It’s not something I thought about until I went to Louisiana. You don’t encounter alligator much in Britain, on or off a menu. Pescatarians eat fish and seafood, but what about cold-blooded creatures that live in the sea, like serpents and snakes? Insects and frogs are both cold-blooded, so can I eat them? I think the answer’s probably no, but I’m not sure why. Being a pescatarian is really a bit arbitrary if I think about it at all. My main concern is animal welfare, but I’m happy to eat a shrimp, so why not a frog? There is no shortage of alligators and I’m sure they have a really lovely life until they’re caught. You can tell because they’re always smiling.
Diet never used to be this complicated. I feel nostalgic for the days when everyone just ate whatever was put in front of them, but there’s no going back. Now we have allergies, intolerances, preferences, aversions, scruples, influencers and Professor Tim Spector. We’ve all got used to the idea that we’re supposed to eat five fruit and veg a day (or has it increased to 10?), but now we have to aim for 30 plants a week as well. A massive and lucrative industry has developed to tell us what we should and shouldn’t be eating and with each new decree from on high the result is that we simply grow larger and unhealthier.
I’ve been thinking about this recently because I’ve been in the US, the spiritual home of junk food. Everywhere you turn you are tempted by donuts, waffles, ice cream and burgers. As you drive down the highway, you’re assaulted with the tallest signs I’ve ever seen advertising Waffle House, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Dunkin’ Donuts and, of course, McDonald’s. And we’re weak, aren’t we? It’s hard to resist all that delicious sugar and fat. And the portions are enormous. I didn’t notice any fast-food alligator places, though. Probably too healthy.
Where America goes, we seem to slavishly follow, but not all countries are ruining their health at the same rate. The Japanese enjoy one of the longest life expectancies in the world and their healthy diet of fish, vegetables, tofu, rice and fermented foods must play a large part, not to mention the modest portions. Plus, eating with chopsticks must force you to eat fairly slowly, even if you’ve been doing it all your life. Eating with your hands is surely the unhealthiest method of all – so quick, the food vanishes within minutes without your even noticing. I understand that the popularity of fast food is growing in Japan as well, but at least they don’t eat on the street or on public transport, which is bliss.
Of course there is also great food in the States. It was crawfish season when we were there and I am still thinking about the Crawfish Queso we had at a Latin tapas restaurant in New Orleans. It was so delicious we went back three times. Oysters are everywhere in the south and though I’ve never acquired a taste for them raw, grilled they are delicious. And the breakfasts – you can’t beat French toast smothered in maple syrup, so delicious and oozing with fat and sugar. Just call me weak.
I was listening to Mark Kermode a few weeks ago. He’s a pescatarian and called himself a fish and chypocrite!
He’s got it right!