Penguins and Bacon?

Anyone who knows me, really knows me, can tell you that I’m not a big fan of change.  As long as everything is chugging along, I like things just the way they are.  But once I do change something, I can’t imagine it ever was another way.  It’s just one of those silly little personality quirks that make me, me.  It took me forever to make the leap from VHS to DVD.  It took me longer than it should have to be ready to let go of our old house.  I just like things the way they are, unless there’s a reason, a good valid, I-can’t-debate-it reason for the change.

So the fact that I’ve been slowing implementing more and more environmentally-friendly things in our life over the past year or so is a bit of surprise for me.  Not so much that I’m doing it, but more so the fact that it’s coming so easily.  I guess it’s because once I hear an irrefutable argument for something, it’s hard to ignore.  I don’t go looking for things to change necessarily, particularly because of that whole “I hate change” thing, but once I hear the reasoning behind it or get affected by the ramifications behind not changing, I just can’t ignore it. 

It’s no surprise that I love animals.  Growing up, I became enamored with one stray after another and moving out on my own for the first time just made it easier to bring them home with me.  Back in grammar school, I had a particular fondness for penguins and elephants (no, I didn’t bring any of those home!).  When I learned recently about the connections between eating regular bacon and starving penguins, I just couldn’t look at regular bacon the same way again.

You might have heard that the Discovery Home Channel recently went “green.”  I think it’s great to have an entire network dedicated to all green shows, but on the other hand, I think it’s a shame that they had to sacrifice their original line-up (and you’ll see others agree).  Wasn’t there room enough for both channels?

Anyway, one of the new shows I like is called Stuff Happens, hosted by Bill Nye (the Science Guy) and the first episode I watched included a segment on organic bacon and why we should be giving it a shot.  Here’s the skinny:

Pigs, for the most part, eat fish meal.  Fish meal is comprised of little fish like sardines and anchovies that largely come from the fish guys in Peru.  Because the fish guys are taking the small fish and making fish meal out of it for the pigs, the animals that actually EAT the small fish (like my beloved penguins) are having a hard time finding food and starving.  Does that not just break your heart?  I know, I know, it did mine.

The solution?  Buy organic bacon and keep the penguins happy.  It costs a little more and it’s harder to find (I couldn’t find it at Whole Foods, but did find it at Trader Joes), but it’s just one of those things that once I got it into my head, I couldn’t shake it.

The bonus?  It is amazingly good.  Even better than regular bacon.  And you know … everything is better with bacon.  Seriously, even if you’re not moved by the plight of the penguins, eat this bacon.  It’s.that.good.

P.S.  Even though we ended ARF/5-A-Day with last week’s roundup, a few entries arrived today that I can’t resist passing on.  The Spiced Life has a new use for apples in the summertime with her Green Lentil Salad with Tart Apples and Salsa Verde.  Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska has a great 15-minute Salmon recipethat will keep your kitchen cool.  Health Nut is serving up Nature’s Best Drink, and lastly, The Chocolate Lady with Dragon’s Langerie Beans (another new one on me!).

A year ago today … Chef Nicholas.
Two years ago today … still totally adore these.
Three years ago today … I would so love this temperature right about now.

PRINT