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cheese! part2

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Wouter Groeneveld 2021-08-07 21:34:38 +02:00
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@ -23,7 +23,11 @@ Anyway, back to the cheese. Cow's milk is produced by cows that at one point hav
> Cows either become pregnant naturally by a bull in the herd or via artificial insemination. In the dairy industry, the use of artificial insemination is very common for a number of reasons, including for its ease and simplicity, the lack of suitable bull stock, the ability to choose different sires for different cows, and the ability to choose the sex of the calf.
Insemination is another ethically very questionable practice, but let's not try to tread on too thin ice here. Another problem with the milk or meat industry is _misinformation_. Should I believe happy animal welfare webpages such as [The Cheese Geek's](https://www.thecheesegeek.com/blogs/cheese-blog/animal-welfare)? Should I believe shocking reports of animal rights activists? Recently, animal rights claimed [Grana Padano-cheese makers abuse their cows](https://www.bnnvara.nl/kassa/artikelen/animal-rights-makers-grana-padano-kaas-mishandelen-hun-koeien#). Or should I start digging through Google Scholar (thereby wasting my time) to get a scientific view of the issue? Is it better to eat no meat, thereby not killing the animal, but to let it suffer continuously to be able to reap the results in the form of delicious cheese?
Insemination is another ethically very questionable practice, but let's not try to tread on too thin ice here. Another problem with the milk or meat industry is _misinformation_. Should I believe happy animal welfare webpages such as [The Cheese Geek's](https://www.thecheesegeek.com/blogs/cheese-blog/animal-welfare)? Should I believe shocking reports of animal rights activists? Recently, animal rights claimed [Grana Padano-cheese makers abuse their cows](https://www.bnnvara.nl/kassa/artikelen/animal-rights-makers-grana-padano-kaas-mishandelen-hun-koeien#)---and there's no reason not to assume the same holds true for classic Parmesan.
Or should I start digging through Google Scholar (thereby wasting my time) to get a scientific view of the issue? Is it better to eat no meat, thereby not killing the animal, but to let it suffer continuously to be able to reap the results in the form of delicious cheese? How do you quantify that on a scale? Indeed: you don't. You'll more likely stumble upon articles on how to "optimally" produce (read: more cows on less space). The absurdity of the food industry reached new heights for me when I learned that an acquaintance---a doctor in microbiology---"optimizes" cake sponges and "mouth feel" in a university lab so the food industry can add less real eggs. Do not for one second believe mass producers are worried about your health, or the health of the animals involved.
Buying local might help here, provided you're familiar with the ins and outs of the farm.
And then there's the monotony: what to put on that sandwich. If the default answer is going to be a slice of cheese, having to eat that again and again also gets pretty boring. I used to vary by making our own vegetable spreads, but recently, it feels like we've relapsed.