{"id":1939,"date":"2019-12-15T18:23:06","date_gmt":"2019-12-15T18:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commodityconversations.com\/wordpress2\/?p=1939"},"modified":"2019-12-15T19:38:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-15T19:38:00","slug":"my-pc-lunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commodityconversations.com\/wordpress2\/2019\/12\/15\/my-pc-lunch\/","title":{"rendered":"My PC lunch"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt depends,\u201d he said. \u201cIf they are free range then that\u2019s OK, but if they are battery-raised then you should really not eat them.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was having lunch with an old friend and we were studying the menu, a three course set lunch. I had told him that I might have the quail eggs as a starter.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see,\u201d he explained, \u201cquail are wild birds that are easily startled. When they are in cages<\/a> they try to fly away and can often break a wing. Chickens are different: they have been domesticated for thousands of years and are not so easily startled. We will have to ask if the quails are free range.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the octopus?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you believe that they are now starting to farm octopus<\/a>?” he asked me. “It is incredibly cruel. Octopuses are intelligent creatures; they will suffer terribly in a confined pond. But they will probably learn to escape anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I will have the winter salad,\u201d I said, taking the third choice starter. But what are you having for your main course?\u201d I asked. The choice was beef, lamb, cod or pasta.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a problem,\u201d he replied. “I read recently that lamb can have a higher carbon footprint<\/a> than beef because there is less meat on each animal, but it depends on whether the lamb is locally produced or imported from New Zealand<\/a>. Do you know that imported lamb can sometimes have a lower carbon footprint that local lamb?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the beef?\u201d I asked, ignoring his question.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt depends if it is grass-fed<\/a>,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 “I am trying to cut down on meat generally. I saw that documentary the other evening, The Game Changers<\/a>, about top athletes switching to vegan diets. It seems to work for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I will have the pasta.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re lucky,\u201d he told me. \u201cI am gluten intolerant\u2014not coeliac<\/a>\u2014but if I eat wheat I blow up like a balloon. It\u2019s most uncomfortable!\u201d<\/p>\n

The waitress came to take our order. She looked nervous and I guessed it might be her first day in the job.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know if the quail eggs are free-range?\u201d my friend asked her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am afraid I don\u2019t,\u201d she replied nervously. \u201cBut I could ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes please,\u201d I replied. I didn\u2019t much fancy the winter salad and would have preferred the eggs. The waitress disappeared for quite a while and then came back crestfallen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe chef doesn\u2019t know about the eggs,\u201d she told us sadly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the octopus?\u201d I asked. \u201cIs it farmed or wild?\u201d A look of panic crossed her face. \u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d I said, \u201cI will have the winter salad.\u201d She looked relieved and noted it down on her pad. My friend told her that he would have the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the beef?\u201d he asked her. \u201cWhere was it raised\u2014what is its origin? You know, you really should mark on the menu where you source your meat.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment I thought she would burst into tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will ask the chef,\u201d she told him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd please ask him for the lamb as well please.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir,\u201d she replied as she fled back to the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre we allowed to eat cod at the moment?\u201d I asked my friend. \u201cI read somewhere that the cod stocks were being depleted again<\/a>. It is difficult with fish\u2014there is always a danger of overfishing.\u201d<\/p>\n

My friend was about to answer but we were distracted by the sound of shouting from the kitchen. Our waitress returned, looking rather flushed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe meat comes from the UK,\u201d she told us rather cautiously. \u201cThe lamb is from Wales and the beef is from Scotland.\u201d I guessed that she was making it up, or that the chef had told her to make it up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will have the beef then please,\u201d my friend told her.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I will have the pasta.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCould you please choose your deserts as well please?\u201d our waitress asked us.<\/p>\n

I looked at the menu and chose the cheesecake. My friend ordered the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut only if it is made with Bonsucro<\/a> certified sugar,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re kidding me!\u201d I exclaimed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d he replied with a laugh. \u201cI am kidding you! But I am not sure about the cheese. Dairy has a high carbon footprint<\/a>, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Commodity Conversations \u00ae<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt depends,\u201d he said. \u201cIf they are free range then that\u2019s OK, but if they are battery-raised then you should really not eat them.\u201d I was having lunch with an old friend and we were studying the menu, a three course set lunch. I had told him that I might have the quail eggs as … <\/p>\n

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