२० ऑक्टोबर, २०१८

Kangatarianism.

I learned a new word (and a new concept):
Kangatarianism is a recent practice of following a diet which excludes meat except kangaroo on environmental and ethical grounds. Several Australian newspapers wrote about the neologism "kangatarianism" in February 2010, describing eating a vegetarian diet with the addition of kangaroo meat as a choice with environmental benefits because indigenous wild kangaroos require no extra land or water for farming and produce little methane (a greenhouse gas), unlike cattle. Advocates of kangatarianism also choose it because Australian kangaroos live natural lives, eat organic food, and are killed "humanely". For similar reasons, Australians have discussed eating only the meat of Australian feral camels ("cameltarianism").
That's from the Wikipedia article, "Kangaroo Meat," which you either know or don't know why I'm reading. For those not yet up to speed: "Chef fired after serving kangaroo meat to Nebraska students" (Fox News):
On Oct. 10, a Potter-Dix Public Schools cafeteria served a chili including a mixture of beef and kangaroo meat, according to the release. Head Cook Kevin Frei told Superintendent Mike Williams that the kangaroo meat was added because “it is a very lean meat.”

While the superintendent stated that he does not believe that the kangaroo meat was unhealthy or dangerous because it met USDA standards for sale, the district vowed to not serve food of this nature again. “If a family wants to eat exotic foods, they can do so on their own time — not at school,” Williams said.... “It is without a doubt not a normal staple of our diet and will not, nor will any other non-staple foods, be a part of the potter-Dix meal program.... I apologize for the anxiety and any harm that this has caused individual students and /or families.”
I agree that parents should always know what animals the school is feeding to their kids, but I don't like the way the solution is always to fire the employee. Why didn't the head cook know how people in his town would react to serving "mystery meat" that turned out to be from an animal people in the area don't normally think about eating? Maybe he is too foolish and reckless for the job, but I feel for him.

What he did is not as bad as putting meat in a dish that people believe is vegetarian or presenting pork as beef or beef as pork. The cook had rational reasons for using kangaroo meat rather than other meats. Kangatarianism makes sense to some people. But if you're a cook in Nebraska — or an anything, anywhere — you can be too rational. You've got to have a feeling for how irrational people react to unusual things.

I have exactly one other association when it comes to kangaroo meat: It's what "This American Life"'s Ira Glass fed to his strange, dangerous dog:
[Our rescue pit bull Piney] needed a strict and disturbingly expensive diet of one protein and one starch for 8–10 months until he would become allergic to it. Then we’d have to switch to another protein-starch.

We’ve gone through a series of food combinations: there was pork and tapioca, then rabbit and sweet potatoes. We would go to the store once a week to pick up 6–8 rabbits and the guy at the store would say, “So, are you havin’ a party?” You don’t want to say, “No, I’m buying eighty dollars’ worth of rabbit for my dog.” You feel like an ass. And it’s weird to be feeding an animal that’s cuter than your pet to your pet. After that we went to bison, which I thought was extinct, and switched to kangaroo about six months ago. There’s a butcher out in Woodside, Queens, that you have to go to for kangaroo....

५४ टिप्पण्या:

rhhardin म्हणाले...

Serving kangaroo meat bomerangs.

stlcdr म्हणाले...

Thinning of the kangaroo courts: mustn't have that.

Paco Wové म्हणाले...

Have public school administrators always been officious pansies, or is this a recent development?

AllenS म्हणाले...

Sorry, but I can't help but wonder, does kangaroo taste like chicken? Make that free range chicken.

tim maguire म्हणाले...

All meats are generally the same. I don't see any reason why parents need to know that the meat contains some kangaroo along with cow instead of just cow. Is the cook also supposed to run the spices and oils past them? Beans? ("Oh no! There's a navy bean! This recipe was supposed to have kidney beans!")

As an aside, what's dangerous about Ira Glass' dog? Other than the (probably unexpected) hit on his wallet.

Jaq म्हणाले...

I bet the hundred million buffalo that wandered the plains of North America never farted methane.

tcrosse म्हणाले...

Here in Dogpatch we like us some shmoo.

jaydub म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"what's dangerous about Ira Glass' dog?"

Read this.

Or better, listen to this.

jaydub म्हणाले...

Kangaroo tastes somewhat like venison, but a little more gamey.

Rory म्हणाले...

Those parents were hopping mad.

tcrosse म्हणाले...

Is Ira Glass Franny and Zooey's kid brother?

Levi Starks म्हणाले...

Choosing the food you eat on the basis of ethics is the worst possible dietary advice I can imagine.
The microbes in your gut couldn’t care less where the calories you’re ingesting came from.

Lucid-Ideas म्हणाले...

It's really quite good actually. And it's true that it's very lean. I wish these kids and families could get from kangaroo as much joey as it gives me.

Chris N म्हणाले...

Zoe was a vegan who ate other vegans in a feedback loop of environmental justice.

Eleanor म्हणाले...

It's well past time for schools to get out of the food service industry. Put a fridge in very classroom. Hire one of the "cafeteria ladies" to go around every Friday to dump the fridges and wipe them down. Let the kids have the time they stand in line to get their school provided lunches to go outside and play instead. It would make for healthier kids.

Original Mike म्हणाले...

Blogger jaydub said...”Kangaroo tastes somewhat like venison, but a little more gamey.”

Yep, Skippy tastes like Bambi. I have it everytime I go to Oz.

Mary Beth म्हणाले...

Read this.
“It’s really sweet to have this animal that trusts no one and is alone in this world except for us, and he trusts us.”


That sounds so narcissistic.

Biff म्हणाले...

Let's see, Ira Glass keeps a dangerous dog in his home, puts the dog in public situations without taking proper precautions, and he thought that bison were extinct. Sounds like the perfect combination of narcissism and ignorance to host a show on NPR.

rcocean म्हणाले...

Once our HS Cafeteria Cooks got through with it, you couldn't tell pork from Beef.

They could have thrown Kangaroo meat into their sloppy joes, tasteless hamburgers, meatballs, and "Beef" stew, and no one would've noticed.

rcocean म्हणाले...

Ira Glass sounds like someone cut off his balls, just like every man on NPR.

Fernandinande म्हणाले...

It's well past time for schools to get out of the food service industry.

Or perhaps the "education" industry.

Compulsory Futility
Beyond basic literacy and numeracy, formal schooling is a waste of time for most people, argues a contrarian.[Caplan]
...credentialism, signalling, etc...

Unknown म्हणाले...

It’s good stuff. Had some in Sydney last year. Kangaroo is a nuisance critter as it’s population has exploded. Might as well convert to food. Chili is the perfect vehicle for it.

Ignorance is Bliss म्हणाले...

I'm not concerned about the ethics or the nutrition, but how about the school cafeteria's budget? I would expect Kangaroo to be more expensive than the beef it was substituting for.

Sam L. म्हणाले...

I would expect kangaroo to be expensive due to shipping costs.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

Original Mike said...

"Yep, Skippy tastes like Bambi."

Who killed Bambi?

What the French say, to peals of laughter, when they want to distinguish their less-than-masculine selves from us apparently-squeamish Americans, caring about the fate of cartoon baby dear.

Original Mike म्हणाले...

”I would expect kangaroo to be expensive due to shipping costs.”

They butcher it first.

etbass म्हणाले...

Shouldn't we be looking for more painless ways to slaughter animals for food, if we just have to have meat? Injection vs the more violent means?

William म्हणाले...

Kangaroos just don't look like they'd taste good. Deer, on the other hand, look delicious, although they don't taste anywhere near as good as pigs. Appearances are deceiving.......Irish babies are low in cholesterol but rather bland in taste. There are trade offs in every diet.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM म्हणाले...

you will roo the day you go kangatarian.

Bad Lieutenant म्हणाले...


Biff said...
Let's see, Ira Glass keeps a dangerous dog in his home, puts the dog in public situations without taking proper precautions, and he thought that bison were extinct. Sounds like the perfect combination of narcissism and ignorance to host a show on NPR.

10/20/18, 9:16 AM

And Althouse dotes on him.
Shocked face :-|

Bad Lieutenant म्हणाले...


Blogger Original Mike said...
”I would expect kangaroo to be expensive due to shipping costs.”

They butcher it first.

10/20/18, 10:09 AM

Australian and New Zealand lamb are consistently cheaper than American.

FullMoon म्हणाले...

William said...

Kangaroos just don't look like they'd taste good. Deer, on the other hand, look delicious, although they don't taste anywhere near as good as pigs. Appearances are deceiving.......Irish babies are low in cholesterol but rather bland in taste. There are trade offs in every diet.
10/20/18, 10:23 AM

Illegal since 1927 but available special order, if you know where to go and who to see.

SweatBee म्हणाले...

It had to taste better than the boxes of "textured vegetable protein" I spied in the school cafeteria when I was a kid.

walter म्हणाले...

" Head Cook Kevin Frei told Superintendent Mike Williams that the kangaroo meat was added because “it is a very lean meat.”
--
Once I got the err flavor of the post being about strange eats, for a split second I thought head Cook or Head cook.


Blogger rcocean said...
Ira Glass sounds like someone cut off his balls, just like every man on NPR.
--
Maybe "Piney" chewed them off when the rabbits weren't on time.
Yeah..somehow not surprised he got a pit bull. Nature vs Nurture got the best of him.
[ominous music up]

Howard म्हणाले...

Head Cheese Cook

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

As a Nebraska native and resident, let me explain some things. Potter and Dix, Nebraska are two tiny towns in the Panhandle near the WY border. That's cattle and oil country. The schools had to merge due to a lack of students. Many of the kids that attend the school are from ranches. The cattle ranchers want their children to eat Nebraska meat (we have plenty of it!) and not imported kangaroo meat from Australia.

There was a very good Husker football player from Dix but I can't recall his name right now.

Original Mike म्हणाले...

”Australian and New Zealand lamb are consistently cheaper than American.”

And much tastier, too. It was a real eye opener to my wife and I when we started traveling down under.

buwaya म्हणाले...

My late uncle used to "harvest" them with a .303
Half our lot emigrated to Australia.

MayBee म्हणाले...

There's a line of dog food called Zignature that has kangaroo as a protein.

Churchy LaFemme: म्हणाले...

Are they sure it was Kangaroo meat and not a giant mouse?

Paul Zrimsek म्हणाले...

It’s pretty good with kanga roux.

tcrosse म्हणाले...

When they came for the kangaroos I was silent, because I wasn't a kangaroo.....

Saint Croix म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Kevin म्हणाले...

The Clash -- Kangatarian

My daddy was kangatarian
But he never hurt nobody
He just loved to live that way
And he loved to slice his Joey

[Verse 1]

Some is rich, and some is poor
That's the way the world is
But I don't believe in lyin' back
Sayin' how bad your steak is

So he came to jazz it up
He never loved a pork chop
Break his back to earn his pay
An' don't forget the mushrooms

n.n म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
n.n म्हणाले...

Kangaroos are to albino Africans in some cultures. As babies are to colorful clumps of cells in others.

Aussie Pundit म्हणाले...

Kangaroo meat is a standard fare in the meat section of Australian supermarkets. It tastes like a regular red meat and works as a substitute for beef, but has really low fat content. "Kanga bangers" (kangaroo sausages) are $5 for a pack of 8; kangaroo mince is a healthy option for a rich, meaty bolognese sauce; kangaroo meat patties make for good burgers.

It's reasonably cheap, it's healthy (at least healthier than beef), and it tastes good. I don't see the problem.

Plus, kangaroos are everywhere. It's not like you're eating an endangered species.

Original Mike म्हणाले...

Snag on a roll.

Original Mike म्हणाले...

”Plus, kangaroos are everywhere. It's not like you're eating an endangered species.”

The first time I rented a car in Australia i read the entire rental agreement. They made a big deal about “single car accidents” and how you weren’t covered. I thought about it awhile, and then when I actually picked up the car I said, “single-car accident is a euphemism for hitting a kangaroo, right?”

“Right.”

Etienne म्हणाले...

"A boy or girls behind which is the sweetest part of the body and sold as veal cutlet brought the highest price." -- Albert Fish

Etienne म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Bart Hall (Kansas, USA) म्हणाले...

Here's the back-story to the Nebraska incident. The previous week the kitchen had served some nummy soup and a bunch of the kids began to chant "More SOUP, y'all." ... and the chef misunderstood.

Caligula म्हणाले...

It's well past time for schools to get out of the food service industry.

Far from getting out of food service, many schools now serve breakfast as well as lunch. Apparently on the theory that some (many?) parents can't be expected to do that, and an empty, growling stomach impairs learning.

And there's agitation for schools to provide a third meal as well. And that someone really should step up to provide meal service during the summer when the schools are closed.

Once you start down this road of low expectations it seems there is no end. Except (of course) that you can't threaten to take away the children if their parents don't feed them, because then the parents would lose their benefits that they depend on.