Thoughts on Meat and Grass

I have similar views on meat and grass. They are both great. But they are also both over-utilized. Kind of a default in meals or landscape planning. I think changes would be beneficial in both cases. Let's start with meat:

Meat comes from animals. These animals lived for a certain length of time before they were killed for their meat. During their lives, they had to eat to grow. This usually means grains, like corn, wheat, etc. How much acreage of these grain plants are used just to feed animals that will in turn feed us?
http://www.extension.org/faq/4027

The link above reviews how the numbers vary, from 2 pounds of corn per pound of cow, to 20 pounds of corn per pound of beef. In any case, I'll just say 10 pounds of corn makes one pound of beef. So a 1/4 pound burger requires 2.5 pounds of corn that the animal fed on. Obviously a guy eating corn will be responsible for less acreage of corn planted to feed him than a guy that eats beef. So for our meat we have all the processing and space required of cows, and all the processing and space of their grain feed required. Eating lots of meat is costly for the environment, as compared to eating grains.

http://www.animal-rights-library.com/texts-m/lappe01.htm

According to the previous link, 1/2 of all our harvested acreage goes to livestock feed. It also compares eating grain-fed animal meat to driving a cadillac. The quantity of land required to support meat production is one reason not to eat so much meat. I'm not a vegetarian, and I don't see any pressing need to become one, but I do think that we could cut down on the amount of meat in our diets.

My second issue with meat is the huge disconnect between the living animal and what we put in our mouths. It is my personal opinion that every person should have to kill a cow before they eat beef, kill a chicken before they eat one, etc. This makes a lot of people queasy. But seriously. People that are willing to eat dead animals should be willing to appreciate that they are responsible for killing dead animals. We need to be ok with that. I think if everyone killed an animal once or twice, or even watched a video of it, maybe people would find it easier to consume a little bit less meat. I think consuming less meat is a good idea. Especially for me, because I can be a pretty hard core carnivore sometimes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-cor1uZ2AM&feature=related

The above is a link to Overlooked: The lives of animals raised for food. May bring tears to your eyes. Anyway, I think it's a good thing to see. More and more people are decreasing their consumption of meat, and I think it helps in terms of money, health, and the environment.

As far as grass is concerned, think about it. Why do we have to have it everywhere? Why grass and not something else? It's soft underfoot, but we put in sikewalks and try not to walk on it. Some might say it looks nice. I think maybe we are raised to think this. But think about it, if you're going to have a landscape portrait on your wall, would you rather have one of grass, or plants native to your area, or other plants? You don't see many huge portraits of grass. As the matter of fact, I've never seen any. There may be grass in a portrait, but it is never the focus of the piece.

The guy in the following link thinks grass is analogous to debt. We have both because we want to have what others have: http://www.debtreductionformula.com/blog/history-of-grass-lawns/
I don't have any problems with grass. It's a good place for a picnic. It's a good place to walk bare foot on. It's a good place to run and throw balls and play. But think of all the places that have grass in them. It's not just areas that are used for these things. You see it in lots of places that people never are meant to walk on. Here at University Village, there are huge swaths of areas between parked cars and buildings, and between roads and fences, and behind buildings... places that no one wants to walk, or picnic, or play, when there are so many better areas away from the cars.

Now consider how much it costs to water all of this grass. How much time and effort it takes to mow the lawns, use fertilizer, weed killer, etc. All the digging for sprinklers. Grass gets used in places like Utah where it is too dry, and so it costs more than in other areas. And yet we do it. Because everyone else does.
When I go up to research park to the clinic on my bike, there's this tiny little patch between properties that is untended by people. At some times of the year, there are sunflowers. There are also purple flowers, white flowers, yellow flowers, and a number of green plants. There are mice there, and maybe some snakes. A number of birds are always about there too. There are bees and bugs, and all kinds of little things. At some point it will get 'developed' and all this will disappear. And it will become grass and cement. I don't think grass can compare, and cement certainly can't.

Politicians

There are a lot of people that will attack politicians as a group for being dishonest. I believe most politicians are good people, that want to do what they think is right. The system that we have makes it difficult for politicians to be very honest, because everything they say is reduced to soundbites, and mostly only relayed to the public if there's some major gaffe, announcement, or change in policy.

It is easy now to listen to only one political party, and this can lead to people not understanding or wanting to understand differing viewpoints. If a person is conservative, Fox news and talk radio provide voices of agreement. A liberal person may watch MSNBC, read the New York Times, and view the Huffington Post. In both cases, these voices of agreement reflect what a partisan person thinks and adds similar perspectives to provide a world view. It turns into an echo chamber where the individual's views are all they hear, and so hearing their own opinions convinces them that their views are correct. And it makes it difficult to understand others' viewpoints.

I don't believe there ever was a true "golden age" where the news sources were objective, but I do think that in depth coverage of issues by people who aim to provide objective information is possible. Personally I always check my own views against what I imagine a person in a very foreign country might think about an issue, and then what a person that lived 2,000 years ago might think about the issue. These others may not always be right, but they do add perspectives different to my own, especially about the relative importance of the issues...

In the interest of full disclosure, I must confess, one of my goals is to get a didgeridoo into all that I do. I just think that we should all sit down and discuss civilly the things that really matter. Lets talk about the issues. Not about a gaffe. Or a scandal. Lets talk about the laws that we're making.

I think it's unfortunate that talking about the negatives of a political opponent may help more than talking about a candidate's own strengths. To some degree, I think this is necessary. Who is going to tell me what's wrong with a candidate if not his political opponent? But often it ends up that all candidates speak poorly of each other, and we never learn the positions and positives of the candidates. And then it becomes the lesser of two evils, instead of 'who is going to do the greatest good.'

I think the best thing to do to improve the political system is getting involved. Listen to opposing viewpoints, and understand where they come from. I think democrats tend to accuse republicans of believing that everything is black or white, while republicans think democrats don't stand for anything. I think in life there are advantages and disadvantages to every position. There are shades of gray. But at the end of the day, there is a 'best' option, and then there are other options. Thinking that one party has a monopoly on being right seems ridiculous to me.

And please don't write off all politicians because they are politicians. There's a way to get elected, and it's by promising what voters want. I think most of us that get to meet one up close find out that they are actually good people, regardless of party affiliation.

Jeff's Golden Age

The Myth of a Golden Age

There’s this idea that I see that pops up quite often. And it’s my pet peeve of the day. It goes something like this: A sports fan says “I wish it was like the good old days, when the players were good people, didn’t care about the money, etc.” Or a teacher says “The education today is so much worse than it was when I was in school. Kids don’t learn as much, and don’t care, and there were no problems with drugs, or violence, etc.”

Babe Ruth and Joe Jackson

I call it the myth of the golden age. It was a time when everything was great and perfect, and there were few bad things going on. Life was simple and easier back then. Most of the time, I see it when people are talking about their childhood. I think it’s not a question of what the times were like back then, but a question of what the person remembers and perceived during that time. When you’re five, and the world is new, and every day is full of interesting wonderful things, it can seem like the world is perfect. You are not aware that your parents have problems. You have no idea that the world has problems. You are only exposed to the good things. You didn’t worry about work, or your own kids, or your future, or money. I think childhood really was a golden age for most of us. But these conditions were our conditions, and not the conditions of the world, or our own homes. The other thing is sometimes the golden age is the time when we are first exposed to a subject that we come to know quite well. For me, sports had a golden age in the 90s. It was all about the 49ers and the Cowboys. It was the Dream Team and Michael Jordan. Nothing else can match up. But I’m sure that if you ask someone 20 years older, they’ll give you a golden age about 20 years earlier.



I think that in general we talk about how terrible the world is, and what a mess we are in, both as a country and as a planet. But really, I think we’ve never had it better. We have cell phones and internet. We have cable and satellites. Microwaves and central air conditioning. We have pressurized water, hot and cold. We have sewage systems. We have electricity, and light. We know where to build and how to build, and we have bigger homes than at any other time in history. We have more knowledge at our fingertips. Democracy has never been stronger over the entire earth. Several decades ago, we had MAD (mutually assured destruction) policies with the Russians. All of civilization could have been destroyed within a matter of hours. We know about environmental destruction now. There was slavery, and then institutionalized racism, and then illegal discrimination, and now we have a black president. The US has never really been stronger when compared to others, than in these past two decades. We have a strong safety net for the less fortunate. Each is able to get educated and pursue happiness according to his or her desire and ability. Many problems that were once ignored or considered too unimportant to focus on now receive detailed attention. There is focus on making the future better than the present. Has there ever been a society as free from hunger and malnutrition as our own? Has there ever been a time when the less fortunate are so well looked after that their biggest concern is obesity? We don’t worry about having clothes, or having enough clothes. Some worry about clean and new looking clothes. Many worry about style. I think that today is the real golden age.

Cookware materials

I've decided to post a blog about cookware materials. Islena and I have gone through quite a few pots and pans, and every time we go to look for "good" ones to replace the ones that are falling apart, we get into the same dilemma. Are we buying more of the same low quality pots and pans?

Knowledge is half the battle my friends. Go Joe!

So here's... I can't paste from my word document. Foiled again by COBRA!

I got it! Enjoy!

Basic Materials

Cast iron:
The Good: Cast Iron sears meats very well. It maintains steady heat long after the heat source is gone. It is also a good heat conductor, disbursing heat well. It can be heated up as much as you want. It’s inexpensive. It is good for blackening food, stir-fry, braising, casseroles, browning meats, slow cooking, frying, and baking. The best types of pans to get in cast iron are skillets and dutch ovens.
The Bad: Cast iron heats up very slowly, and may need to be preheated for a couple of minutes before use. It needs to be seasoned, although many are sold pre-seasoned. It is slightly reactive, so it may get the taste of previous meals, and give a taste of iron to food. It rusts, gets pitted, and may shatter if it falls just right. Food sticks to it, and it is very heavy. Being seasoned reduces reactivity, food stickiness, rust, etc.
Subtypes:
Coated with enamel. Maintains heat conduction and reduces disadvantages. Hard porcelain enamel coating provides a permanent finish and prevents reacting with foods. It may come in many colors. It doesn’t need to be seasoned. It can be cleaned however you want. It may lose the non-stick quality as compared to seasoning, and it may not brown as well. They can also be more expensive.
Carbon Steel. Isn’t really a type of cast iron, but it can be treated the same way. You will most likely encounter this material in a wok. It was traditionally used in Asia. A good carbon steel wok should be solidly built and quite cheap. Proper care will make it last a lifetime.

Copper:
The Good: Copper retains heat well, and will last for a lifetime. It is the best heat conductor of the common metals used for cooking. It’s good for delicate sauces and preferred by many professional chefs. It was traditionally used in continental cooking. Thicker is better, up to multiple millimeters of thickness, but it becomes very expensive.
The Bad: Copper cooking ware is the most expensive of all. Copper itself is highly reactive, so it is lined with tin, stainless steel, nickel, etc. Copper needs more maintenance, it is not dishwasher safe, it shouldn’t be air-dried (to prevent spotting), must be polished regularly, and the lacquer finish must be removed before its first use. Any lacquer stripper should work. Copper is poisonous. If acidic food touches copper or is heated touching copper, it will result in significant health issues. Very thin exterior layers are mostly for show and to charge more, and have no actual cooking value.
Subtypes:
Tin lined copper. This is the traditional choice, but will wear over time and requires retinning. It is soft, and if the pan becomes too hot, it will melt. Finding a shop to retin may be difficult. Tin discolors over time.
Nickel lined copper. Much harder than tin, and will last a great deal longer before wearing away, but cannot be replaced.
Stainless steel lined copper. Generally more expensive, but never needs retinning.

Stainless steel:
The Good: Stainless steel is rust-free, easy to clean, durable, stable under very high temperatures, non-reactive, resistant to wear, and light weight. It won’t tarnish or get nasty over time. Metal utensils can be used with it.
The Bad: The bad thing about stainless steel is that it has poor heat conduction. It is medium priced. Pans that are stainless steel-only tend to be very cheap, thin, and they warp easily, meaning less contact with burners, and even more uneven heating of food.
Subtypes:
Copper core. Copper sandwiched in stainless steel. May be very high quality. Very expensive.
Aluminum core. To increase stainless steel's heat conduction, aluminum is often sandwiched between an internal and external layer of stainless steel. In a high quality pan, this layer extends all the way up the sides, not just the bottom. Very good but expensive.
10/18. Represents high quality. 10% nickel for more shiny metal, 18% chromium to prevent corrosion.

Aluminum:
The Good: Aluminum is a good heat conductor, second only to copper. It is also inexpensive.
The Bad: It is reactive, interacting with food, and flavors some dishes. It is a soft metal that will deteriorate over time. It easily scratches. Some cheap aluminum pans warp quickly, are thin, and are prone to hot spots.
Subtypes:
Anodized aluminum. This means the Aluminum has been treated to prevent reactivity. The exterior is then called aluminum oxide. It is much less reactive. You still don’t want to make pickles in it or store tomato sauce overnight in it. It transfers heat well and doesn’t warp. It takes time to warm up, but it evenly disperses heat throughout the pan.

Glass/Ceramic/Pyrex:
The Good: You can see the food inside the dish while it’s cooking without lifting the lid. It also retains heat fairly well.
The Bad: May be damage during extreme temperature changes. It may shatter if you put cold water in hot pan. Food tends to stick to it a lot. They shatter if dropped, and glass lids may warp, which makes it useless for any dish that requires good closure.
Subtypes:
Pyrex. It’s more resistant to cracking than others of this type.


Teflon/Non-stick/new materials:
The Good: The good news is that, yes, it does make food stick less. If you’re doing a low-fat diet, you can use less oil than you otherwise would. They are also easier to clean than the metals.
The Bad: Non-stick materials don’t last very long. You have to use wooden/plastic utensils to avoid damaging the lining for most of them. Teflon, at least, breaks down at 500 degrees, and turns to a gas that kills birds. The non-stick will eventually fail, and when it does, you have to go out and buy another pan.
Subtypes:
New Calphalon, Circulon, Scanpan. Some newer materials give a long guarantee on the non-stick and are ok for metal utensils.



Important Qualities/Definitions

Tinning: The process that grafts a thin layer of a metal, like stainless steel, onto copper. This keeps the copper from reacting with acids in food, and from getting into food generally. Tin will last around ten years before it needs to be replaced by a specialty shop.

Seasoning: The surface of a pan, inside and out, is treated with a layer of vegetable oil or shortening. The pan is covered in it, and then it is baked to seal the fat into the pan. This will stop reactivity and corrosion, and will give a non-stick surface. Seasoning breaks down over time and has to be repeated. Wash and dry the pan thoroughly, lightly rub shortening into the pans surface, and bake the pan in an oven at about 300 degrees for an hour to an hour and a half.

Conduction: Good heat conduction allows for even cooking. Poor heat conduction means different areas of a pan are at different temperatures. Think of a 10 foot by 10 foot thin sheet of metal with a heat source beneath it. A poor heat conductor will be very hot right above the heat, and cool very close by. A good heat conductor will be fairly hot right above the heat source, but will also be fairly hot in the surrounding areas.

Reactivity: Copper, aluminum, and to a lesser extent cast iron, are "reactive" metals. That means they will chemically combine with certain foods, usually acidic ones, and this will alter the flavor and color of the food you’re preparing. This may mean consuming high levels of the metal as well. For some reason, copper is great for mixing egg whites, but reactive in almost all other situations.

Recommendations before buying: Make sure the lid fits snugly. Is the handle oven safe? Will it stay cool on the stove? How is the handle connected to the pan? Screws may come loose. How does it balance with something heavy in it in terms of comfort, ease of handling, and balance? Does the pan fall over when it’s nearly empty because the handle is to heavy or long? Does it have/need handles on both sides?