Living Without Meat

I am ashamed to admit that I enjoy watching Bravo’s reality show Top Chef. If you haven’t seen the competition that pits budding cooks against each other in the manner of every other “Top” this or “Project” that, then the reason that I admit this with a bit of a red face is because every episode is replete with tables full of raw meat. The show often uses exotic animals such as rattlesnake, ostrich, eel, octopus, and alligator. They also refer to meat as protein, which lends to the idea that there is no other viable main source of protein.

The only other food-related television that I ever watch is an occasional episode of The Next Food Network Star, in hopes of the winner being a vegetarian chef (still waiting for this to happen, not holding my breath).

Celebrity chefs just aren’t vegetarians. However, great news for the animal rights movement - the top three British chefs, known as the “three tenors,” are on a campaign to expose cruel practices of industrial chicken farms.

Jamie Oliver (a.k.a. the Naked Chef; first picture), Gordon Ramsay (from FOX’s Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares; second picture), and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (umm…no real fame in U.S., but has written some books; third picture) are the three men in question here. Together they are the British Channel 4’s culinary trio.

Each kitchen master will attack the foul fowl matter in a different way:

Oliver has already discussed with the supermarket chain for which he is the face how they can help improve the “hideous realities.” Additionally, he will be hosting an on-air banquet where he will use shocking demonstrations to detail the truth behind factory-farmed chicken life.

That Hugh guy will attempt to show his audience “what happens to chickens that are sold for less than the price of a pint of beer” by setting up his own farm. His three-part series reportedly (according to The Guardian) ends with him crying over abnormally large birds: “I can’t kill another chicken.”

And the mean, rude, Ramsay that has previously sparked flames with PETA is not really doing anything to help the cause that I (or other writers for that matter) can see. His way of encouraging consumers to make smart choices, and buy organic and free range? Holding a worldwide cook-a-long, attempting to get everyone in the kitchen at the same time.

It’s not vegetarian cooking TV, but it’s a step.

british culinary three tenors, gordon ramsay, hell’s kitchen, top chef, cooking reality shows, cooking tv shows, food networks next star, jamie oliver, the naked chef