Solving the climate crisis with... recipes?

During the crowdfunding campaign for my book about food and climate change, I had a radio interview and a few listeners got angry, 'how dare you take away my steak?' I'm a bit of a people pleaser, but I think Steve Jobs was right when he said that you have to offend some people when you're trying to build something great. So I was pretty proud of myself at that moment. And more than ever, I realised that food is the solution for climate change because it's so emotional.

In previous articles, I discussed the need for a new system, where human values are more important than economic growth. Changing the system starts by practising the habits that promote community and happiness instead of materialism. This means targeting people's behaviour, which will make a lot of people uncomfortable. That makes cooking a great 'vehicle' for a change of habits.

Besides the behavioural aspect, food is also the best starting point when purely looking at the numbers. Food is responsible for a quarter of all greenhouse gases and makes up the largest chunk of the average (Dutch) footprint. And in comparison to fossil fuel, solving the problem requires neither more money nor new technology. It only comes down to our choices. Because meat is such an emotional issue, the choice to not eat it becomes a small act of rebellion against the current system. It's like voting three times a day in what kind of world we want to live.

Why recipes are the best solution

Recently there has been a lot of attention for plant-based protein. There are veggie hot dogs and the famous example of the Beyond Meat burger. You can buy insect meat and some people put their trust in meat that is grown in labs. While I'm happy they exist, none of them seem ready to convince the larger public to skip the meat. More importantly, I think they are 'lazy' solutions and a missed opportunity because they don't target people's behaviour.

I believe that in most people's vision of their perfect week, cooking good meals is a part of it. This is in contrast to the Silicon Valley mindset of automating everything and it can be a powerful way to prioritise human values above technology. How do we help them achieve this in a sustainable way? There are a few meal boxes that can help, but they are still very expensive. A simpler and cost-effective solution is better recipes. It might seem like the world is full of vegan and vegetarian cookbooks and blogs, but they are all made with vegetarians and vegans in mind. The target audience is not people who love meat.

There is another reason why I believe recipes are the solution.

In 2012, the Italian town of Modena was hit by a strong earthquake and many historic structures and factories were damaged. One of them was the factory for Parmigiano Reggiano, one of Italy's most famous cheeses. The cheese is stored in big wheels and 360,000 of these wheels were damaged. Without a quick solution, massive amounts of cheese would go to waste and people would lose their jobs. But chef Massimo Bottura had an idea. He thought of a recipe where risotto is cooked in Parmigiano. All over the world, 40.000 people made his recipe and the factory sold all of their cheese. Bottura called this a 'recipe as social justice'. In the same way, recipes can increase the demand for sustainable food.

The fundamental issue with our food is that the proportions are completely out of balance. Meat is delicious, so in a world where we can buy anything, we have made meat the centrepiece of our meals. This is especially clear in restaurants, where you often order a steak and get a few veggies on the side. Replacing that steak with a plant-based version doesn't bring us in touch with where our food comes from. The issue with meat is its immense thirst for land and water. In that way, it's part of the system where we blindly extract the Earth like we have 10 more planets to live on.

Rebalancing our plate to make vegetables the star ingredients can teach us to live more in harmony with the land we depend on. It is also an opportunity for rewiring our attitude to food and getting to know the ingredients (something a bit more difficult for a plant-based burger made with 22 ingredients). Recipes can help us to appreciate the care and time it takes to grow a tomato. This not only makes it taste better but also motivates us to pay a fair price. 

When the goal is to restore the balance of the food system, our plates become a representation of the land. That is why recipes have one more exciting opportunity.

To create a healthy ecosystem, a farmer needs a wide variety of crops to rotate in the field and nourish the soil. However, many of these crops are not profitable and bring farmers into a dilemma. Plant barley to take care of the soil or grow wheat to make a profit? Unsurprisingly, many choose the second option. But what if our recipes can increase the demand for products like barley? In this way, our dinner decisions could not only reduce environmental damage but actively support farmers and a flourishing ecosystem.

Making the bridge between the land and our plates is the goal of Fork Ranger. The book coming out in December is mostly about helping people eat less meat, but eventually, the goal is to create 'regenerative recipes' that promote a healthy ecosystem.

If you like the approach, please consider donating to the crowdfunding campaign (ends on Wednesday, October 2nd, 23:59 Amsterdam time).

https://forkranger.com/crowdfunding