Publication Design magazine project

the barbecue issue

Follow one writer’s journey

through North Carolina, seeking

out traditional BBQ

Barbecue Road Trip

Toss out your old, tried and true salad recipe for

this new and improved grilled vegetable salad.

Grilling Vegetables?

Summer 2011

Page 12

Page 19

2 3food culture • summer special food culture • summer special

Table of Contents

Editor’s Note........5FC’s Editor-in-Chief shares her thoughts on summer food.

Letters from You...7Here’s what our readers had to say about last month’s issue!

High Notes...........9Read up on the who, what, when, where, and how of barbeque.

Fast Facts..........19Top ten tips from Food Culture for a successful grilling.

The Last Word..22Monthly guest columnist.

Reviews..............17A review of BBQ master Steve Raichlen’s latest cookbook.

Recipes.............21

Feature.............12ON THE COVER:

Toss out your old summer salad rec-ipe for this new grilled favorite.

Pit Stops on a Barbecue trip


From the Editor

Barbecue and Ancient Egypt?I took the family on a trip to Kan-

sas City. Like with anything done in a family it was a compromise, a blending of desires. My husband and daughters wanted to see a museum and I wanted to eat barbecue. We each got our way and everyone was the better for it.

We went first to the Nelson-Atkins Museum, which abuts the campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. We arrived there at straight up noon. I’ve found the tendency to lin-ger at museums is diluted quite well by hunger.

The deal-maker for us visiting this particular museum was the Egyptian exhibit. One of my daughters is a huge fan of the writer Richard Rior-dan who is writing a series of books based on Egyptian mythology, so the Egyptian exhibit was quite attractive to her.

Just like the museum and the bar-becue, the blending of the pieces into a whole is synergistic.

The Egyptian civilization lasted a long time. It lasted to see the Greeks rise up and to see Alexander the Great and his armies come pouring out of Greece to create an empire that reached India on the East and Egypt to the South. The Greek influ-ence remained in Egypt until the Romans took over at the time of Cleopatra and long thereafter.

It can get to you. These folks were

people like you and me. They were born, had kids of their own, and died thousands and thousands of years before we came on the scene. They were the ones who got it all started. What we see from them is they, espe-cially the Egyptians, were very much interested in the afterlife. So much of their effort, it seems, was directed toward what would happen after they were dead.

In the museum you can see these are the same people with the same artistic skills, but a new faith has come into the mix. There is a blend-ing of the new with the old, keeping the good from the old but adding something else as well. There is still a concern with what comes next, but with different symbols. You no longer have Osiris, Isis, Set, and Horus, but Madonnas and the Christ Child in an infinite variety.

From the museum, we went to Rosedale Barbecue, which had been recommended to me by a young historian who specializes in barbecue, with burnt-ends a particular interest. I don’t know, but I have to believe that the Egyptians, Greeks, and Ro-

mans had barbecue as well.They took meat and prepared it in

the ways available to them just as we do. So, in some sense, the cooks at work at Rosedale Barbecue are art-ists like Thomas Hart Benton. They are doing the same things done by the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans, but they are doing it with media available to them: ribs and brisket, pulled-pork and burnt-ends.

Cooks have their immortality just as other artists do.

At least that is what I am thinking.

Cheers,

Cooks have their immortality just as other artists do.

Dana Cown has served as Food Culture’s Editor in Chief since 2006.

Dana Cowin


Editor-in-ChiefDana CowinCreative DirectorStephen ScobleManaging EditorMary Ellen WardExecutive EditorPamela KaufmanExecutive Food EditorTina UjlakiEditorial FreelancersJessica Adamiak, Audrey YuInteractive Media ProducerRena GrossSenior Product Development ManagerMichael KelleherWeb DevelopersGary Cheong, Matt Parker, David DeCarlo, Chad HarmonDesignerJinny KimPhoto CoordinatorSarah LemoncelliV.P./Interactive Marketing & Product DevelopmentPhilip WhitneyClient Services ManagerJaime Kruger

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To Advertise?Jennifer McCormickAssociate [email protected]

Childhood epidemic Kids say “eww” to cafeteria foodDear Editor:

Thank you for your article in last month’s issue regarding childhood obesity. The rate of obesity among children today is higher than ever. There are many factors contribut-ing to this epidemic, but one of the main contributors is sugar intake. Today, there are vending machines available in schools that offer a va-riety of sugar-packed snacks- such as, sodas, sugar-sweetened drinks, candy bars, pastries, etc.

If we say that we have the best interest in the well-being of our children, then why do we encour-age them to damage their bodies? It may sound dramatic, but we are educating children about staying physically fit and requiring a P.E. class and a health class to teach them the importance of taking care of their bodies and staying healthy. Then, they wonder why obesity keeps rising? I find it ironic that when I was in high school, the ma-jority of my classmates would come to my P.E. or health class with candy bars and a bottle of Mountain Dew ready to exercise.

I think it is time to really take the childhood obesity epidemic seri-ously. School vending machines are a major contributing factor to the calorie and sugar intake of many children today. If we know better and are more educated than young children, then we should take grasp of this issue and stop encouraging poor decisions.

-Concerned Mother

Dear Editor:The cafeteria food in public

schools is as my children have said, “disgusting”, chopped full of processed foods that have been refrozen, full of salt and fat, high cholesterol fatty foods contributing to child diabetes and obesity.

Michelle Obama has created a nationwide campaign to improve cafeteria food and I am on board. Our country has a chance to make children healthier. Children need to learn healthier eating habits and not be forced to eat the foods that are now being served in the public school’s cafeteria.

The Child’s Nutrition Bill is work-ing its way through Congress and has support from both Democrats and Republicans. The public needs to be aware of this bill and make sure it does not get shot down. Health inspectors need to maintain their roles and responsibilities in helping to change the bad habits of the schools. In addition, most importantly, superintendents of the schools need to take an active role in being the watch dog for the students to ensure that the food is prepared and served in safe and sanitary conditions.

My hope is that you will continue to run informative, insightful ar-ticles that highlight real problems of the state of food in our nation. Many thanks, and keep up the ex-cellent work.

-Mary Black

*Note: All text, pictures, and names used in this publication are for educational purposes only.

Letters from You


There is no definitive history about how the word “barbecue” originated. Some say the Spaniards get the credit for the word, derived from their “barbacoa,” an American-Indian word for the framework of green wood on which foods were placed for cooking over hot coals. Others think the French were responsible, claiming that when Ca-ribbean pirates cooked animals on a spit-like de-vise that ran from “whiskers to tail” or “de barbe a` queue.”

high notes

The Who, What, When, and Where of...

BarbecueBarbecues have been a White House tradition since Thomas Jefferson. Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, hosted the first barbecue at the White House that featured Texas-style barbecued ribs. Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter hosted a “pig pickin’” for about 500 guests in-cluding visiting foreign dignitaries. Ronald and Nancy Reagan also were avid barbecuers who enter-tained with barbecues at their ranch. George H. Bush, 41st presi-dent, held a barbecue for Mem-bers of Congress annually on the South Lawn of the White House, a tradition continued by his son, President George W. Bush.

The most popular foods for cook-ing on the grill are, in order: burgers (85 percent), steak (80 percent), hot dogs (79 percent) and chicken (73 percent). The side dishes most commonly prepared on the grill are, in order, corn (41 percent), potatoes (41 percent), and other vegetables (32 percent). The most popular flavors of barbe-cue sauce are hickory, followed by mesquite, honey, and then spicy-hot. The most popular barbecue utensils are long-handled tongs (77 percent), followed by forks (64 percent), long handled spatulas (59 percent), and then grill clean-ing brushes (63 percent).

There are about as many styles of barbecuing as there are opin-ions - everyone’s got their own! In the Carolinas, they can’t agree whether sauce should be vinegar, mustard or tomato based, but they can agree on the meat the sauce goes on - pork. In the Deep South, you’ll find that Cajun cui-sine has had a strong influence. In other parts of the South, pork also rules. In sunny California, lighter fare such as salmon is king of the grill. The Midwest is a bar-becue hotbed - if you can’t find a meat and sauce combination you like in Kansas City, you can’t find it anywhere.

WHO WHAT HOW

The most popular holidays for barbecuing are, in order, July 4th, Memorial Day, and Labor Day.

WHEN


When I mentioned to Nasty Bits/Seriously Asian columnist Chichi that I was embarking on a barbecue road trip through the Carolinas, she posed to me an unexpected question: What’s so great about North Caro-lina’s barbecue?

As Chichi recalled her own jaunt through the state, she spoke in a mixed tone of disappointment and curiosity. Dry, overcooked pork seemed to be a common occurrence in her North Carolina travels, so she wondered why people speak of it with such reverence.

Having worshiped the Tar Heel state’s barbecue tradition since my first taste in 2006, I was dumb-founded. Did I not get North Carolina barbecue? Does North Carolina have a blind spot for dry meat? These questions hung onto the tip of my tongue as I cruised down I-81, eager to revisit one of my favorite barbecue regions with a more informed palate.

The Piedmont region of central North Carolina, just west of the divid-ing line between the state’s two most prominent barbecue styles, seemed an ideal place to start. I chose Stamey’s in Greensboro particularly for its historic role in the spread of this region’s brand of barbecue. Founder C. Warner Stamey, former apprentice to barbecue godfather Jess Swicegood, helped establish the generation of smokehouses that have set the standard for Lexington-style barbecue for almost 70 years.

That standard involves wood-

smoked pork shoulder doused with a vinegar/tomato/pepper sauce and served with barbecue slaw (finely chopped cabbage mixed with vinegar, pepper and ketchup). I ordered one chopped sandwich and one sliced sandwich, sipped my sweet tea, and took a bite.

Nostalgia soared through my nerves before flavor had a chance to settle in

Nostalgia soared through my nerves before flavor had a chance to settle in—after all, the Lexington style was my first great barbecue love. Stamey’s chopped pork, character-ized by an undercurrent of cider vinegar and a not-smoky-but-toasty flavor, embraced my taste buds like a hug from an old college buddy.

After a few more bites, the finer details of the Lexington style came out of the woodwork. I noticed that the pork, chopped so finely that it began to resemble a porky pulp, was more wet than moist. As I continued to chew, each hunk seemed to dry out between my teeth. The flavors of pork and wood became flimsy as the pulp ground down into tiny, papery strands. I loved every bite of

my chopped sandwich, but I had to admit: it was no pulled pork miracle.

The sliced pork and chopped chick-en, much of which was flat-out dry, confirmed Chichi’s concerns.

I was unable to return to my fa-vorite barbecue joint in the region, Lexington Barbecue, to test my memories at their core, however, I did manage to stop by another wood-burning institution, Jimmy’s Barbe-cue, down the road. My experience there was identical to my experience at Stamey’s; while Jimmy’s chopped and sliced barbecue was more moist, it essentially hit all the same marks.

Thinking over all of the barbecue I’d eaten in this region, I couldn’t chalk this up to the notion that Stamey’s and Jimmy’s are past their prime. The texture of their barbecue, for better or for worse, is a good base-line for the Lexington style: a tangy sweetness in the meat, a light sense of hickory smoke, and a definite chewiness that does not summon the words, “melt in your mouth.”

This is not a condemnation. Com-bining these qualities with a heap of barbecue slaw and tasty bits of cara-melized outside brown (when you’re in the Piedmont, alwaysrequest outside brown with your barbecue) along with hush puppies and sweet tea for $5 makes for a meal that’s more than the sum of its parts. And while quality in the region is sure to vary, I still call the Lexington style one of America’s best tastes of regional barbecue.

By James Boo

What’s So Great About North Carolina Barbecue? An Exam of the Lexington Style

The senses of place and time behind every sandwich play no small role in why I think North Carolina barbecue—and any other barbecue—is worth the trip.

feature


Pit Stops on a Barbecue Road Trip

Following the lead of local experts (the gas-station guy, Lit-tle Leaguers), writer Peter Kaminsky goes in search of great North Carolina BBQ.

By Peter Kaminsky

While traveling through North Caroli-na to research my new book, Pig Per-fect, I ate barbecue at least once a day. And, for four days last year, I ate it at almost every meal on a 250-mile, high-intensity barbecue tour. My guess is that you could drive up to almost any of the thousand-or-so barbecue places in North Carolina and get a first-rate meal. I chose the joints I chose because

(a) the guy at the gas station told me where he goes

(b) a chef knew where the Little League teams always eat after practice

(c) there were a lot of trucks filling the parking lot and spilling out onto the road.

Following the will-’o-the-wisp in this fashion rather than planning every stop is an appealingly unstructured way to enjoy the rich and rolling landscape, where the hill country descends to the fertile plains of the lowlands and their fields of picked-over cotton and red barns stuffed with ripening tobacco. The vista is an old-time one—much of it still unmalled and unfranchised and tantalizingly redolent of the aroma of barbecue, without which local elec-tions, high school football games, wed-dings, graduations and firehouse picnics would be unthinkable...or, at least, not nearly so much fun.

feature

Jimmy’s BarbecueJimmy’s is a pleasant knotty-pine room

decorated with pictures of high school football champions, stock-car heroes and smiling family members. It still looks some-what like a drive-in restaurant from the 1950s - now his wife, Betty, and sons Terry and Kemp run the show. Jimmy’s is among the easternmost outposts of western-style North Carolina barbecue, which typically adds tomato or ketchup to the peppery, vinegary sauce. I went for Jimmy’s sliced barbecue, which requires a gentle carv-ing touch to keep the tender meat intact. With its crisp skin, and, just underneath, the telltale smoke ring and dark flesh or “outside brown” of slow-cooked barbecue, the pork was wonderfully succulent. Crisp cornmeal hush puppies on the side and coleslaw with a peppery red dressing con-tributed crunch and heat to the meal. The flavors were so savory that the extremely sweet iced tea didn’t even wake up my fillings.

Skylight Inn

Although the replica of the U.S. Capitol dome

atop the Skylight Inn could hold, at best, four

very slim senators, it nonetheless serves as a

beacon over the flatlands of the coastal plain,

drawing barbecue fans to the Skylight’s tradi-

tional barbecue.

Original proprietor Pete Jones liked to trace

his barbecue lineage back to 1811, the birth-

date of his great-great-grandfather, who, it is

recorded, served slow-cooked, smoked and

sauced whole hog, chopped to a fine mince.

True to its heritage, the Skylight leaves lots of

crunchy crackling bits in with the meat in rec-

ognition of the fact that a little fat always goes

a long way toward producing great flavor.

B’s BarbecueWhoever said you can’t eat atmo-

sphere never sat at one of the red

picnic tables in the parking lot of B’s,

inhaling the fragrant blue smoke that

wafts from the screened-in barbe-

cue pits. B’s whole-hog barbecue is

chopped, then doused—if my palate

is accurate—with a sauce made with

vinegar, salt, black and white pepper,

and white sugar. It’s hard to miss when

combining such elemental tastes; in fact

it has been my experience that you can

always mix sweet, sour, salty and hot to

good effect.

Capt. Bill’s Waterfront RestaurantEven for a barbecue fanatic, there’s

a limit. By the time I hit the coast I’d reached mine, but at least I could keep the faith with another longtime favorite, deep-fried North Carolina shrimp.

At Capt. Bill’s, I always order the shrimp burger, which is nothing more than “lots of fried shrimp mounded up on a bun,” as a friendly waitress in-formed me. Enjoying such crisp-fried, briny fresh shrimp is an uncomplicated alternative to the nuances of barbecue, but whichever you choose, both of these down-home foods are best eaten where they come from. And to do that, you’ll just have to pick up and go there.


COLESLAWColeslaw is basically cabbage, mayonnaise, sugar

and vinegar, but some also add olive oil and other ingredients. The end result can be more than 350 calories per cup.

Nutrition Fix: Make it yourself and save at least 150 calories per cup. You can find coleslaw mixes in the vegetable section at the grocery store that make it simple. Use light or nonfat mayonnaise, re-place the sugar with Splenda and add some green and red peppers to increase the yield while cutting calories per cup.

We eat differently during the summer. We’re outdoors more, so we’re grilling, picnicking, drinking, hanging around and sometimes eating on the run, all of which can contribute excess calories. The following tips are designed to help you redo some of those fattening summer recipes without sacrificing taste.

BURGERSBurgers aren’t so innocent either, even with-

out the cheese. A 6-ounce burger has about 500 calories without the bun. Mayo (1 tablespoon) and cheese (a deli slice) add about 100 calories each!

Nutrition Fix: Instead of the cheese, try lettuce and tomatoes. Stick to ketchup, mustard, pickles and veggies for extra flavor. Also, use lean ground beef instead of regular, and spray the pan with cooking spray (if using a grill, don’t spray on an open flame) to compensate for the lack of fat in the beef. Next, give your burger some extra texture and flavor by mixing the meat with chopped mush-rooms, peppers and onions. Or, for variety, experi-ment with other vegetables, like chopped water chestnuts or sun-dried (not oil-packed) tomatoes. You’ll have the same size burger, but it will be much lower in calories, and you’ll also be getting the health benefits of all those vegetables.

For even fewer calories you can make turkey breast burgers). Mix the meat with egg whites (two per pound), bread crumbs, water, salt, pep-per and onion powder, and serve with grilled onion.

PASTA SALADPasta or macaroni salad generally has, in addition

to the pasta itself, some type of creamy or fatten-ing dressing made with mayonnaise or olive oil, plus cheese, nuts, vegetables, ham, eggs, chicken, tuna and even pepperoni. For 1 cup, depending on ingredients, you’re looking at 500–650 calories.

Nutrition Fix: Try 100 percent whole-wheat pasta (not semolina or 100 percent pure durum semo-lina). This will increase the fiber content and help you fill up faster. Another way to increase your por-tion size without adding calories is to use lots of vegetables — isn’t that the idea of a salad anyway? But the most important fix is the dressing. Most salad dressings — including those made with olive oil — are packed with calories. Your best bet is a light vinaigrette or low-calorie Italian dressing.

ICE CREAMIce cream is pretty much synonymous with sum-

mer — and it’s also one of the premier diet bust-ers. One cup of premium ice cream can have more than 500 calories, and we typically eat 2 cups, plus toppings.

Nutrition Fix: Use a cup, not a cone, and save anywhere from 20 calories (for a wafer cone) to more than 300 calories (for a waffle cone with chocolate). Avoid nut toppings and sprinkles. Try to go with an ice cream bar — the low-cal versions, such as Fudgsicle, have only 40 calories -- or a fro-zen fruit bar. Avoid gelato and stick to sorbet: You’ll save a couple hundred calories. Or try Italian ices at only 100 calories per cup. And don’t be fooled by frozen yogurt (either regular or soft-serve). It can be just as high in calories as regular ice cream, so always choose fat-free versions and watch portions to save calories.

Summer Eating Makeoverfeature


The title of the latest assemblage from the author of James Beard Award-winning Steven Raichlen (Miami Spice, High-Flavor Low-Fat Cooking) doesn’t begin to con-vey the international scope of the nearly 500 grilling recipes he gathered while on a three-year, 25-country pilgrimage. Start-ing with appropriate drinks to accompany grilled food, Raichlen next turns to appetiz-ers and entrees bold enough to stand up to such beginnings include Korean Sesame-Grilled Beef and cumin-scented Peruvian Beef Kebabs.

Revered American traditions are captured with such receipes as Elizabeth Karmel’s North Carolina-Style Pulled Pork and The

Great American Hamburger. Raichlen also includes a host of non-grilled salads and vegetables to serve as worthy foils to the intense flavors of food hot from the fire. Sesame Spinach is a favorite dish from Japan, and A Different Greek Salad takes its zip from romaine and dill.

“If I were preparing the menu for my last meal on earth, it would be com-posed of barbecue with all those mar-velous ‘trimmings.’ After perusing The Barbecue Bible, it became obvious that Steven Raichlen should be in charge of that meal.” —Steven Pyles, Chef-Owner of Star Can-yon and Aquaknox

Check out what our publisher had to say about Steven Raichlen’s latest barbecue anthology!

rev iews


Top 10 tips for Grilling

fast facts

Be organized. Get all your equipment, food, marinades, sauces, etc. beside the grill before you begin grilling.1

Oil the grill after it’s hot and right before you place the food on the grate to prevent food from sticking.4

Check fre-quently to see if your food is done. 5

Keep a spray bottle of water next to the grill to put out any grease fires and also to cool things down if necessary.8

Don’t stab your food with a fork. You’ll lose the precious juices. Instead, use tongs or a spatula to turn your food.9

Start with a clean grill. There’s nothing less appetizing than grill-ing on dirty old burnt bits of food stuck to the grate.2

Build a two-level fire with two temperatures: a hotter area and a colder area. That allows you to sear and caramelize your food or slowly fin-ish cooking. A two-level fire was particularly important for foods that take longer versus, say, shrimp.3If using charcoal briquettes or hardwood lump charcoal, don’t be stingy with your fuel. Grilling is a high-heat cooking method which delivers that awesome grilled flavor you can’t achieve with a stove-top grill.7

Let your food rest a few minutes after you take it off the grill. This is particu-larly true with beef, steak, pork and chicken. That time allows the meat to relax and to become juicier and more flavorful. Enjoy!10

Preheat the grill to the correct temperature. If using char-coal you want the coals a uniform gray. Place your hand 5 to 6 inches above the grill. If you can keep it there for six seconds, or a count of six one-thousand, you’ve got a low fire; five seconds equals medium-low; three to four seconds is medium; two seconds equals medium-hot; and one second equals “truly hot.”6

20 food culture • summer special 21food culture • summer special

Healthy Grilled Salad

What You Need:1 bunch chives1 cup balsamic vinegar4 quartered heads chicory (frisee)4 heads endive, halved lengthwise4 quartered heads radicchio1 cup olive oil1 pint halved yellow cherry tomatoes1 pint halved red cherry tomatoes2 quartered garlic cloves3 sprigs fresh basil3 sprigs fresh thyme

How To Make It:Heat the vinegar with the basil, thyme, garlic and half

the chives in a saucepan until it starts to boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer until the vinegar reduces by half. This will take about ten minutes. Strain the mix-

ture into a glass measuring cup. If there is more than half a cup, reduce the mixture more in the pan. If you have less than half a cup, add some water. Let it cool. Chop the rest of the chives and put them in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

Arrange the radicchio, chicory, endive, and cherry tomatoes in a baking dish. Whisk the oil into the cooled vinegar mixture and drizzle this over the tomatoes and greens. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for one hour. Preheat the grill to moderately hot. Drain the tomatoes and greens and reserve the marinade. Grill the greens for four minutes, turning a few times, until they are a bit charred.

Thread the cherry tomatoes on to skewers. Divide the grilled greens between four plates. Grill the tomatoes until the edges begin to go brown. Take them off the skewers and add them to the grilled greens on the plates. Drizzle the reserved marinade over the top and garnish with the rest of the chives. Serve immediately.

If you are cooking your meat, chicken or fish on the grill, why not cook your side dishes on there too? Grilled side dishes have a delicious smoky flavor that no other cooking method will give them. The following recipe makes enough

to serve four and this warm salad is healthy, tasty, and colorful. The idea of grilled salad leaves

might seem strange to you but it makes them really flavorful and this side dish is really good.

recipes


the last word

Vegetarians: the bane of barbecueWho knew that burger vans and

funfairs were so close to people’s hearts?

Perhaps our sudden exposure to the Outdoors stirs ancestral memo-ries of simpler times, for summer is when we pursue the most basic pleasures and primal needs.

The real scent of summer is not mown lawns or sunscreen, it’s fillets and chops and legs and wings and tubes and patties of flesh charring on disposable barbecues.

This meat spree is part of the de-mocracy of summer. Although some barbecues are more equal than oth-ers, the ritual of eating simple meals al fresco is one that draws people together on a level footing.

Unless you’re a vegetarian, that is, in which case, expect your underdone corncob with a side order of fear and loathing. As a one-time vegetarian, I’ve traditionally been as comfortable in barbecue season as a Gloucester Old Spots with a touch of the sniffles in a doctor’s waiting room. Going to a barbecue as a vegetarian is like opening your door to a Jim Davidson-impersonating Jehovah’s Witness.

Here’s how it goes:Veg: No burger for me, thanks, I’m

vegetarian.Meat: Wow (steps back). You don’t

eat meat. What about chicken?Veg: No, not even chicken.Meat: Cor, you don’t know what

you’re missing.Veg: Yes, I do, and I don’t miss it.Meat: But we’re supposed to eat

meat; that’s why we have canine

teeth.Veg: We also have far more impor-

tant natural assets that go unused. Kegel muscles. Ninety per cent of the brain . . .

Meat: So what do you eat, then — grass? Chew the cud, do you?

Veg: Yes. Sometimes Astro-turf, for a guilty treat.

Meat: (Waves a ribald sausage in your face) Go on, have a bite, you know you want to!

Veg: Is that the time?Meat: Damn vegetarians . . .No one can stomach a lecture,

which is why any high-profile at-tempts to encourage vegetarian eating are usually met with howls of protest.

In truth, vegetarians have been on the back foot for years. These are the days when principles come a poor second to PR and vegetarians, like feminists and Christians, suffer from a terminally unsexy public image.

They are repeatedly caricatured as an affront to nature — pigeon-chested sissies perching on their moral pedestal – while carnivores are full-blooded brave hearts that laugh

in the face of couscous and suck the marrow out of life.

On one level, it’s simply the uglier side of human nature showing its flank: people’s impulse to dimin-ish anything which makes them feel guilty, uncomfortable or doubtful.

On another level, however, we may be witnessing the stealthy emergence of a schism in the species. Veggies have known for a long time that peo-ple can live healthily without meat and now, with a looming crisis in food production, there are arguably more reasons than ever to do so, but this seems only to reinforce carnivores’ loyalty to meat.

What’s more, casting an eye over the historical food chain, it’s clear that herbivores have never fought their corner well (perhaps it’s those low iron levels).

Unlike the field mouse and the barn owl, vegetarians can still be friends with carnivores. At least for now.

But mark my words, veggies — when the going gets tough, the time may come to watch your back at those summer barbecues•

Unlike the field mouse and the barn owl, vegetarians can still be friends with carnivores.

Coraline McCullough is a regular contributor to Food Culture.

24 food culture • summer special

Publication Design magazine project

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