled biotic carrots, sesame bean
sprouts, spiced nori jam, garlic-‐chilli broccoli and white bean
puree # YUMMM , but when i make them at home I usually use
red rice, lots of avocado, broccoli, sesame seeds, fresh lettuce
and tomato, maybe a boiled egg and basically whatever I’ve got
in the fridge! I’ll drizzle it in yummy good quality olive oil and
maybe balsamic or pomegranate molasses, some salt and
pepper and some herbs and really whatever I feel like…
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t! What are some
of your go-‐to and easy meat free meals?
Interview: How to be vego Photographer and Vegetarian Sarah Walker in conversation with Izzy Roberts-‐Orr
Sarah Walker and Cassie Anne Image: Izzy Roberts-‐Orr
Sarah I made a salad today. It’s an Ottolenghi recipe, a chef
from London who has these two cookbooks called Plenty and
Plenty More. They’re just plant-‐based food and they're fucking
unbelievable. So I made this salad, which had blanched
broccolini, snow peas and green beans, and a sauce which was
tahini, mirin, tamari, honey, garlic, a bit of water and some
toasted sesame seeds and a bit of coriander. Mate. It was so
good.
Izzy Was it easy to make?
Sarah Yeah, it was very easy to make. The thing about
vegetables is is that it’s actually really hard to cook them badly.
If you accidentally cook a vegetable for 45 minutes, it’s like, oh
look that’s fine, whereas if you cook a steak for 30 seconds too
long, you’ve fucked it up. I presume, it’s been a long time since
I’ve cooked a steak. This is my understanding of the meat
process.
Izzy What made you decide to become a vegetarian?
Sarah A friend forced me to read Eating Animals by Jonathan
Safran Foer. We had a conversation where he said “you should
read this book,” and I said “I don’t want to.” He said “is that
because you’re willingly staying ignorant because you don’t
want to change your life?” And I said “yes”. So I read it and the
next day became vegetarian.
Izzy So the transition wasn’t difficult then?
S: No, most of the things I could already cook tended to be
vegetarian, and I don’t actually like meat that much if I really
think about it. Most of the flavours that I really enjoy can be
applied to vegetables. I just couldn't think of any good reason
to keep eating meat, and I could think of a heap of great
reasons to stop. So I stopped.
I think there’s this idea that you have to be really hardcore
about the way that you live your life vegetarian which is not at
all the case. I really enjoy identifying as a vegetarian and I think
part of that is just getting to the end of the day and thinking “I
achieved nothing of use today, but I didn’t eat anything that
was alive.” So somehow that feels like I’ve achieved something,
even when I’ve spent the day reading Buzzfeed.
Izzy What would a normal day’s food intake look like for you?
Sarah Breakfast is often some sort of omelette/scrambled eggs
situation, with bread and avocado (if I can afford it), and
tomatoes, capsicum and mushroom. Lunch is often something
involving a salad with chickpeas or lentils with various spices
and other vegetables. And for dinner, I have a lot of stews and
some pasta things. I tend to eat a lot of grains and vegetable
things and then tofu and dairy for protein.
Izzy Did you find any differences with your energy levels?
Sarah My energy levels skyrocketed after I went vegetarian. My
iron levels improved drastically. I mean, they’re still low, but
every time I speak to my doctor he says “look, you’re totally
fine, you’re totally healthy.” I began eating more thoughtfully
and more mindfully after I became vegetarian, I wasn’t just
eating Spaghetti Bolognese four meals a day. Oh god, I ate so
much spaghetti when I first moved out of home. Good lord. I
basically just ate carbs and meat and that was it. I became
much more interested in cooking once I became vegetarian
because it’s easier and there are so many recipes -‐ especially
now -‐ and it’s often easy to adapt meat recipes to be
vegetarian anyway. My energy levels have always been better
the more vegetarian I’ve been.
Izzy Do you have any hot tips for anyone who wants to start
eating a bit more vego?
Sarah Get those Ottolenghi cookbooks, one’s called Plenty, the
other’s called Plenty More. You would not believe the scope of
food that you can have. Develop an interest in Asian and
Turkish/Lebanese cuisine because a lot of it is vegetarian
anyway. If you’re going to eat meat, if you have to eat
something, eat kangaroo because you can’t farm it. I remember
a friend telling me in the beginning, “look sometimes you might
be in a situation where you have to eat meat, and that doesn’t
mean you’re not a vegetarian -‐ it just means you’re trying”. I
think some people are like “are you allowed to eat this?” and I
reply that I’m allowed to eat anything I want. But I enjoy
making choices that make me feel better about the world.
Izzy Anything else you want to add?
Sarah Mushroom is better meat than meat. So is eggplant. Make friends with tahini.
Image: Izzy Roberts-‐Orr
Hunger Pangs: Snack Recommendations Easy options for a feed between meals Protein Bars // Power Balls Izzy Roberts-‐Orr A fantastic and filling snack (although it can seem expensive for
such a small package) are Vegan power or protein bars or balls.
Easy to find at your local supermarket or health food store,
these tiny parcels pack a serious punch. They’re filling,
energizing and far more delicious than they look.
Vege Chips Evangeline Yin
The AJITAS Veggie Chip is providing ‘tasty better for you’
products that are made with All Natural Ingredients and are
free from any additives with No Hidden Nasties. This product is
highly recommended for vegan as in they are free from nuts,
eggs, soy, petrochemicals, MSG, flavour enhancers, artificial
colours, artificial preservatives. The producer are strict in
quality control and food safety procedures are in place to
ensure you get the best tasting chips on the planet.
Due to the increasing number of people in modern society who
have food allergies, chemical sensitivities and general poor
health, AJitas Veggies Chip position themselve in developing
snacks that are friendly to most diet types, free from nasty
additives, and low in fat. With this guiding principle they have
been producing snacks that are genuinely healthier for the
consumers.
I personally enjoyed it and feel no guilty while eating this chips
compare to the average chips.
Nature’s Energy Snack: Bananas Izzy Roberts-‐Orr
Remember those ‘No No // Na Na’ ads by the Australian
Banana Growers’ Association? In short, they compared energy
snacks that give you a rush of sugar or caffeine (a ‘No No’
because soon after you end up crashing) to Bananas, which are
high in Potassium and give you slow-‐burning energy to sustain
you throughout the day.
This is especially good if you’re running late for work or uni –
just grab a Na Na in the morning and go!
Nuts About: Almonds Izzy Roberts-‐Orr
I wish I could say I was joking when I say that dry roast almonds
are one of the great loves of my life…but I’m not. They’re just.
So. Good. I highly recommend buying these babies in bulk, then
chucking them in a zip lock bag (or opt for a sustainable,
reusable sandwich bag) and pop them in your backpack or
handbag for whenever you’re feeling peckish.
Almonds are chock full of proteins and natural oils, as well as
being delicious and easy to portion. Yes, that is me crunching
on them at the back of the classroom again…
Interview: Sustainable Plates Excerpts from a conversation between a reduced meat-‐eater, a vegetarian and a vegan Izzy Roberts-‐Orr
Bek Berger and Oliver Coleman Image: Izzy Roberts-‐Orr
“There’s confusion around the labels. People treat it like it’s a dietary requirement rather than an ethical outlook.” – Oliver Coleman, Vegan “Free range eggs are better than cage eggs. If you’re going to have meat, have as little as possible. Have it on your birthday or Christmas.” – Ben Meyer, Vegetarian “The important consideration when we’re thinking about animals that aren’t humans is not their intelligence or their
capacity to think, but their capacity to suffer. Ethically, there is no middle ground.” – Oliver Coleman, Vegan “It’s one of the most effective things you can do to reduce the impact of climate change as an individual, because it’s a lot more energy and resource intensive to produce a kilogram of beef or chicken than it is to produce a kilogram of lentils. It’s just basic Science.” – Ben Meyer, Vegetarian “Sustainability is a massive consideration. If you’re considering ways to reduce your own individual carbon footprint, then it’s a behaviour that you can actually point to and change, and disassociate yourself from.” – Oliver Coleman, Vegan Listen to the interviews at soundcloud.com/izasmiz/meet-‐your-‐meat-‐1
Bek Berger and Ben Meyer Image: Izzy Roberts-‐Orr
Go on, Get to it! Izzy Roberts-‐Orr
Reducing your meat intake is one of the easiest and most
affordable ways you can make a tangible impact on climate
change and sustainability.
For links to more resources, check out our Facebook page (quick link: on.fb.me/1R7WRqB) and listen to the full interviews with vegetarians Sarah Walker and Ben Meyer and vegan Oliver Coleman at soundcloud.com/izasmiz/sets/meet-‐your-‐meat.
To inspire you, here’s a photo of my delicious dinner at the
Vege Bar in Fitzroy – ‘Mostly Greens’, entirely delicious.