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Eating less meat means eating less meat, not cutting it out completely, and that sounds reasonable. In fact, I started buying locally, grass-fed beef since this summer and pretty much refuse to buy it from the grocery store anymore--beef is one of those things that's not necessarily seasonal, and so can be acquired at the farmers market all year. Since it costs more at the market, we just eat less of it--and it's been just fine, actually.

I have to agree that we could just eat less in general. A lot of restaurant portions are ridiculous; we've switched to eating at sushi places or tapas restaurants when we go out, mostly because the portions are a lot more manageable. Yeah, not cheap either, but we only eat out fancy-like every couple of months (birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions).

I don't think we need to eat as much as we do, particularly meat. I think American culture thrived on the bounty created by industrialized meat (and food in general), when it first started out. But we've taken that to an extreme in a hedonistic way, almost. So the fact that there are repercussions and that, in a capitalistic society, it continues to be lucrative (and cheap for consumers), are both not surprises.

I think of farmers in the past eating--they had true cause to eat heartily, considering they were caring for an entire farm--and I think they would be a little shocked at how much we eat. Overeating, to me, is a little like drinking too much--for special occasions or times when you've managed to bring together a large group of family and friends. Should we drink too much every day? No. The occasional over-indulgence (and the inevitable "oh that sucks" moment the next morning) keeps us in check--or should.

This isn't me shaking my finger at people, but with people shaking their fingers at how little I eat (I'm five feet tall and wanted to lose weight, and am now maintaining--so my portions seem just fine to me), I wonder if they should examine not how little I eat, but how much they do. Yeah, a small sandwich does look pathetic next to a steak and cheese on a humongous grinder roll--but it's not so pathetic if you add a salad, some ingenuity and a few more years on my life.

Wow, I didn't realize I had so much of an opinion on this...

Oh, this sounds awesome...

I will definitely try my hand at this. We'll see!

It totally depends on what I'm using it for...

Milk chocolate is yummy in a lot of cookies...
Dark chocolate lends a sophistication to a lot of cakes and pies...

And just for munching? Both will do, although I like to trick myself with dark chocolate's "healthy" features...

I just want to mention that if anyone is in Connecticut, Beaver Brook Farm cheeses are very good. They specialize in cow and sheep's milk cheese. I've sampled most of the ones on their list. Their cow's milk feta is great, but the best I've had is the Pleasant Cow cheese, which I'd like to think of as a hint of Gruyere, a cheddary texture and melts deliciously well, but holds up on a cheese plate for say...the five minutes it takes people to figure out how phenomenal it is. I purchase it at the New Haven farmers market on Saturdays, run by Cityseed. The Pleasant Cow cheese earned a mention as one of the top cheeses in America by Saveur a few years back, and the Cityseed market is one of USA Today's top ten markets that encourage local and organic farming. They also have a market, I believe, so if you live closer to the farm, that's an option. I recently made mac 'n' cheese with it and it was incredible.

Does anyone know of any other good cheeses in CT?

I sort of have to agree with a few comments above--I love my apple pie. In my rebellious teen years, I protested my mom's "buy a pie" philosophy at Thanksgiving and demanded to be allowed to use the kitchen for pie-making the night before the grand event (with three sisters and two brothers, dinner is a grand event in general). I made a big fat mess and Fannie Farmer Apple Pie. I was thwarted by the crust for awhile, but I learned and I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing--unless put up against a grandma. Grandmas must make the best pies, from experience alone (having Puerto Rican grandmas means that I reveled in their flan, not their pie).

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mayo

Mustard and maybe some really sharp cheese. But mosty - mustard.

Although a ham sandwich on sweet phillipino bread, with jam and white cheese is oddly good.

mustard butter good bread

A good strong mustard, baby swiss, butter and pepper.