This weekend at the New York City Wine and Food Festival, I had the chance to watch Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern prepare Wok-Tossed Crickets with Chives & Black Beans. Though the dish wasn't exactly vegan fare I was drooling to get my hand on, chatting with my food hero reminded me of how we're both champions for better health, a cleaner world and a safer food system. I hope he can open your eyes too for a different way of approaching our nation's factory farming problems besides veganism: Alternative proteins. Because let's face it, we're not going to turn all carnivores into plant people anytime soon, and turning to different sources of meats offers a viable solution to our country's food issues.
Though I'm not about to eat goat, crickets or various animals' brains and bladders in the near future, he stressed to me that these options are more sustainable than their industrial, hormone-laced, pumped up counterparts. Sure, it might seem taboo to eat rabbit or horse or Cricket Flour Protein Bars (Oh and, insects may be the new beef patty.), and I'm not about to anytime soon. But Zimmern certainly raises a valid and convincing argument: By eating these alternative sources of meat, we can support local farmers, promote healthier eating, put pressure on industrial farms to change their practices and work towards preserving our earth's limited resources. And hey, is it just me, or are those goals pretty much in line with what ever conscious vegan—and any kind of conscious eater for that matter— strives to do?
Read all things Andrew and Awesomeness at AndrewZimmern.com. Learn more about the General Mills and Andrew Zimmern hosted Munchies Awards here. Follow him @AndrewZimmern.
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