Bill Gates talks about the future of eating animals

Let’s listen to the man himself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrhU7h9WftQ&feature=youtu.be

Of course Bill Gates is coming from not only a compassionate (less cruelty) point of view, but also about being environment-friendly and the economics of cost.

Interestingly, he talks about producing vegetarian “meat” products from soy, peas and other plant-based products.

I used to wonder why the Chinese people have to create “fake meats” for vegetarian products. I mean, vegetarian is vegetarian – just eat vegetables and that’s about it. Why is there a need to create “fake meats” that not only looks like meat, but also tastes like it?

So, I used to scorn on that until an elderly person told me what he had learnt from his son. His son is also a life vegetarian and he says that for many people, it is very difficult to cut off meat from their diet. So, having “fake meats” is an incentive for them to at least try to reduce eating real meat. A “transition” of sorts, when the mind and taste buds are still tempted to taste “meat”.

Anything that is an incentive to reduce killing is a good thing, he said. Let them delude themselves into thinking they are eating and tasting “meat” when in fact, they are not. The bottom line is, the killing of animals for food is reduced. The end result is achieved, he said.

Working on the whole-hearted intentions of becoming vegetarian can come later.

One step at a time, I suppose. Going to extremes and asking for drastic changes sometimes cannot be sustained on the long-term. Moderation is the key.

So now, here we have Bill Gates talking about creating “vegetarian meat products” as food for the future.

A sustainable and more peaceful future, we hope!

An excerpt of what he says:

So all these companies that are taking the animal products – the milk, the eggs, the chicken, the beef – are actually coming up with ways of using largely plant based materials – soy, peas and a variety of things – to make these things, that are both cheaper and probably more healthy, less cruelty involved, less greenhouse gas emissions; it’s quite a phenomenal thing, people can be enthused for any of about 5-6 different reasons.

I think it’s a huge thing. As well as things that will confound the pessimist, because when they look out, they see this increased intensity of animal product consumption as part of increased income and it should be about what people want, but the fact of innovation will give them the equivalent without those negative facts at lower prices. I think it’s an amazing example of how this sort of linear projection misses what innovators using science will be able to do.

It would be really interesting to see what he comes up with, wouldn’t it? Being the influential person that he is, he might just create a whole new culture of eating for the world.

Less meat? No meat? Vegetarian meat products? Lead the way, Mr Gates!

Note: We promote eating less meat for compassionate reasons. No other reason is needed!