Yesterday I ate lunch in memory of my
parents. It is a pescatarian meal consists of salmon sushi and vegetables. I
always had lunch with my parents when I was in China although they were quite
busy all the time. They are both pescatarians and I was already affected by
them when I was very young. Usually, our meals consist of fish and vegetables.
We seldom eat poultry and red meat only if some important festivals require
them. When first observing this special eating habit of my parents, I was
curious. So I asked my mother, “why not eat other meat?” Her answer was that
fish and vegetable were much healthier than poultry and red meat. This is a
really simple reason, which is not strong enough to eliminate my doubts.
Therefore, I decide to do some research about pescatarian and find out whether
it is healthier to be a pescatarian or not and how this eating manifesto
affects people’s food choice.
Many people become pescatarian and
give up eating other meat because they concern about eating ethically. For
pescatarian, eating fish is more ethical than eating poultry and other meat for
the reason that fish are cultivated more ethically. “Fish don't spend their
lives in the harsh conditions that much livestock on factory farms does, and
fishing generates less pollution and uses less water and fuel than
farming.”(Sherman, PARA4) As Sherman says, compared with other factory-farmed
animal products, fish suffer less pain during the process of breeding and
producing. Some factory-farmed livestock such as chickens and pigs are treated
badly. For example, thousands of chickens are locked up in relatively small
sheds and cages, which are crowded and contaminated. Therefore, if one chicken
died and is not separated from healthy chickens timely, other chickens will be
infected. Also, enormous poultry plants force chickens bred for meat to grow
too large too fast. Some may even feed chickens with chemical hormone, which
result in “freaky chicken”. “Freaky chicken” is used to describe chickens with
several heads and wings. Therefore, the bad treatments to poultry encourage us
to be pescatarian.
Pescatarians like to eat high-quality
fish like salmon not only because of the good taste of it, but also for the
reason that it is full of essential nutrition, such as vitamin A, vitamin E,
vitamin B-3, and vitamin B-6. “Sashimi fits into a well-balanced and healthy
diet, providing a source of essential nutrients to nourish your body's cells
and tissues.” (Tremblay, 3) As Tremblay says, sashimi provides rich resource of
nutrition, which is undeniably beneficial for our health; strengthening immune
system, preventing diseases, improving blood circulate on and helping the proper
nerve transmission in our brains.
Many people become pescatarian not
only for health and ethical reasons, but also for slimming. Fish is a pretty
good substitute for red meat because it is also rich in protein. But fish has
less saturated fat then meat has, which efficiently reduce the risk of getting
fat. Although being a vegetarian seems more effective to lose weight, most
people may prefer to be pescatarian eating fish and vegetables to fulfill their
desire of eating meat.
A group of people make up a study team
and verify the connection between red meat consumption and higher mortality
risk of chronic diseases. They organized two cohort studies, which effectively
support their assumptions and analysis. “We found that greater consumption of
unprocessed and processed red meats is associated with higher mortality risk.
Compared with red meat, other dietary components, such as fish, poultry, nuts,
legumes, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains, were associated with lower
risk.”(Red Meat Consumption and Mortality, 562) It is likely to be the
conclusion of their studies, which indicates that eating fish will reduce the
higher mortality risk and keep healthy.
Moreover, Sherman mentions that
fishing is more environmental friendly in the quote talked above. For example,
“Holy Cow! What’s Good for You” is a commentary article specifically explaining
the connection between red meat consumption and increasing mortality of chronic
diseases and global warming crisis. In the analysis of global warming crisis,
the author says, “Many people are surprised to learn that animal agribusiness
generates more greenhouse gases than all forms of transportation combined.”
(PARA13) It does surprise me because in my mind transportation pollution is
much more harmful than animal agribusiness and I never connect global warming
problem with animal agribusiness. However, the data provided in the article
verify that the large amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated by
factory-farmed animals and the large amount of earth’s entire land surfaces
used to raise livestock are the main reasons resulting in global warming
crisis, which cannot be underestimated and ignored. Therefore, being a
pescatarian, eating fish instead of poultry and red meat is an effective and
efficient way to reduce greenhouse gas.
The complicated, dangerous procedure
and the fast speed of food production cause disorders among poultry workers. It
is necessary for them to wear protective boots, gloves and aprons since there
are many bacteria during the production and quick working speed will easily
cause injuries. But many workers just have none of them because they cannot
afford any of them; they are treated indifferently by poultry plants, doing one
of the most dangerous works but earning very little money. “Injured foreigners
aren't eligible for welfare or disability benefits.” (Christopher, 42) This
sentence mentioned in “Fowl Trouble” effectively shows the inhuman treatment
towards poultry workers, especially those who are immigrants. Nonetheless, one
of the important factors leading to the dangerousness during production is the
fast working speed. And it is the increasingly larger consumption of chicken
products that result in the fast working speed. Therefore, being a pescatarian
is good for reducing the consumption of poultry, alleviating the heavy pressure
of poultry workers and increasing the safety of them during the food
production.
I just said that I give up eating all
kinds of meat except fish, which seems a little bit monotonous. However,
pescatarians do have numerous kinds of fish dishes, which are delicious enough
to satisfy our desire of eating meat. For instance, my friends and I like to
eat salmon sushi. Last Sunday, I went to a Japanese restaurant with some of my
friends to eat salmon sushi. Japanese food there is tasty, especially for us,
who are tired of eating food in university cafeteria and want to make some
changes. I still remember how satisfied I was when eating the salmon sashimi
above the salmon sushi. The small slices of salmon sashimi taste good because
of their softness and freshness. And the salmon sashimi in this Japanese
restaurant is relatively thick and high-quality.
I used to made salmon sushi when I was
in China. Sometimes, I brought them to school and shared them with my friends
during the lunch time. I was glad that all of them liked the salmon sushi I
made. My cooking process of salmon sushi is quite easy. First, cook some sushi
rice. During the time of rice cooking, wash the salmon, cut it into small
slices and freeze them. Once the sushi rice is cooked, put them into a small
bowl and then stir in sushi vinegar and a little salt. Then, wash some
cucumbers and cut them into pieces. After the preparation of these basic
materials, place a nori sheet on a bamboo rolling mat and spread sushi rice
evenly on the nori sheet. Next, place the slices of salmon sashimi, cucumber,
pickled vegetables and some meat floss in a straight line at one edge of the
nori sheet. Then, roll the sushi up from the edge and slice the sushi roll into
several pieces. However, the Japanese restaurant I mentioned before made other
types of salmon sushi. For instance, they will put slices of salmon sashimi
above the sushi rice ball, which makes it easier for consumers to taste the
softness and freshness of salmon sashimi directly.
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