As a Southern Californian, I knew about as much about meat as I knew about flying a plane (which I still know nothing of). I knew that the steaks in the grocery store came from the cows in the field, but the how's and the what's and the why's were beyond me. And, to be very honest, that was totally okay with me. After getting my B.S. from the University of California - Davis and a series of life events, I found my passion: meat. I am fascinated by the industry and all that goes in to providing consumers with a wholesome nutrient packed, delicious, and safe food in an abundance of variety.
But, why blog about it? I didn't grow up in Ag, I didn't grow up knowing how food gets from the fields to the store, and ultimately our table. But, knowing where our food comes from is becoming more and more important to all of us. So, where does the average consumer go to get information? The internet. And, there are an abundance of websites that will tell you all about meat: for either its miraculous or abominable qualities. With only ~2% of the U.S. population involved in traditional farming/ranching and roughly 15% directly involved in food production, it's no wonder that we're disconnected from our food.
It is my hope that my non-traditional ag background will be helpful to you. I plan to explore meat: keeping the integrity of the science behind it intact without requiring a PhD to understand it. As a (wise) man once said, "I like simple, not complicated."
So, here we go. What is a CAFO? Are big farms bad? Is meat production really killing the environment? Calling all steaks, roasts, and chops -- what the heck is the difference and how do I cook it? If meat produced is safe, why is at home food safety so important? are nitrites bad? are hormones in beef the reason the US has an obesity epidemic? .. we're about to find out.
And if you (whoever reads this) have any specific questions/things you'd like to talk about along the way, let me know!
