reason Gets Results: NYT Endorses Kangaroo Consumption

Katherine Mangu-Ward | December 22, 2008

Back in October 2007, I wrote about the joys of kangaroo. Not only is the meat delicious, but kangaroos don't emit (read: fart) methane, like their bovine counterparts, so they're also environmentally-friendly. Last weekend, The New York Times got on board with kanga consumption.

So here's the trend: reason in 2007, New York Times follows a year later. Sounds about right.

Alas, in The New York Times' 2008 Year in Ideas feature, kangaroo consumption ranks right up there with fast food zoning, and "plants' rights."

There is cool item on the ways "less privacy means less discrimination." Of course, reason was on the upside of zero privacy beat in 2004. 

Comments

db|12.22.08 @ 5:18PM|#

So here's the trend: reason in 2007, New York Times follows a year later. Sounds about right.

So LoneWacko must have come up with this about 1 year and three weeks ago, right? Say, why is it you guys never have adopted his UniqueStyleofWriting?

|12.22.08 @ 5:26PM|#

It's only a matter of time before the NYT gives Welch or Balko a column.

Elemenope|12.22.08 @ 5:35PM|#

The upside of zero privacy is you are never at a loss to remember another person's name.

Other than that, I like my privacy. Very, very much.

|12.22.08 @ 5:40PM|#

Frank: By the way, you know what you've just eaten, right?

Dee: Was it venison?

Frank: You wish it was venison!

Charlie: Was it a horse?

thoreau|12.22.08 @ 5:54PM|#

I'd try it if it showed up in US grocery stores.

Can they be farmed in the US?

Orange Line Special|12.22.08 @ 5:55PM|#

For literally decades, I've been disgusted by those who need a higher, "liberal" authority to validate something before they can support it. Those people are, of course, dolts who can't think for themselves, boot-lickers constantly seeking approbation.

Anyway, I hope that Reason will support an even greener variety of meat.

Orange Line Special|12.22.08 @ 5:58PM|#

I've been eating DogMeat for years.

thoreau|12.22.08 @ 6:01PM|#

The Lefiti spoofing was bad enough. Do we really need LoneWackoSpoofing? IThinkNot. Besides, TehIllegalSpammers are willing to SpoofAllDay for HalfAsMuchMoney.

BDB|12.22.08 @ 6:03PM|#

"The Lefiti spoofing was bad enough. Do we really need LoneWackoSpoofing? "

Yes, but only because he threatened to sue me.

db|12.22.08 @ 6:06PM|#

A guy bought the 110 acres next to ours last year. He says he plans to raise bison on it for meat. I can't wait! Tasty bison steaks, literally next door!

MNG|12.22.08 @ 6:10PM|#

My problem with the LW spoofs is: how do I tell?

Hey BDB, I heard Periello won the recount. Ol' Virgil will be looking for work now. Maybe Jim Gilmore will hire him to mow his lawn. Now we need someone to hire Jim Gilmore. Before he runs for something again...

db|12.22.08 @ 6:11PM|#

It's only a matter of time before the NYT gives Welch or Balko a column.

Nah, you'll have to wait until another Republican administration takes office before the NYT will publish anything as antiestablishment as Balko's masterpieces.

db|12.22.08 @ 6:15PM|#

I hired five IllegalImmigrantSpammers in the parking lot at CompUSA last Friday. Those guys work for nothing! And, they can actually do English grammar better than most "native born" Americans.

</|12.22.08 @ 6:15PM|#

Those people are, of course, dolts who can't think for themselves, boot-lickers constantly seeking approbation.

No this is the libertarian Über-Babe KM-W.

|12.22.08 @ 6:16PM|#

Kangaroo is fine as a game meat, but hopeless for large scale farming. Very little of a kangaroo is edible (only about 2-3kg per roo I believe). The yield is about 10% compared with beef, worse compared with lamb or chicken. The idea that sheep or cattle could be replaced with kangaroos is just plain laughable.

squarooticus|12.22.08 @ 6:17PM|#

Charlie: Was it a horse?

No... think... "more legs".

BDB|12.22.08 @ 6:18PM|#

MNG, what really needs to happen is Obama needs to appoint Terry McAulliffe ambassador to Aruba or something before he gets any closer to being Governor.

</|12.22.08 @ 6:19PM|#

If NYTs needs a libertarian columnist for the op-ed page they should pick Chapman.He'll fit right in with "conservatives" Kristol and Brooks.

Tierney was too libertarian so he got bumped to the Science page.

BDB|12.22.08 @ 6:24PM|#

I hear Kristol has been such a doofus (and wrong about literally everything) the NYT is looking for his replacement.

Seitz|12.22.08 @ 6:24PM|#

Those of you in Chicago can try a Kangaroo burger at the Hop Haus on Franklin and Erie. Pretty good, actually.

thoreau|12.22.08 @ 6:29PM|#

Alex-

Didn't know that. Do you have a cite?

What's the yield for goat meat? I hear it's quite healthy.

Neu Mejican|12.22.08 @ 7:35PM|#

Alex/Dr. T.

Those numbers are way off.

From a 20kg roo you get about 12 kg of meat and another 4.5 of bone.

http://tinyurl.com/9jphj7

Something like 175 million roos would be needed to replace the beef production from Australia, however.

thoreau|12.22.08 @ 7:50PM|#

Neu Mejican-

Thanks for the info. OTOH, it is from an industry association document, so could they be exaggerating yields?

|12.22.08 @ 9:21PM|#

Roo meat is rather nice and quite lean too. I never used to like it, but have done a 180 on it in recent times. Non-Aussies used to get upset with me when I told them we eat Kangaroo. That was until I pointed out to them how many of the damn things we have here. Don't overcook it though, it will be very tough.

|12.22.08 @ 11:02PM|#

Non-Aussies used to get upset with me when I told them we eat Kangaroo.

I don't know about it as food, but you can't import 'roo leather into California. Even Beckham had to change his shoes upon arrival.

Kolohe|12.23.08 @ 12:02AM|#

How does an animal which does the whole grass/cud mutlichambered stomach thing not produce methane?

cuernimus|12.23.08 @ 4:45AM|#

"Bubble Wrap That Never Ends" is the real story of that NYT's feature.

@ Kolohe
The dominant microbes in a kangaroos gut produce acetate instead of methane, though the microbes that produce methane still exist in their digestive tracts, just not to the extent in cows. Whether this would change when they are switched to a diet more conducive to mass production, I don't know, especially since in your link it says that kangaroos eat spants, which have never been a popular pants option in the US.

Pat OBrien|12.23.08 @ 8:45AM|#

Why dont you ratbags just leave our kangaroos alone? Eat the bald eagle instead....

ed|12.23.08 @ 10:39AM|#

they're also environmentally-friendly

Not to mention entertaining. I'd like to see a cow hop like that.

Number 6|12.23.08 @ 11:23AM|#

Ed-And think how much fun it'd be to watch a roo drive.

ed|12.23.08 @ 12:16PM|#

Git along, little Joeys!

|12.23.08 @ 11:36PM|#

This is the best source I can find for kangaroo meat yields for human consumption: RIRDC.

It quotes an average of 1.5kg of prime cuts per kangaroo. (Other sources quoting 2kg are groups like Greenpeace and they don't cite their sources). The livestock industry group says the yield is about 10% of beef - that's if you trust the word of "big meat".

The document linked by Neu Mejican with the 12kg figure specifically says it's for "Wholesale Pet Meat". That document doesn't seem to give a yield for human consumption.