Ethical eating doesn’t mean just eating plants. In 2013, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization urged the world to start consuming insects. According to the organization, there are over 1,600 edible insect species in the world, and there are already several countries in Asia and Africa on entomophagous — insect-based — diets. The organization encouraged eating insects, as they are an excellent source of the fundamental minerals, vitamins and macronutrients important to human survival. They are also a sustainable food source, meaning production and consumption is environmentally friendly. Insect farming could even potentially create jobs for people in poorer areas. There are already 2 billion people that regularly feed on insects, and many consider it inevitable that the world will turn to entomophagy to feed the expanding population. Brazil has become the hotspot for gastronomical entomophagy. Michelin-starred chef Alex Atala, the owner of São Paulo’s D.O.M. restaurant, has a fondness for the Amazonian ant, serving it on a cube of pineapple in a signature dessert. Meat consumption is deeply rooted in almost all cultures worldwide, perhaps nowhere more than in France. It becomes clear when glancing over the menu of a classic French bistro that the French consider a meal incomplete without a piece of meat. Some of the most famous French dishes include steak frites, blanquette de veau, pâté, coq au vin and boeuf bourguignon. All of these include meat as a main proponent.There might be simple dishes such as vegetarian pasta or a goat cheese salad available, but the options are usually limited. Vegan meals on the other hand might be harder to come by. However, according to The Local there was an increase in the number of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Paris from October 2015 to April 2016. It’s difficult to say what it will take for people to stop the consumption of meat. Maybe when the effects of global warming are finally felt, people will have to change their minds. In the end, there is probably no single solution, but as long as there is a distance present, psychologically or physically, people will most likely continue to consider it acceptable to devour steak after steak.
47