We’ve all heard about global warming. It’s about cars and business releasing CO2 into the atmosphere and after some chemistry you get a man-made warming of the earth. There is, however, something that is getting away with filling the atmosphere with huge amounts. We allow this to happen only because we are fond of eating. Cow are belching and in other ways emitting such amounts of gas that they are becoming a danger to human existence.
On the surface you might think that a few cows that show up on your local family farm can in no way be causing any gas related problems. Well, you’d be right except for the fact that the bovine population is in the millions around the world, millions of methane releasing cows. Amazonian forests are being chopped down daily in order to increase the grazing fields for cows. The golden arches require a whole lot of beef every day to keep their empire and to even expand it.
So what is a meat eating human being to do? Becoming vegetarians is not an option for most of us although that would do the trick. The solution is one that is hard to get a handle on because of its bouncy nature. So let’s hop to it and tell you that the solution could be Kangaroos.
Australia, it has been estimated, could reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by about 3% per year by eliminating cows and sheep and replacing those critter farms with more kangaroo farms. Commercial kangaroo meat could help the world and if not save us from all those greenhouse gasses then kangaroos could at least help the situation a wee bit.
There are plenty of other places in the world that could likely farm kangaroos too but I’m not certain how well they could survive in northern winters. So if we could convince everyone to replace cow burgers with roo burgers then we could reduce those nasty emissions by a large amount world-wide.
Now, there is a problem with roo burgers and that is image. While we like cows we have grown up with the idea that they are raised for milk and food and that is that. Kangaroos on the other hand are not seen to be farmed in the same way. Certainly we tend to see kangaroos and their cute little babies in the pouches as much cuter than a cow and her baby sort of. Besides we have literature on the side of the kangaroo; Winnie the Pooh has Kanga and her baby Roo. How can you eat Kanga or Roo? The answer is very simple; you just need the right recipe.
So thanks to Recipezaar here is one:
Ingredients
1 kg kangaroo mincemeat 2 large eggs 1 cup breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon garlic, crushed (less if desired) 1 large brown onion, finely diced 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce 1/4 cup tomato sauce (or ketchup) 12 drops Tabasco sauce (optional) 2 teaspoons dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 large carrot, grated
Directions
Thoroughly mix all ingredients together in large bowl.Form into 8-12 burgers as desired and cook on medium well oiled BBQ plate until cooked through, turning several times. It is a fairly crumbly / low-fat burger so turn over carefully.Serve on toast, in a hamburger bun or with a salad.
Let’s be clear, I love beef. A nicely grilled steak is a pleasure to eat, no I am not a member of PETA, but if we were to change our diets just a wee bit then we would be healthier and the environment would be healthier.
Resources:
http://www.recipezaar.com
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026873.100-how-kangaroo-burgers-could-save-the-planet.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7551125.stm
