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I stopped eating veal as a child, for the most part. I remember reading how the calves were kept and it grossed me out. Factory farming isn't much better, but I literally had nightmares about how veal calves were kept. I've looked for "rose veal" options, because as a consumer of dairy, i feel that it is an ethical option (and in a way, a responsibility/obligation due to all the unwanted male calves created by the dairy industry).
I've been trying to reduce the amount of meat I eat in general, but ... OMG, I really love chicken and bacon. I can reduce steak (my absolute favorite) to a special occasion food, but most of what I cook involves chicken breasts in some way or other. And bacon just makes me really happy - it's what makes my salads and breakfast burritos truly satisfying.
So my point is that I think the choice of veal is something a lot of people have shunned simply because of how it is raised. I know my dad, who grew up as a hunter, thought it was just gross and unsanitary how the calves were kept. Man could gut his own deer, but he was convinced that the fact that veal marinated in its own excrement would just poison the meat.
I stopped eating veal as a child, for the most part. I remember reading how the calves were kept and it grossed me out. Factory farming isn't much better, but I literally had nightmares about how veal calves were kept. I've looked for "rose veal" options, because as a consumer of dairy, i feel that it is an ethical option (and in a way, a responsibility/obligation due to all the unwanted male calves created by the dairy industry).
I've been trying to reduce the amount of meat I eat in general, but ... OMG, I really love chicken and bacon. I can reduce steak (my absolute favorite) to a special occasion food, but most of what I cook involves chicken breasts in some way or other. And bacon just makes me really happy - it's what makes my salads and breakfast burritos truly satisfying.
So my point is that I think the choice of veal is something a lot of people have shunned simply because of how it is raised. I know my dad, who grew up as a hunter, thought it was just gross and unsanitary how the calves were kept. Man could gut his own deer, but he was convinced that the fact that veal marinated in its own excrement would just poison the meat.
I was one who stopped eating veal for the same reason, but have since, realized none of us have any idea if the calves really suffer. We are basing our views on how we would feel. Animals are different. If we all stopped eating certain foods for that reason would we not all belong to PITA? But let's not go there.
I don't think the not eating anything has as much to do with how the animals are raised as it does with the cost and the changing in trend. How many foods were eaten 50 or more years ago that are rarely seen today and how many foods do we now eat that we never heard of 50 plus years ago. I could write a book on this.
YOur reason isn't totally wrong by any means, but I think it is just a very small part of the entire picture.
I was one who stopped eating veal for the same reason, but have since, realized none of us have any idea if the calves really suffer. We are basing our views on how we would feel. Animals are different. If we all stopped eating certain foods for that reason would we not all belong to PITA? But let's not go there.
I don't think the not eating anything has as much to do with how the animals are raised as it does with the cost and the changing in trend. How many foods were eaten 50 or more years ago that are rarely seen today and how many foods do we now eat that we never heard of 50 plus years ago. I could write a book on this.
YOur reason isn't totally wrong by any means, but I think it is just a very small part of the entire picture.
Maybe to the young. Forty years ago there was no such thing as chicken parmigiana in an Italian restaurant. That may have begun to change with the advent of chain restaurants in the Italian food sector like those you appear to be enamored with and their strict adherence to price point created menus.
You did not mention what is probably the best chain in the Italian sector, Carrabbas, but be assured that the two Houston restaurants of that name that are not part of the Outback owned chain and are still operated by the family that established the brand have veal on their menus.
After reviewing this thread, I am not sure if this is accurate. Veal parmigiana is not the traditional Italian recipe; eggplant parmigiana is. Both chicken and veal parmigiana are Italian-American creations that will be hard to find in Italy. Wikipedia (with cited sources) says chicken parmigiana existed since at least the 1950s.
After reviewing this thread, I am not sure if this is accurate. Veal parmigiana is not the traditional Italian recipe; eggplant parmigiana is. Both chicken and veal parmigiana are Italian-American creations that will be hard to find in Italy. Wikipedia (with cited sources) says chicken parmigiana existed since at least the 1950s.
I have been noticing that many Italian chain restaurants have stopped serving veal parmigiana (Olive Garden dropped it many years back, and more recently Buca di Beppo has dropped it). I'm guessing low sales and the high price of veal could be to blame. Could this be a sign that veal parmigiana could be on its way out? Veal parmigiana has historically been in the shadow of its more popular cousins eggplant parmigiana and chicken parmigiana.
Veal has been "on it's way out" since the 1980s. Once people found out the cruelty involved in "farming" calves, many people, including meat eaters, to veal off their diet.
Veal is just not a popular food, no matter how it is prepared.
You mentioned to Italian American chain restaurants. Since they are feeding "the masses" they probably do not want to offend anyone, and have removed the controversial item from their menu.
It can probably be found at old school Italian restaurants. It just isn't a trendy item.
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