Not too long ago, I blogged about Meatless Monday. That is the campaign to avoid meat on Mondays. This campaign has two benefits – it is green and it is healthy.
Sid Lerner, who gave us the “Squeeze the Charmin” campaign, is now trying to get chefs on board for his Meatless Mondays. He hopes to turn something that may seem routine into something special.
Who’s trying to help Lerner spread the word? One of my favorite celebrity chefs, Wolfgang Puck, has used the concept in some of his restaurants. He started Meatless Monday at his Las Vegas eatery, Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina.
But, Puck is not the only famous chef to take this on. Iron Chef Mario Batali may not seem like the chef to embrace this campaign, but he has done exactly that. He has Meatless Monday entrée options in fourteen of his restaurants across the country. Batali says, “The fact is, most people in the U.S. eat way more meat than is good for them or the planet. Asking everyone to go vegetarian or vegan isn’t a realistic or attainable goal. But we can focus on a more plant-based diet. That’s why I’m such a big believer in the Meatless Monday movement!”
In NYC, Chef John Fraser has a whole Meatless Monday menu and his restaurant, Dovetail, is packed.
Over in Europe, long time vegetarian Sir Paul McCartney pushed for the European Parliament to adopt this campaign as an effort to help stop global warming. McCartney reminded Parliament that production of food makes up between 20 and 30 percent of the gas emissions.
By having all these famous people helping spread the word, Lerner is hoping to get people to gradually change their ways, so they don’t really feel like they are giving anything up. Meatless Mondays has extended to hospitals and school cafeterias through a partnership with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.