Happy to report that yesterday went well. Here’s a quick list of what I ate: Oatmeal with bananas, coffee, toast with peanut butter, almond milk, veggie Subway sandwich and chips, tea, hummus and crackers, black bean and corn wrap, tea. Today I’ll try to replace starchy carbs with protein however I can.
I told a friend in Granada I’m trying this meatless week, and she said it was "stupid." I realized that in addition to the States, the countries both Spain and China are quite carnivorous places to live. Spain has its quasi-religious reverence of cured ham (se llama jamón serrano) and China has its insistence on eating anything that scuttles across the Earth (more on that tomorrow).
A true vegetarian would sometimes find trouble living in both places. I’ve seen friends in Spain order ensalada vegetariana only to find ham it in—and after mentioning it to the waiter and other Spanish friends, the response was that, well, it only had “a little.” Meanwhile, tofu has long been the go-to meat replacement in the Western hemisphere, but in China you’ll find tofu dishes sprinkled with pork and served in meaty sauces. For many Spaniards and Chinese, it would seem vegetarianism is viewed as something one is reduced to due to economic or dietary restrictions, not a moral decision.
A true vegetarian would sometimes find trouble living in both places. I’ve seen friends in Spain order ensalada vegetariana only to find ham it in—and after mentioning it to the waiter and other Spanish friends, the response was that, well, it only had “a little.” Meanwhile, tofu has long been the go-to meat replacement in the Western hemisphere, but in China you’ll find tofu dishes sprinkled with pork and served in meaty sauces. For many Spaniards and Chinese, it would seem vegetarianism is viewed as something one is reduced to due to economic or dietary restrictions, not a moral decision.
In 2008, the China Daily (a state-controlled daily newspaper) noted the growing changes in the average Chinese person’s diet. China’s current generation eats a lot more meat and oil, while their parents and grandparents grew up on vegetables, roots and fruits. What’s more, the change in just five years is already obvious: ”Each person in the country now consumes 5 percent more meat, 10 percent more milk and 8 percent more cooking oil annually than five years ago,” says the report.
Currently, the average person in developed countries now consumes an average of 60 kg of meat, 100 kg of dairy products and 24 kg of cooking oil a year, says Chang Qing from the China Agricultural University Therefore, “based on consumption patterns in the West and taking into account eating habits of the Chinese, annual meat intake in China will grow by 20 percent to catch up with the West, Chang said.”
As my students love to say: "day, day up!"
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