I've been commenting more and more on reduction of meat consumption as an important part of personal health and helping to move to a more sustainable diet
( Read more... )
And that's great. I love tofu, too, and I use soy milk from time to time when I cook. We just can't turn to soy as a silver bullet for feeding the world. From the perspective of feeding everyone, it's far more efficient to feed them fish.
Incidentally, this is why China's carp aquaculture is one of the fastest growing industries in the world.
LOL! There's a reason economics is called "the dismal science".
Like I said, humans consume a tiny fraction of total soy yields. Most of it is split into soybean oil and soy proteins that are used in animal feed. Have the tofu. You're not hurting anything, especially if it means you don't have the beef.
Re: quasi-relatednajalaiseFebruary 27 2007, 19:17:32 UTC
Regarding duckweed-
Most domestic ducks require a pond in order to be healthy and make good weight gains. (Most=the ones which descend from wild mallards, which is all of them except Muscovy ducks. Muscovies are great meat birds, and descend from South American tree ducks... I love the idea of them, but they're for another discussion.) By using duckweed, you're making use of a required element for two purposes. It's still totally possible to supplement the feed in order to support more ducks and encourage better weight gains.
I definitely agree, though, that a single solution isn't needed. It isn't even desirable! Diversification is awfully good insurance against disaster. (I grew up in an area where orchards were the main industry, and through short-sightedness most orchardists were growing only apples, and mostly one variety of apple. I could rant for hours about the merits of diversification- economically and ecologically.)
I'm really hoping that the need for efficiency brings back small farms as a major player.
Re: quasi-relatedroadriverrailFebruary 27 2007, 21:00:20 UTC
I'm really hoping that the need for efficiency brings back small farms as a major player.
IIRC, there's a wonderful CSA farm in Seattle. I'd have died to get a share from it. We're waiting for the next season to begin down here before we get in on ours. I'm doing that largely for selfish reasons, though. I don't have good numbers on CSA and local farming to know what role it'd play in the coming decades.
Soy isn't the greatest thing for my particular health situation, anyway. Cow is off-limits to me because of religious tradition.
But catfish is icky! i don't want to eat catfish, waaaahhhh... What i want is fish that's high in the good omegas, isn't icky, and isn't too full of mercury. So yeah, yummy salmon is great, except for the whole environmental impact thing. *cry*
What about carp or tilapia? I love tilapia. It's an amazingly versatile fish. (In best "Forrest Gump" impression) You can make fish balls, fish cakes fish sausage, fish roulade, fish lasagne...
And if you're eating line-caught salmon, it's not as bad. Salmon farms are simply wasteful, since they frequently require that fishermen go catch low-value fish just to make feed for the salmon.
Yeah, I'm really fond of tilapia. It's looked down on as a cheap bland fish, but I often prefer fish to be mild-flavored. I don't always go for the theory that basic ingredients should star, and seasonings should only highlight their flavors- sometimes I want to focus on the spices!
Yeah...I feel you. In my family's Thanksgiving dinner, the conbread dressing is referred to as the "gravy conveyance device".
That said, a main item can still be the star if it's mild-flavored. Tilapia steamed with a slice of mild lemon, a single basil leaf, and a pinch of salt is a beautiful way to get your fish.
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That truly makes soy murderlicious.
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Incidentally, this is why China's carp aquaculture is one of the fastest growing industries in the world.
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I'll eat nothing but corn watered with reckaimed water. YUM! *hack*
MURDERLICIOUS!
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Like I said, humans consume a tiny fraction of total soy yields. Most of it is split into soybean oil and soy proteins that are used in animal feed. Have the tofu. You're not hurting anything, especially if it means you don't have the beef.
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Most domestic ducks require a pond in order to be healthy and make good weight gains. (Most=the ones which descend from wild mallards, which is all of them except Muscovy ducks. Muscovies are great meat birds, and descend from South American tree ducks... I love the idea of them, but they're for another discussion.) By using duckweed, you're making use of a required element for two purposes. It's still totally possible to supplement the feed in order to support more ducks and encourage better weight gains.
I definitely agree, though, that a single solution isn't needed. It isn't even desirable! Diversification is awfully good insurance against disaster. (I grew up in an area where orchards were the main industry, and through short-sightedness most orchardists were growing only apples, and mostly one variety of apple. I could rant for hours about the merits of diversification- economically and ecologically.)
I'm really hoping that the need for efficiency brings back small farms as a major player.
Reply
IIRC, there's a wonderful CSA farm in Seattle. I'd have died to get a share from it. We're waiting for the next season to begin down here before we get in on ours. I'm doing that largely for selfish reasons, though. I don't have good numbers on CSA and local farming to know what role it'd play in the coming decades.
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But catfish is icky! i don't want to eat catfish, waaaahhhh... What i want is fish that's high in the good omegas, isn't icky, and isn't too full of mercury. So yeah, yummy salmon is great, except for the whole environmental impact thing. *cry*
Reply
And if you're eating line-caught salmon, it's not as bad. Salmon farms are simply wasteful, since they frequently require that fishermen go catch low-value fish just to make feed for the salmon.
Reply
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That said, a main item can still be the star if it's mild-flavored. Tilapia steamed with a slice of mild lemon, a single basil leaf, and a pinch of salt is a beautiful way to get your fish.
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