LOLBeef and Comebacks

Sometimes it seems like everyone is working against you... including the Engrish-speaking people at the burger joint...



You know what?! I AM HUNGRY GIRL and I'm GLAD I had not met your hamburger and I don't think it is misfortune very much. Some people say that hamburgers are the Hummers of food anyway, and Hummers are stupid! And ugly!

But really, an article at Common Dreams suggests that "the livestock sector is estimated to account for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and beef is the biggest culprit."

Even though beef only accounts for 30 percent of meat consumption in the developed world it's responsible for 78 percent of the emissions, Nathan Pelletier said Sunday at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

That's because a single kilogram of beef produces 16 kilograms carbon dioxide equivalent emissions: four times higher than pork and more than ten times as much as a kilogram of poultry, Pelletier said.

If people were to simply switch from beef to chicken, emissions would be cut by 70 percent.

These statistics correspond to the way we currently produce the majority of beef in the USA, namely by raising and fattening cattle in feed lots. However, there is something to be said for grass-fed beef. No, it's not as efficient as producing other proteins, but when produced in a more conscientious manner (e.g. by using un-farmable hillsides or other non-arable land for grazing), beef does not cause quite the environmental crisis situation. Plus, it's a bit less fatty.

Unfortunately, if you're interested in tasting some grass-fed steaks, it can be hard to come by. It's rare (excuse the pun) to find grass-fed beef in grocery stores, even fancy (see: expensive) ones like Whole Foods. If you do, it has probably been shipped across the country, which kind of defeats the purpose if you're interested in "low-carbon" food.

I think the best bet is to go to the source: the farm! Eat Wild has a farm finder you can use to search by state, so you can swing by and stock up on local, happy meats! Now the next step is to purchase a chest freezer to save your bounty...

Anyway, to be honest, this post was prompted by the Engrish Funny picture, and I wish I was kidding. Clearly I have been LA-Z with the posting lately, but it's time for a comeback... *Simone, cue the Rocky theme*

Now, I will leave you with this.


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