apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We picked up Good Magazine in Whole Foods while waiting in line (forever!!) to buy a Porterhouse for Valentine's Day, but didn't start the cover story Happy Meal: Why Pampered Cows Make Tastier Steaks by Peter Rubin until after we'd enjoyed our steak-centric dinner.

We began reading the Good article yesterday and then saw this disgusting footage from the biggest beef recall in USDA history last night.

If you're disturbed by this news and are hunting for more information, the article in Good is a great primer on the problem. "Exhaustive commercialization of the meat industry has resulted in innumerable, well-chronicled problems at large processors like ConAgra and Cargill: disease, cruelty; and insipid flavor that bears little resemblance to the poultry, beef, and pork of 50 years ago. But Veritas Farms and dozens of other small producers are presenting an alternative."

We wished the article went deeper into flavor comparisons and offered recipes, but we did appreciate the interviews with farmers and the writer's explanation on why he thinks eating some meat is a more responsible option than going strictly vegetarian or vegan.

Good also brings us an interview with Seth Tibbot, owner of Turtle Island Foods and inventor of Tofurky. Tibbot said his company is growing, even as the population of vegetarian in the US holds steady, because "vegetarian inclined" customers who try to eat meatless a few times a week are buying his products. Anyone serving Tofurky tonight?

(photo: Good Magazine)