Another reason to get/stay off the meat...

Japan has come out with a new study claiming that producing 2.2 lbs of beef generates as much as driving a car non-stop for three hours.

"That means that 2.2lb of beef is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions which have the same effect as the carbon dioxide released by an ordinary car travelling at 50 miles per hour for 155 miles, a journey lasting three hours. The amount of energy consumed would light a 100-watt bulb for 20 days.

Su Taylor, the press officer for the Vegetarian Society, told New Scientist: 'Everybody is trying to come up with different ways to reduce carbon footprints, but one of the easiest things you can do is to stop eating meat.'"

Remember, I just went vegetarian in May. So far, so good. I've had recent cravings for meat...but nothing too bad or uncontrollable. There are definitely some good alternatives out there if you choose to go meatless.

-Boca Burgers (I tired the Flame Grilled one) are delicious, absolutely delicious.
-Cedarlane is tasty with a plethora of product offerings.
-Morningstar Farms is ah-mazing. Simply delicious. I have had a ton of their products and have not been disappointed with one of them so far.

And then, of course I am not full on vegetarian since I still eat fish, milk and eggs. But you know, I do what I can and every little bit helps and makes me feel better about what I eat.

What a "Bass"inine Thing to Do!

Ha. Ha. Ha. "Bass"inine! Ha. Ha. Ha. Get it?! Like asinine?! Only with a bass?! Oh, keep reading, you'll get the correlation in a minute.

Oh, it's early...and sometimes...when I'm tired...I crack myself up.

Anywho.

Well, I read an article this morning, while sipping some java and perusing my Google Reader, about Albert Gore.

Good ole Al.

His efforts at environmental conservation and reducing carbon footprints - when his is incredibly large - are well intended. And his Live Earth celebration stirred up much criticism regarding all the air travel and waste that was produced because of the concerts.

It's just, well...you've got to walk your talk...or well, you'll reap what you sew.

Anyway, he's in a new hot-bed of environmental hypocrisy.

Apparently, at his daughter's wedding over the weekend he served Chilean Sea Bass. What's the big deal, you ask? Well, it's only one of the most endangered fish in the world. (Although, you can read this article for a dissenter's opine).

Why do I care? Well, my dad's a fisheries biologist/conservationist...and I, well...dislike hypocrites very much.

Oh well. I just want Gore to be a real conservationist. A real giant for the green. A green giant...if you will.

Happy Wednesday. That's what I've got for this morning. Will be in touch and hopefully not bitter later. :)

Sushi during pregnancy?

Sure!

The US Food and Drug Administration would have you believe that eating raw fish during pregnancy is as bad as ingesting Pine Sol. And it's not limited at fish, women that are preggers are also supposed to avoid like the plague, unpasteurized cheeses and alcohol.

Well, the French and the Japanese eat all of these things...and we all know how smart Japanese babies are.

Apparently, according to this NY Times article, the US is missing the boat.

The risk of falling ill from eating seafood (not including shellfish) is 1 in 2 million servings while the risk from eating chicken is 1 in 25,000.

Raw fish is generally safe, baring any cross contamination and assuming that the restaurant follows good safety practices, it is the shellfish that you have to watch out for.

"Most species used for sushi don’t have parasites anyway. Fish like tuna are not particularly susceptible to parasites because they dwell in very deep, very cold water, and sushi restaurants typically use farmed salmon to avoid the parasite problems wild salmon have. Most of the fish likely to have parasites, like cod and whitefish, aren’t generally used for sushi. Nor does pregnancy increase susceptibility to parasites. Healthy women who’ve been eating sushi are not at increased risk when they become pregnant. The same resistance and immunities function before, during and after pregnancy."

In other words, eat up ladies!

Dining Diva

So, I was tagged in this dining meme by LeBlanc (and also promised the Exception), and I'm with him...I don't really know what a meme is, but I'm willing to give it a shot...Here we go!

The rules are as follows:

1. Add a direct link to your post below the name of the person who tagged you. Include the city/state and country that you are in.

Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)
Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Olivia (London, England)
ML (Utah, USA)
Lotus (Toronto, Canada)
tanabata (Saitama, Japan)
Andi (Dallas [ish], Texas, USA)
Todd (Lousiville, Kentucky, USA)
miss kendra (Los Angeles, California, USA)
Jiggs Casey (Berkeley, California, USA)
Tits McGee (New England, USA)
Joe (NE Tennessee, USA)
10K Monkeys (Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA)
Big Stupid Tommy (Athens, Tennessee, USA)
Newscoma (Weakley County, Tennessee, USA)
Finnspace (Springfield, Tennessee, USA)
LeBlanc (Lewisburg, Tennessee, USA)
I Am DisHeartened by My Jetta (Nashville, TN, USA)

2. List out your top five favorite places to eat at your location.

Phew - Top five?! There are a lot of really good restaurants here in Nashville (I think). The ones that I frequent most aren't necessarily the ones that I like the most. So, humm....

In no particular order my list is as follows:

1. Virago - Such good sushi! Good martinis, too! Monday's are half-priced sushi and martinis. Go then...but tip to the unaware, make reservations ahead of time...you'll need them on Monday's. Oh...and I'm not sure but there is some dress code. Guys can't wear hats or something like that. Don't quote me here...but I think that's right.

2. J. Alexander's - If you can't find something on their menu that suits your fancy...then you're too hard to please. They have a fantastic veggie/black bean burger that even non-vegetarians will like and their spaghetti squash is killer too. For dessert, they have a Snicker's pie thing that will make you wanna smack your mama.

3. Jasmine - One of my mom's favorite restaurants and recently one of mine, Jasmine serves fantastic and creative French-Thai cuisine. The standard Wonton Soup and Pad Thai are phenomenal! Beginner's Tip - Go at lunch when the meals are considerably cheaper and you get soup and an egg roll to boot.

4. Rosepepper Cantina - Located in East Nashville, this trendy "Mexican" restaurant has loads of character. And they have the best fish tacos and margaritas in town. Seriously, don't argue with me on this...it's true. They are the best.

5. Christopher Pizza Co. - Have to include fellow a Belmont grad in here! Christopher's has crazy pizzas if you like to try something a little different and it's located in a prime spot...right on Demonbruen. Awesomeness. Grab a beer, order a dish, sit back and people watch on their porch while live music plays most nights.

3. Tag up to 5 other people, preferably in other states or countries.

Kerpupples - I'm going to Denver in June/July and I need the dish (if you will ) on some good places to go!
BB - Sure, she's in NashVegas...but whatever.
Michael - Sure, he's in Nashville too...
Salmon Pants - Okay I really need to get around more...another Nashville blogger.
The Biscuits - I hear you are the person to go to for restaurant info and I need somewhere new to crave!

Eating Those With Faces....

I'm thinking about going vegetarian (with the exception of fish).

What are your thoughts?

Is anyone out there a vegetarian? Does anyone have any helpful advice?

Virago

I'm eating at Virago tonight. Has anyone been there? Tips, advice on what I should dine on?

Interesting tidbit...Virago means a woman of extraordinary stature, strength and courage. Or, get a plethora of facts like this at Wikipedia.