5 ms·

I've spent a bit of time in Sicily, Italy and Sardinia. I agree with what you're saying, but I bet the locals eat less meat and better quality meat than the ave

by thorin 4y ago

I've spent a bit of time in Sicily, Italy and Sardinia. I agree with what you're saying, but I bet the locals eat less meat and better quality meat than the average American. They're also active and outside a lot.

codeflow2202 4y ago
Yes, meat consumption in the USA is huge. But I think the greatest difference between the 2 countries is our distrust towards food processing. Italy is a country very resilient to innovations which can be sometimes a sin, but some other times a blessing. But we are losing that too. When I was a kid mcDonalds could barely survive here. Nowadays new ones are popping everywhere, and young people completely lost this culture we had about genuine foods.
- maury91 4y ago
  McDonalds in Cagliari closed recently ( I'm talking about the most popular one, the one next to the train and bus stations )
lucideer 4y ago
> eat less meat and better quality meat Both of these are probably true but the latter is more likely the significant margin. Also may be worth noting the type of meat: e.g. the Sicilian staple I'm most familiar with myself is spleen.
- codeflow2202 4y ago
  My favorite spread as a kid (and still now) is basically mashed chicken liver: https://memoriediangelina.com/2014/11/21/crostini-di-fegatini-tuscan-canapes/ https://memoriediangelina.com/2014/11/21/crostini-di-fegatin...
- bongoman37 4y ago
  As someone raised in India I didn't get the American dislike for organ meats. I love the liver, the tongue, the brain, and pretty much all the parts of the animal in their various forms. Most American meat preparations taste bland and uniform with really minor variations.
  - harpersealtako 4y ago
    What are you considering as "American meat preparations" though? It's not all salt/pepper/butter/lemon here. Not even considering immigrant cuisines (which is doing a disservice because that's our entire thing, like ) there are hundreds of local meat preparation styles from southern barbecue variations to cajun food to native tex-mex and southwest styles and beyond.
    - bongoman37 4y ago
- tpush 4y ago
  > [...] but the latter is more likely the significant margin. No, it really isn't.
  - lucideer 4y ago
    Well we've got a thread here discussing why the former might not be a significant factor - care to elaborate on why you think otherwise?
    - tpush 4y ago
      Because all high-quality scientific evidence points to eating less meat making a big difference, and there being no evidence that different quality meat makes any significant difference whatsoever.
      - lucideer 4y ago
        Well we've got a thread here discussing why the former might not be a significant factor - care to elaborate on why you think otherwise?
grapeskin 4y ago
The meat quality disparity is definitely true. I can tell when I'm eating American beef because it stinks. As in there's literally a hint of feces in the smell and flavor. Pork also has an indescribably foul taste. I was born and raised in America and avoided mammal meat quite a bit because I couldn't stand the foulness. It wasn't until I moved out of the country that I realized beef and pork don't have to taste awful. I can still tell immediately when I'm eating an imported piece of US beef. People I know who've traveled to American and find out that I'm American often mention the foulness of US meat whenever the topic of US food comes up (without me mentioning it). Some people probably don't notice it or they're so acclimated to it that it tastes good. But when I see "finest US beef" on a menu, I'm ordering local chicken. And definitely not US chicken since that stuff is pumped full of saline and "flavor enhancers" to the point it looks like a breast implant.
- peanut_worm 4y ago
  I strongly doubt that. I am in Europe right now the meat is the exact same quality if not slightly worse than what I am used to in America barring fast food.
  - thorin 4y ago
    In the UK at least virtually every town has the option to buy locally farmed possibly organic meat direct from the farm which is almost always fantastic. It might cost twice as much as supermarket meat (which is also ok at times), but at least you have a choice. UK / Europe also have several small private butcher shops in each town some of which give great quality and can provide exactly what you want, suggest cuts and recipes, same goes for fruit and veg - often cheaper than supermarkets. I didn't see much of these kind of options in the US.
    - hammyhavoc 4y ago
      Yeah, nah. Once I saw the sacks of red powder to dye the meat in the back room, I was out when it comes to UK butchers. Jesus Christ. And I quote, "you have to dye it or you'd never sell any, it can be all sorts of colours, including green".
maury91 4y ago
I never tried any American meat, but I grew up in Sardinian and worked in UK and Lithuania. Quality of meat in Sardinia is vastly superior to the UK one but also more expensive, also we in Sardinia is almost impossible to find dry aged meat, I didn't knew aged meat existed until I did go out of the island ( we have Salami etc..., I'm talking about an aged steak ).
mbrodersen 4y ago
The problem with the US diet is not the meat. The problem is the carbs. Leading directly to insulin resistance.

by thorin 4y ago

codeflow2202 4y ago

Yes, meat consumption in the USA is huge. But I think the greatest difference between the 2 countries is our distrust towards food processing. Italy is a country very resilient to innovations which can be sometimes a sin, but some other times a blessing. But we are losing that too. When I was a kid mcDonalds could barely survive here. Nowadays new ones are popping everywhere, and young people completely lost this culture we had about genuine foods.

maury91 4y ago
McDonalds in Cagliari closed recently ( I'm talking about the most popular one, the one next to the train and bus stations )

lucideer 4y ago

> eat less meat and better quality meat Both of these are probably true but the latter is more likely the significant margin. Also may be worth noting the type of meat: e.g. the Sicilian staple I'm most familiar with myself is spleen.

codeflow2202 4y ago
My favorite spread as a kid (and still now) is basically mashed chicken liver: https://memoriediangelina.com/2014/11/21/crostini-di-fegatini-tuscan-canapes/ https://memoriediangelina.com/2014/11/21/crostini-di-fegatin...
bongoman37 4y ago
As someone raised in India I didn't get the American dislike for organ meats. I love the liver, the tongue, the brain, and pretty much all the parts of the animal in their various forms. Most American meat preparations taste bland and uniform with really minor variations.
- harpersealtako 4y ago
  What are you considering as "American meat preparations" though? It's not all salt/pepper/butter/lemon here. Not even considering immigrant cuisines (which is doing a disservice because that's our entire thing, like ) there are hundreds of local meat preparation styles from southern barbecue variations to cajun food to native tex-mex and southwest styles and beyond.
  - bongoman37 4y ago
tpush 4y ago
> [...] but the latter is more likely the significant margin. No, it really isn't.
- lucideer 4y ago
  Well we've got a thread here discussing why the former might not be a significant factor - care to elaborate on why you think otherwise?
  - tpush 4y ago
    Because all high-quality scientific evidence points to eating less meat making a big difference, and there being no evidence that different quality meat makes any significant difference whatsoever.
    - lucideer 4y ago
      Well we've got a thread here discussing why the former might not be a significant factor - care to elaborate on why you think otherwise?

grapeskin 4y ago

The meat quality disparity is definitely true. I can tell when I'm eating American beef because it stinks. As in there's literally a hint of feces in the smell and flavor. Pork also has an indescribably foul taste. I was born and raised in America and avoided mammal meat quite a bit because I couldn't stand the foulness. It wasn't until I moved out of the country that I realized beef and pork don't have to taste awful. I can still tell immediately when I'm eating an imported piece of US beef. People I know who've traveled to American and find out that I'm American often mention the foulness of US meat whenever the topic of US food comes up (without me mentioning it). Some people probably don't notice it or they're so acclimated to it that it tastes good. But when I see "finest US beef" on a menu, I'm ordering local chicken. And definitely not US chicken since that stuff is pumped full of saline and "flavor enhancers" to the point it looks like a breast implant.

peanut_worm 4y ago
I strongly doubt that. I am in Europe right now the meat is the exact same quality if not slightly worse than what I am used to in America barring fast food.
- thorin 4y ago
  In the UK at least virtually every town has the option to buy locally farmed possibly organic meat direct from the farm which is almost always fantastic. It might cost twice as much as supermarket meat (which is also ok at times), but at least you have a choice. UK / Europe also have several small private butcher shops in each town some of which give great quality and can provide exactly what you want, suggest cuts and recipes, same goes for fruit and veg - often cheaper than supermarkets. I didn't see much of these kind of options in the US.
  - hammyhavoc 4y ago
    Yeah, nah. Once I saw the sacks of red powder to dye the meat in the back room, I was out when it comes to UK butchers. Jesus Christ. And I quote, "you have to dye it or you'd never sell any, it can be all sorts of colours, including green".

maury91 4y ago

I never tried any American meat, but I grew up in Sardinian and worked in UK and Lithuania. Quality of meat in Sardinia is vastly superior to the UK one but also more expensive, also we in Sardinia is almost impossible to find dry aged meat, I didn't knew aged meat existed until I did go out of the island ( we have Salami etc..., I'm talking about an aged steak ).

mbrodersen 4y ago

The problem with the US diet is not the meat. The problem is the carbs. Leading directly to insulin resistance.