Is the availability of Free Range meat facilitating a drop in vegetarians?

[Guest guest]

http://www.nypress.com/article-20793-flesh-mob.html is the link to the lengthy NY Press article referenced belowhttp://gothamist.com/2010/01/14/is_vegetarianism_dead.phpEating animals is apparently hip again. The ever-growing bacon trend coupled with the rising popularity of meat-loving chefs means that vegetarianism and veganism are out, according to a lengthy New York Press article. Meat is getting so popular that some formerly vegan eateries have even started serving it.Fort Greene's meat-free Red Bamboo restaurant has changed its name and added meat to the menu to satisfy customer demand. "In the past year business has been down," said restaurant owner Jason Wong. "I know what the neighborhood wants and the restaurant needs to make money. It [dietary trends] has been my demographic for 15 years, and I have seen it change from vegetarian, to vegan and then back to meat." Meanwhile, the city has witnessed the rise of new culinary stars including foie gras-loving chef David Chang andcelebrity butcher Tom Mylan, a former vegetarian who offers popular butchering classes at The Meat Hook, in Williamsburg.According to the piece, part of the shift away from vegetarianism has to do with the rise of so-called "conscientious carnivorism," a movement in which diners favor local farms and butcher shops over factory-farmed livestock. Even the editor of Edible Brooklyn and Edible Manhattan abandoned her decade-long boycott of meat products. "I suddenly woke up to the fact that I had access to meat I feel great about," said Gabrielle Langholtz. "I thought all meat was produced in this horrific way, but now I eat some meat raised by my husband or raised on pasture, on green grass under blue sky." What's next — caveman-inspired red meat diets? Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. Get it now.