It’s certainly not blatant culinary cancel culture. It’s a seemingly harmless recommendation. But it is a bit worrisome. Let’s call it “Burger Bias.”
The well-meaning people who bring you regular reports from Sustainable San Mateo County have taken up the anti-meat cause, however, in a somewhat subdued fashion.
Their latest analysis of the quality of local life and living habits along the Peninsula, in part, urges us to cut back on food derived from animals.
Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, spinach and other plant-based options appear to be preferred. An excess of meat consumption, after all, is frowned upon by experts in many quarters.
They often point out that there can be health issues. And, feeding and maintaining cows, pigs, sheep and the rest is expensive in a variety of ways, not the least of which is the intestinal elimination (via manure, belching and the passing of wind) of a nasty byproduct, methane gas.
Sustainable San Mateo County’s cautionary analysis touches on the purported environmental consequences of a regular dose of such traditional favorites as steaks and chops.
The 2025 report states that 23% of overall food system methane emissions come from livestock, even as prices for their valued meat continues to rise. We understand. That figure would be higher if it were possible to accurately quantify and add the clearing of forest land to grow the feed needed to nourish cattle and their hungry, gassy ilk.
But the idea of putting even a mild kibosh on our consumption of cheeseburgers, hot dogs and other favorites goes against the very gastronomic basis of our manly American heritage.
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Attempting to change our dining routines may be noble but it is likely to fail if a true sea change is anticipated. We tend to worship at the shrine of the Big Mac, after all.
The joys of hearty fast food have been with us in a very serious way for at least 75 years.
Sustainable San Mateo County is more than welcome to try to wean us away from the consistent consumption of meat (and dairy products as well). But the odds of any significant success would seem quite high.
Old habits die hard. Please pass the Whopper. Hold the onions. Burp.
GALATOLO CASTS LONG SHADOWS: The chancellor of the San Mateo County Community College District, Melissa Moreno, can’t catch a break. She’s stuck. As she pushes diligently to improve her enterprise’s soiled reputation with an eye on securing voter approval of yet another new bond package at some point in the future, the legal troubles of a former district honcho, the disgraced Ron Galatolo, won’t go away. His case, involving multiple allegations of fiscal malpractice related, in part, to the district’s most recent successful bond measure, continues to reappear like a bad rash month after month, both in court and in all-too-prominent recurring media reports. As a frustrated Moreno noted in an email to this desk, “Galatolo left six years ago. How long do we have to sit in the shadows of Galatolo?” How long indeed. For the foreseeable future, apparently.
ARE THOSE BALLOT BOXES SECURE? Ballots are now being cast for Proposition 50, a measure designed to alter the state’s congressional map to benefit Democrats, in the November special election. These are mail-in ballots. Lots of them. Some of them are being deposited by voters in very public drop-boxes, many of them located outside secure facilities. Which brings up a point: Are those outdoor sites under the careful gaze of closed-circuit TV cameras in case of theft or vandalism? In these difficult times, it would seem to be unwise to simply assume that all will be well, that no one would dare tamper with an election, especially a contentious one which has intemperate zealots fulminating on both sides. Just a thought.
STATUE’S REMOVAL WAS DONE DEAL: Did the statue of St. Junipero Serra, which graced the east side of Interstate 280 in Hillsborough for a half-century and removed last summer, actually have some historical value? It’s not clear. Mitch Postel, president of the San Mateo County Historical Association, said his office was notified that the statue was ticketed to be taken down by state officials. But, he noted last week, the alert was too late for the association’s board members to chime in on the matter. It isn’t even certain the group would have taken a position on the issue at all, he explained. Besides, the decision appeared to be a done deal anyway, he said.
(1) comment
Thanks for your column today, Mr. Horgan. I wonder if Sustainable San Mateo County is aware that human body produced methane emissions eating a meat-free diet can be higher than a diet with meat. There are numerous issues associated with plant-based food diets which lead to lousier health outcomes. A quick search of “plant-based food diet issues” will highlight these issues. Folks should be able to choose whichever food they’d like to consume and not be nanny-stated into a plant-based food diet which may be more harmful to their health. Sustainable San Mateo County should concentrate on food waste, not food intake. Meanwhile, perhaps juicy rib-eye steaks, add the onions, on the barbie this weekend. I’ll add a carbon emissions from the grill as a bonus.
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