NY Times article - Putting Meat Back in Its Place

LizzieB and another MMer pointed this article in the New York Times out to me - merci beaucoup!

Putting Meat Back in Its Place, by Mark Bittman

Some of my favorite bits:

Remember that most traditional styles of cooking use meat as a condiment or a treat. This is true in American frontier cooking, where salt pork and bacon were used to season beans; in Italy, where a small piece of meat is served as a secondo (rarely more than a few ounces, even in restaurants); and around the world, where bits of meat are added to stir-fries and salads, as well as bean, rice and noodle dishes. In all of these cases, meat is seen as a treasure, not as something to be gobbled up as if it were air.

I'm due for a nice batch of black eyed peas, or as Grrlygrl informed me, some hoppin' john. The recipe is pretty simple - beans, onion, water, bay leaf, some garlic cloves, and some meat to season. You can eat them over rice, and/or accompanied with some corn bread or collard greens.

Nearly every culture has dishes in which meat is used to season rice or another grain. Consider dirty rice, fried rice, pilaf, biryani, arroz con pollo: the list is almost endless.

This is true. At the Charity Ball I went to on Saturday, they served heaping plates of jambalaya - rice seasoned with chunks of sausage and shrimp. I divided my plate into half and ate half the portion, taking out most of the sausage. It was very satisfying. Almost as satisfying as the crepe dessert bar. I was able to adhere to my new way of eating even when presented with a catered meal.