Danny Shahar on Why It’s OK to Eat Meat

We spoke with Danny Shahar about the arguments in his new book, Why it's OK to Eat Meat. As a vegan myself, I thought his arguments were quite thought-provoking, and surprisingly sympathetic to the concerns of vegans and vegetarians given the title. We also talk about the coordination problem and individual action in activism, why people sometimes agree with multiple positions that contradict each other, how to improve your red beans and rice game, and more. Check it out!

Show Notes:

• Follow us on Twitter at @FoodThoughtPod, and you can drop us a line at ThoughtAboutFood on Gmail. Rate our podcast and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts! It helps people find the show.
• Danny Shahar teaches in the Public Policy, Ethics & Law program at the University of New Orleans and is a member of the Urban Entrepreneurship & Policy Institute.
• Danny's new book is Why It's OK to Eat Meat, and is published by Routledge.
• Danny also shared a recipe with us! In our talk he argued strongly for making a dark roux, so be sure to listen to that as well. As he says: 
  "For my recipe contribution, here's how to make vegan red beans and rice that even meat-eating New Orleanians will happily consume:   Ingredients 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 large onion 1 green bell pepper 3 stalks celery 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. smoked paprika 1 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 1/2 tsp. onion powder 1/2 tsp. oregano 1/2 tsp. thyme 1/4 tsp. chipotle powder 1 bay leaf 1 lb. dried kidney beans 6 cups water 2 tsp. white vinegar 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke 3 green onions, sliced 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped White rice   Instructions
  1. Combine the oil and flour in a heavy pot or Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until the color of peanut butter, stirring constantly. (This will take a while).
  2. Stir in the onions, bell pepper, and celery and cook until translucent.
  3. Add the garlic, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, oregano, thyme, chipotle powder, and bay leaf and stir for about a minute.
  4. Stir in the kidney beans, water, vinegar, and liquid smoke. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat, stirring every half hour or so, until the beans are very soft. (Make sure to scrape up the bottom of the pot so you don't end up with a burned-on layer.)
  5. When the beans are ready, stir in the green onions and parsley and remove from heat.
  6. Serve over white rice with a Louisiana-style hot sauce (ideally Crystal Extra Hot)."
• The intro and outro music is "Whiskey Before Breakfast" which is both a great traditional song and something we can all agree is a good thing to do, whatever our views of how much meat to have at breakfast are. It was performed and shared by The Dan River Ramblers under a Creative Commons license.