Great post Dan. I respect the hell out of anyone who has the commitment to become a vegetarian.
bye-bye
to David Cooper,
Extremely serious thread drift here:
At 72 years of age, I’m not about to change a lifetime of habits, but I agree that vegetarianism is simply a better way to live (assuming you eat nutritiously, adequate protein, vitamins, minerals, etc), both for personal health and for the planet. Somehow as an American teenager 50 years ago, John Fagan made that decision. I admire him.
I read a recent Economist article on water. Apparently it takes more water to grow a pound of chocolate than a pound of beef, but beef is a close second and far more water-intense than anything else on their list. Almonds get flak because it takes a gallon of water to grow one almond… that’s about 375 gallons per pound. Beef is about 2000 gallons per pound. Since moving to Maine 20-odd years ago, I eat more seafood and less mammal, not due to any holier-than-thou change of heart but because it’s available, relatively inexpensive and incredibly good and fresh.
Dan Kravitz
to Drew Goin,
Good question about the flavors and the wines. Of course wines evolved to complement local foods. I remember a dinner in Germany where Sally (whose knowledge of the language had faded) ordered off the menu without translation. As we left, she stormed “that’s the last time i have six kinds of smoked fat for dinner!”. I consoled her with the excellence of the Riesling and how well it cut the fat.
I was taken aback by the smoked cheese, but it worked fine. OTOH, the Chardonnay might have been a better match with the pizza. But I didn’t think of it at the time.
In general, I think I find white wines a better match than red with a wide panoply of Asian flavors. OTOH, Peking Duck with Pinot Noir is for me an ultimately perfect match of food and wine, just go easy on the hoisin.
Dan Kravitz
Thanks for this informative and interesting post!
1997 is not aged
Maybe on the way to be aged 
Claus,
I agree, as mentioned in my post.
IMO at this point of human evolution, 9 year old Chardonnay and 21 year old Cab and Pinot may be considered aged. 99% of the world’s white wines are dead and gone at 9 years; so are 99% of the world’s red wines at 21 years. However I noted that the Cab was approaching middle age (most people at 21 are still jejune). There isn’t much Cabernet in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but what there is has longevity that AFAIK is only matched by Bordeaux. Ridge is the 1100 pound gorilla, but I don’t think it’s better than Mount Eden. Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Cabs from Bates Ranch are fully equal. A dozen other producers are in the game, do not have the history or track record yet, but are serious producers of monumental, world-class wines. They can be screaming values. This is a magical place, not just for wine.
Dan Kravitz
I will contribute to the thread drift…
I have been a vegetarian, and in fact, primarily a vegan, for about 5 year. I love all things about it, other than the social aspect. I am not trying push my eating preferences off on anyone else, and I don’t want others in a social setting to feel awkward (or even be aware) of my choices. When I am out at business dinners, I will order fish off a menu if there are no vegan choices, and if something comes out with cheese or dairy that I was not suspecting, I don’t worry about it. But all else being equal, I try to be all plant-based.
I love wine, and I love gamey-ness in wine. That said, one other thing I really do not like about plant-based eating is there are some wines that clearly would be better with a hearty piece of meat, and I do kind of miss that. As a generalization, white wines tends to go better with plant-based food. But I love red wine, so find ways make it work with my food choices, or drink it separately from the food.
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