Of course the idea of leading by example isn't new, but everyone is incredibly busy and the honest truth is you probably don't think to show your friends and even your family what you believe in, and how it effects who you are.
Most of my friends probably have no idea that I've undergone a dramatic amount of change on the culinary front. When I was a student, my approach to food was the same as everyone else. I ate everything I could get my poor hands on; book launch canapés when sneakily eaten in large amounts make a tasty dinner. The free wine helps, too. I was also an insane slave to cafe culture who spent inappropriate amounts of cash on eating out.
Now, things couldn't be more different. Even though I have much less money (I had no idea that could be possible). I've discovered that knowing where my food comes from and that the animal and the farmer are not being shafted by my dinner choice is incredibly satisfying, and not just in a smug-organic-wanker way. It's more about re-jigging the supply chain. We all know that going out for steak is a delicious treat, what we don't know when we hand over our cash to a restauranter is the overheads, the quality of the produce they can afford and so-on.
After working in hospitality as a kitchen-hand, I can tell you that usually the meat is the cheapest they can get, and is generally a product of industrial farming. Sometimes, it's not even the meat they say it is. At my former workplace, for example, the lamb in our Korma was beef and spices were used to make it seem a bit more 'lamb-like'.
So I eat a lot more vegetarian food when I'm out, which is harder in Brisbane than it would have been in Sydney, but still well worth the effort.
I've also realised just how much we undervalue food. When considering environmental factors, this will have to change over the course of the next century. We eat too much meat and too much sugar and it's too easy to get. We've got to redress the balance in our diets, and think about what we put in our mouths. I never thought of myself as spoiled, but I now realise how much information growing up on a farm shoves in your head.
So, to conclude, in the spirit of sharing beliefs and changing the world for the better, I give you a little list. You don't have to agree with what's on it, but by having a skim maybe you'll find out something that could be impactful.
A few things to learn and do:
- Chances are you are in the top 10 percent of the world's earners (check Global Rich List). So your excuses for looking after your fellow creatures are pretty slim. Even if it means cutting down your meat meals to buy ethical, chances are it will taste amazing and make you look forward to eating meat more. Also, by cutting back your weekly meat serves, you'll do the environment a favour.
- Michael Pollan is a smart and useful sage when it comes to being an omnivore in the 21st century. He did an amazing talk, which was screened on ABC1's Big Ideas. Watch it!
- Learn how to roast a chicken. You will have at least three great meals for two people: Roast, Chicken Breast for salads, and a meaty carcass for soup and stock.
- Cooking is not hard. Being afraid of cooking is like being afraid of breathing - it's a natural thing, and you have to eat every day for the rest of your life. Jamie Oliver has the right idea.
- Lastly, to really appreciate how amazing it is that there are so many great things for us to eat, grow something! Even if it's a single carrot or radish, in a little pot, this will absolutely change how you think about all of the time and effort and water that goes into your being well nourished.
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