The challenge

I am in a relationship. A relationship with my meat providers.

I love food. Chicago has no shortage of amazing places to eat, and certainly no shortage of places to eat amazing meat. But perhaps even more than I love going out to eat, I love to cook. Eating a wonderful meal, bourne out of a mixture of amazing ingredients, some creativity (sometimes my own, but more often someone else's), and my own labor, is a joyful experience unto itself. Plus you can't go to a restaurant in your pajamas.

And I love meat. I recently participated in a 6-week paleo diet challenge. I was feeling great, probably because I was eating a lot more green leafy vegetables and nutrient-dense foods, but I was also eating a lot of meat. Some fish, but also quite a bit of slow-cooked meat. It was winter in Chicago, after all.

On the last night of my challenge, I stumbled across a documentary about veganism on Netflix. It was described as everyday meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers embarking on a challenge to go vegan. I thought it was going to be about foodies like me and their daily struggles to cope with a constraining diet in the midst of their busy lives and love of food, something I could certainly relate to. Instead, this documentary was a reminder of the horrors of mass-produced meat - environmental disaster (eating meat is worse than driving a car - who knew?), cruel treatment of animals, low quality product. I felt conflicted; I'd heard these arguments before, but my recent increase in meat consumption made me feel remarkably guilty. I was contributing to these problems.

Instead of sitting back and feeling bad about my choices, I decided to take action. I started researching meat CSAs. CSA stands for "community supported agriculture." It provides farmers with guaranteed income (customers typically pay up front), and consumers with high quality products direct from farms (a great value). I've always been interested in a produce CSA, but as a single person that always seemed impractical. But 5 lbs of meat in a month? That seemed doable, and it's all frozen so I wouldn't feel the same pressure to eat everything before it spoils.

I got to know Mint Creek Farm at the Hyde Park farmer's market during my summer of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle-inspired living (more on that another time). They have interesting products (goat shanks!), and seem like cool people. I signed up for a 3 month share (plus 1 dozen eggs per month).

Here are the guiding principles of the challenge I have created for myself:

--Cook at home using only meat from my CSA share.

--Eat more fish. I know this has environmental/ethical baggage as well, but let's deal with one thing at a time here...

--Allow beans/lentils to make room for some meatless meals.

--Eating meat in restaurants is within the boundaries of this challenge, but try to focus on places with good meat.

--Buy meat from a good source if trying a specific recipe or cooking for one special person or a small number of special people.

So we'll see how this experiment goes. Maybe I'll save some money. I'll certainly be eating great meat.