Is it possible for humans to be self-sufficient?
This not only refers to cultivating vegetables and raising livestock, but also to obtaining cells from one’s own blood and culturing them to produce artificial meat. That is, by eating one’s own meat, one can forgo the need for an external food source.
Eating one’s own meat to stay alive is a shocking concept proposed by performance artist Theresa SCHUBERT in her work mEat me. This artist uses the body as an experimental subject, producing artificial meat through the regeneration of cells from her own body. This is her attempt to break down boundaries, including the divides between humans and animals and what is considered “civilized” and what is considered “savage.”
By eating and drinking, the “rawness” of nature is transformed into “cooked” culture. By consuming nature, we survive, enjoy, celebrate, savor, and ritualize various daily life events or stages, as well as form symbiotic connections with all living things and the environment. Pursuing a sense of civilization, we take from animals while tackling to be free from life and death struggles. In the unseen interiors of slaughterhouses, bodies are carved up into pieces, which under the influence of media and food experts become mouth-watering sirloin, ribeye, filet mignon, and New York cuts. A server asks, “How would you like your steak cooked?” Then, a chef cooks the steak to order. Fragrant and delicious, it is brought to the table on a plate together with red and green vegetables. Will this lead you to think of that cow in a pasture?
“Civilization” has led to a safe distance between humans and the pain and suffering of animals, so that humans can enjoy eating meat. Image courtesy of the Public Domain
No. Actually 99% of cattle does not live on pastureland but, rather, in pens so small it is almost impossible for them to turn around. “Civilization” has led to a safe distance between humans and the pain and suffering of animals, so that humans can enjoy eating meat. Chickens, cattle, sheep, and pigs have been transformed into economically important animals and a mainstay of the consumer market. This originated with industrialization as people left the land and rushed into urban areas, no longer raising animals in their backyards. To feed growing populations, we pursue production methods that are low in cost and high in efficiency, such as the creation of centralized stockyards, which has led to new problems.
According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted from industrial livestock production exceeds that of all transportation modes combined. In addition, staggering amounts of water are used, approximately 15,000 liters for every kilogram of meat that is produced. Animal waste, antibiotics, fertilizers, and growth hormones pollute the soil and water and large swaths of land are needed to grow corn and other crops to produce animal feed. Today, there are 800 million people throughout the world dealing with food insecurity due to the unequal distribution of food. Globally, 70% of the world’s agricultural land is used for raising economically important animals, while another 10% is used to produce crops needed to feed them.
mEat me reflects on the contradictions within the contemporary meat supply chain. On the one hand, humans want to produce meat cheaply and quickly to feed the global population, which the United Nations predicts will reach 9.7 billion by the year 2050. On the other hand, the effects of global warming have impacted crop harvests and daily perceived temperatures, with extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, floods, superstorms, and large fires. The earth is constantly reminding us in direct and indirect ways not to continue to exploit natural resources. The world must change, as there is a need to develop a production model enabling us to co-exist with the environment.
In the face of pressing issues in industrialized livestock production, can “alternative meat” serve as a solution?
In 2009, Dutch director Tom SIX released a horror film entitled The Human Centipede, the premise of which was so chilling that it was banned from release in many countries. It describes a German doctor who abducts three tourists, connecting them surgically mouth to anus to create a human centipede. Only the “head” of the centipede eats food, while the remaining two people survive on the feces of the person in front of them. How long can a person survive just on his/her own feces?
In her version of “self-sufficiency,” SCHUBERT chooses a combination of contemporary and latest technologies to cultivate meat. There are currently three major types of alternative meat. The first is plant-based (from soybeans, peas, or wheat protein), the best-known producers of which are Beyond Meat, with financial backing from Bill GATES and Leonardo DICAPRIO, and American food giant Impossible Food. They even add beet juice to simulate meat’s texture. Plant-based meats have become fashionable, trendy, and new vegetarian and environmentally-friendly choices.
The artist's muscle cells under the microscope. Image © artist and Educell Laboratories
The performance of Theresa SCHUBERT at Kapelica Gallery. Photo by Tina LAGLER, © Kapelica Gallery Archive
The second type is “cultured meat” (also known as artificial, imitation, fake, clean, test tube, or lab grown meat). It is produced by culturing cells of live animals in a laboratory. Uma VALETI, the founder of Memphis Meats, the first food technology company to develop cultured meat products said that this company produces beef, pork, chicken, and seafood. Its products do not differ from conventional meat products, except that it is not necessary to slaughter animals to produce them. 1
The basis for the development of cultured meat is that it is not necessary to raise a whole chicken just to eat its drumstick. If we do not plan on eating the bones or internal organs of animals, there is no need to waste so many resources to obtain a pound of edible meat as is the case with traditional industrialized livestock production, in which the conversion rate of beef is eight to one. That is, eight kilograms of grain must be consumed in exchange for one kilogram of beef. VALETI also said that compared to ordinary meat production, greenhouse gas emissions are three-fourths lower and water consumption is 90% less with cultured meat production. Moreover, the risks of bacterial contamination, such as with E-coli, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity (fat and cholesterol levels can be manipulated) are reduced.
The third type of alternative meat is “edible insects.” In 80% of the world’s countries, more than 1,000 species of insects are eaten. According to research conducted by FAO, two billion people eat insects globally. These include crickets, cicadas, termites, beetles, and bees. Insects are not only rich in protein and vitamins, but also low in fat. During food shortages, they can be used as protein sources. However, the eating habits of people in various countries must be taken into consideration. Added to that, as edible insects are not yet mainstream and are considered more of a novelty, commercial interest has not been generated.
SCHUBERT’s mEat me project accurately captures the issues related to the consumption of natural resources, animal welfare, and food justice of industrialized livestock production, while breaking down moral boundaries and taboos of human subject experiments and human cloning. She did not use animal cells, but, rather, her own cells to create meat, boldly entering a laboratory and collaborating with scientists. Her cultured meat was comprised of muscle, connective tissue, and fat, as she experienced the process of “cell-to-fork.”
Do you feel that eating your own flesh, while your body is unharmed, is something strange, frightening, or painful? Such a radical meal goes straight to the heart of environmental, animal welfare, and food justice issues. These were once covered up by civilization and the consumer society, but now must be faced.
SCHUBERT’s mEat me project accurately captures the issues related to the consumption of natural resources, animal welfare, and food justice of industrialized livestock production, while breaking down moral boundaries and taboos of human subject experiments and human cloning. Photo by Hana JOSIC, © Kapelica Gallery Archive
In 2015, the United Nations announced 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including ending poverty, eradicating hunger, and promoting health, as well as those related to the green economy, climate change, animal welfare, and marine ecology.
Finding ways in which humans can coexist with the earth has become a top priority. How can we destroy the only environment in which we are able to survive? In response, more and more discussions have been held on topics related to sustainable and organic food. A concept of environmental veganism is that by eating plantbased foods we show our love for this planet. People in Taiwan have been paying attention to sustainable eating practices with Green Media’s launch of the Green Dining Guide and Green Dining Pledge and the promotion of events by The Society of Wilderness and Homemakers United, such as Meatless Monday, No Meat Festival, Vegetarian Night Market, and Sustainable Planet Plate. As a result, eating a plant-based diet has become an attitude and part of a lifestyle that is focused on caring for the environment.
Flexitarians do not follow the strict dietary restrictions of vegans and vegetarians. However, they are committed to reducing their meat intake as part of a sustainable diet and lifestyle. If you think about it carefully, eating meat is not wrong in and of itself. In the past, rural scenes of homes with a stream in front, chickens and cattle roaming free along the hillsides behind, and pigs and ducks in the yard were common. Small-scale farming does not damage the environment and the animal waste produced can be used as fertilizer for farming to create a household-based circular economy. On special occasions, such as during the Zhongyuan Festival, ancestor worship rites, weddings, and harvest celebrations, chicken and pork dishes bring people together. They are not only delicious, but also part of the food culture.
While it is difficult to return to an era of householdscale farming, there do exist many small-scale, environmentally-friendly farms providing meat and seafood produced via methods that are sustainable and based on a concern for nature. Weekend farmers’ markets, online producers’ forums, and production area reports help us to return to the land, access farms, and reclaim our connections with the land. There are no longer large distances between us and what we put on our dining tables. If we are willing, there are multiple channels for learning about producers, understanding how livestock is raised, and tracing foods from production area to the dining table. Then, we can embrace nature with a sense of gratitude, cherishing every bit of food that it provides.
Jean Anthelme BRILLAT-SAVARIN, an 18th century French writer once said, “You are what you eat.” Although a cliché, it is also a classic truth. Humans produce connections with nature through food. By eating more plant-based foods, choosing eco-friendly producers, respecting animals, and caring about sustainable agricultural products, we can inspire a gentle consumer revolution. Do not underestimate the power of your choices. You are fighting for the future of your children and grandchildren.
Bon appétit!
