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A Carnivore's Crisis with Rachel Khoo
Wrestling with your conscience when you have a burger? Concerned that you should switch to almond milk lattes? Rachel Khoo is worried too. The chef and broadcaster trained in French cuisine and her career has been built on the motto: “Butter makes everything better.” But all this talk about veganism has started getting to her. Should she change her cooking, her eating and her lifestyle to stop global warming?
Khoo meets farmers, activists, chefs and academics to ask whether beef and dairy really need to die in order for the planet to live, and whether she needs to go vegan to do her bit for the planet. She marches through the battle lines – vegan versus meat eater; plants versus cows; farmers versus the world – to sift truth from propaganda. Khoo sees big corporations pulling the strings in our global food system, which makes her wonder how responsibility for this problem has ended up in the kitchen of time-and-cash-strapped families.
Join this carnivore in crisis as she journeys through the facts and fury of the vegan debate.
This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 8 episodes to your Library now.
©2020 Pipi Films Ltd (P)2020 Audible Australia Pty Ltd
Khoo meets farmers, activists, chefs and academics to ask whether beef and dairy really need to die in order for the planet to live, and whether she needs to go vegan to do her bit for the planet. She marches through the battle lines – vegan versus meat eater; plants versus cows; farmers versus the world – to sift truth from propaganda. Khoo sees big corporations pulling the strings in our global food system, which makes her wonder how responsibility for this problem has ended up in the kitchen of time-and-cash-strapped families.
Join this carnivore in crisis as she journeys through the facts and fury of the vegan debate.
This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 8 episodes to your Library now.
©2020 Pipi Films Ltd (P)2020 Audible Australia Pty Ltd
Audible Audio
Published July 27, 2020
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25 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Khoo
15 books83 followersRachel’s unconventional food background has helped formulate her unique culinary touch. She graduated with a Bachelors degree in Art & Design from the renowned Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. Thereafter she worked for a luxury fashion brand, doing PR and e-marketing. Ultimately, her passion for pâtisserie lured her to Paris, where she studied at Le Cordon Bleu and obtained a pastry diploma.
She put her skills to excellent use at the delightful Paris culinary bookstore and tea salon, La Cocotte. There Rachel concocted delicious sweet treats, regularly providing catering for culinary book launches and hosting cookery classes on site. Following the success of her edible endeavours at La Cocotte, she now works on culinary projects throughout the world. Her role as an international food creative has spanned six-course dinners and workshops in places as far-flung as London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Melbourne, Sydney and Buenos Aires.
She is also a food writer with books “Barres à céréales, Granola et Muesli faites maison” and “Pâtes à tartiner” published by Marabout. “Barres à céréales, Granola et Muesli faites maison” has also been published in Dutch, Italian and most recently in English – “Pâtes à tartiner” has also been published in English. Her third cookbook (her first English book) “The Little Paris Kitchen” was published by Penguin on March the 15th 2012. This book has also been translated into Dutch, French, Italian, German, Danish, Japanese, Latvian, Russian, Portuguese, Polish, Taiwanese, Korean and Norwegian. The book has also been published in the USA, by Chronicle Books.
Her first cookery show “The Little Paris Kitchen” was aired on BBC 2 from the 19th March 2012 for six weeks and has since been shown around the world. The show has aired all over the world, from Australia to Brazil, Canada to Finland, the USA to Hong Kong and many more.
Rachel’s fourth book “My Little French Kitchen” was published by Michael Joseph in Autumn 2013. Foreign editions have been published in the following territories: Germany, Holland, Taiwan, US, Japan and Poland.
Rachel’s TV show for BBC World Wide, ‘Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: London’ and ‘Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: Cosmopolitan Cook’ aired around the globe in 2013. Rachel’s fifth book “Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook”, featuring all the recipes from the show plus many more was published by Michael Joseph in February 2015 in the UK – it’s been published in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Netherlands and the United States too. It is available to order from Amazon now.
A six-part series ‘A Cook Abroad’ was aired on BBC2 and BBC2 HD in the UK in February 2015 – Rachel is one of the featured cooks in this fun series which sees cooks journey to places which inspire them. In her episode, Rachel journeys to Malaysia to explore part of her culinary heritage. Watch the trailer here.
Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: Melbourne aired in Australia on SBS in July 2015 and is currently airing around the world. In February 2016, Rachel appeared as a guest judge on the popular Australian competitive cooking show, My Kitchen Rules. She co-hosted Zumbo’s Just Desserts show on Channel 7 in Australia which aired in the Summer 2016. And is currently airing on Netflix and around the world.
She has regularly written recipes for the London Evening Standard, The Times, The Guardian and various other media outlets. Aswell as consulting for hotels, restaurants and blue chip clients, most recently for the launch of the Soho house x Sydell group hotel in London, The Ned.
In 2015 Rachel launched, Khoollect. Khoollect is a creative studio based in London aswell as an online community celebrating inspiration found in unlikely places.
She put her skills to excellent use at the delightful Paris culinary bookstore and tea salon, La Cocotte. There Rachel concocted delicious sweet treats, regularly providing catering for culinary book launches and hosting cookery classes on site. Following the success of her edible endeavours at La Cocotte, she now works on culinary projects throughout the world. Her role as an international food creative has spanned six-course dinners and workshops in places as far-flung as London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Melbourne, Sydney and Buenos Aires.
She is also a food writer with books “Barres à céréales, Granola et Muesli faites maison” and “Pâtes à tartiner” published by Marabout. “Barres à céréales, Granola et Muesli faites maison” has also been published in Dutch, Italian and most recently in English – “Pâtes à tartiner” has also been published in English. Her third cookbook (her first English book) “The Little Paris Kitchen” was published by Penguin on March the 15th 2012. This book has also been translated into Dutch, French, Italian, German, Danish, Japanese, Latvian, Russian, Portuguese, Polish, Taiwanese, Korean and Norwegian. The book has also been published in the USA, by Chronicle Books.
Her first cookery show “The Little Paris Kitchen” was aired on BBC 2 from the 19th March 2012 for six weeks and has since been shown around the world. The show has aired all over the world, from Australia to Brazil, Canada to Finland, the USA to Hong Kong and many more.
Rachel’s fourth book “My Little French Kitchen” was published by Michael Joseph in Autumn 2013. Foreign editions have been published in the following territories: Germany, Holland, Taiwan, US, Japan and Poland.
Rachel’s TV show for BBC World Wide, ‘Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: London’ and ‘Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: Cosmopolitan Cook’ aired around the globe in 2013. Rachel’s fifth book “Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook”, featuring all the recipes from the show plus many more was published by Michael Joseph in February 2015 in the UK – it’s been published in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Netherlands and the United States too. It is available to order from Amazon now.
A six-part series ‘A Cook Abroad’ was aired on BBC2 and BBC2 HD in the UK in February 2015 – Rachel is one of the featured cooks in this fun series which sees cooks journey to places which inspire them. In her episode, Rachel journeys to Malaysia to explore part of her culinary heritage. Watch the trailer here.
Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: Melbourne aired in Australia on SBS in July 2015 and is currently airing around the world. In February 2016, Rachel appeared as a guest judge on the popular Australian competitive cooking show, My Kitchen Rules. She co-hosted Zumbo’s Just Desserts show on Channel 7 in Australia which aired in the Summer 2016. And is currently airing on Netflix and around the world.
She has regularly written recipes for the London Evening Standard, The Times, The Guardian and various other media outlets. Aswell as consulting for hotels, restaurants and blue chip clients, most recently for the launch of the Soho house x Sydell group hotel in London, The Ned.
In 2015 Rachel launched, Khoollect. Khoollect is a creative studio based in London aswell as an online community celebrating inspiration found in unlikely places.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 27, 2020
I will state my biases up front, especially because of what my review is about to say. I am meat eater and have no plans of changing anytime soon. I therefore went into this book/audio documentary with that mindset.
I have to say that it is always worrying when you encounter a topic that is only explored from one side of an argument. There isn't an argument in the world that doesn't have an opposing view and when you fail to represent that opposing view you you fail to represent your side of the argument as well. It makes you look weak because it looks like you aren't able to challenge your own opinions.
Five episodes into this audio documentary and I am yet to come across a pro meat argument. Instead this is more like someone started out with the premise they wanted to prove and went out and spoke to the right people in order to prove it. At no points do they find anyone with an opposing view to challenge their assumptions and maybe even prove them wrong. This is a necessary step in any miasion to find the truth about a subject.
The narrator frames the argument as though she is looking for a reason to keep eating meat and animal products, but she assumes some base facts that meat is bad without challenging those assumptions, and from there she simply finds the people who will help explore meat alternatives.
As I stated at the start I may have a biased opinion, but I'm trying to keep an open mind. I agree that ethical considerations need to be taken into account when it comes to meat and animal products, and if animal agriculture is genuinely the largest contributor to global warming, then that's also concern. However, if you wish to win me completely to your side, which I have to think is the eventual goal of pro plant-based diet supporters, then you need to present the strongest arguments from both sides so that I can make an informed decision. Doing anything else feels manipulative and like you're trying to hide something.
I have to say that it is always worrying when you encounter a topic that is only explored from one side of an argument. There isn't an argument in the world that doesn't have an opposing view and when you fail to represent that opposing view you you fail to represent your side of the argument as well. It makes you look weak because it looks like you aren't able to challenge your own opinions.
Five episodes into this audio documentary and I am yet to come across a pro meat argument. Instead this is more like someone started out with the premise they wanted to prove and went out and spoke to the right people in order to prove it. At no points do they find anyone with an opposing view to challenge their assumptions and maybe even prove them wrong. This is a necessary step in any miasion to find the truth about a subject.
The narrator frames the argument as though she is looking for a reason to keep eating meat and animal products, but she assumes some base facts that meat is bad without challenging those assumptions, and from there she simply finds the people who will help explore meat alternatives.
As I stated at the start I may have a biased opinion, but I'm trying to keep an open mind. I agree that ethical considerations need to be taken into account when it comes to meat and animal products, and if animal agriculture is genuinely the largest contributor to global warming, then that's also concern. However, if you wish to win me completely to your side, which I have to think is the eventual goal of pro plant-based diet supporters, then you need to present the strongest arguments from both sides so that I can make an informed decision. Doing anything else feels manipulative and like you're trying to hide something.
August 27, 2020
A solid 3.5 stars.
It's a starter look which covers a lot of different angles and perspectives and industries. Each issue looked at could easily be a whole series of it's own, so this is a good way to get a general overview of the different parts of food, from the farmers, the distributors, the buyers and, at the end point, the consumers.
More people from all different parts of the system are becoming aware of the issues of sustainability, food quality and humane and ethical practices. So much emotion is also involved in food as a foundation part of culture, heritage and family.
As with everything, there are no simple quick solutions and what will work in one place, in one part of the business, won't work somewhere else. But there are exciting innovations and experiments happening. There are people taking the risks, trying new things, with wellfare and health in mind.
There are various books and people mentioned I will be looking up to find out more about what they're doing and I think with all the different ways forward being tried, we will be in a better place all round.
It's a starter look which covers a lot of different angles and perspectives and industries. Each issue looked at could easily be a whole series of it's own, so this is a good way to get a general overview of the different parts of food, from the farmers, the distributors, the buyers and, at the end point, the consumers.
More people from all different parts of the system are becoming aware of the issues of sustainability, food quality and humane and ethical practices. So much emotion is also involved in food as a foundation part of culture, heritage and family.
As with everything, there are no simple quick solutions and what will work in one place, in one part of the business, won't work somewhere else. But there are exciting innovations and experiments happening. There are people taking the risks, trying new things, with wellfare and health in mind.
There are various books and people mentioned I will be looking up to find out more about what they're doing and I think with all the different ways forward being tried, we will be in a better place all round.
September 14, 2020
This is a good introduction to the argument of animal agriculture.
I feel like the argument is quite biased towards pro animal-agriculture and doesn’t talk about important topics for the vegan argument.
It felt like someone trying to defend their point of view without equally weighing out both sides of the argument. Like saying “but milk and eggs are soooo important to me and I don’t want to ever give it up”.
There wasn’t much discussion about the ethics of animal agriculture and how the animals are living it was just seeing them as a commodity. Which was quite frustrating.
I am vegan so that obviously puts me at a bias but I really felt the bias within this podcast and wanted there to be two hosts one, being a meat eater and one being a vegan and there were more variety in who was talking and their points of view. But instead it just felt like someone trying to justify their choices and only talking to people who align with those views.
I feel like the argument is quite biased towards pro animal-agriculture and doesn’t talk about important topics for the vegan argument.
It felt like someone trying to defend their point of view without equally weighing out both sides of the argument. Like saying “but milk and eggs are soooo important to me and I don’t want to ever give it up”.
There wasn’t much discussion about the ethics of animal agriculture and how the animals are living it was just seeing them as a commodity. Which was quite frustrating.
I am vegan so that obviously puts me at a bias but I really felt the bias within this podcast and wanted there to be two hosts one, being a meat eater and one being a vegan and there were more variety in who was talking and their points of view. But instead it just felt like someone trying to justify their choices and only talking to people who align with those views.
August 29, 2020
Listened to this as a audible original podcast and found it really informative. As a meat eater it is difficult to see me giving up meat totally but I understand from the information given within this podcast that what needs to happen is that people need to start eating less meat as well as food producers especially meat farmers look at how they are farming and can it be done a lot more sustainably in order to limit the damage agriculture is having on the world. This podcast has altered my thinking but I didn't always agree with the arguements facilitated by the vegan campaigners but could see where they are coming from. I truly believe that we as consumers need to start and continue to shop sustainably as well as farmers and food producers need to also actively participate in the conversation and act on it.
June 27, 2022
All the pros and cons of carnivore diet vs. vegan diet. What I like here the most were:
1) the idea of keeping animals in the open, just like wild animals live, but here - still breeding,
2) treating meat as an additive, condiment that gives the meal a unique taste,
3) the realization that even the plant based processed foods need fetal bovine serum for their growth and taste.
1) the idea of keeping animals in the open, just like wild animals live, but here - still breeding,
2) treating meat as an additive, condiment that gives the meal a unique taste,
3) the realization that even the plant based processed foods need fetal bovine serum for their growth and taste.
December 7, 2020
I actually found this really interesting. I liked how the different viewpoints were not only portrayed, but delved into, while also being compared and analysed with the other viewpoints and opinions. It made for a very ‘all-round’ experience.
July 29, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up to 4:
I can appreciate the research done for this audiobook. It took “both sides of the story” and really dug deep for their information. Would actually consider recommending this audiobook to someone questioning going vegan or limiting their meat consumption.
I can appreciate the research done for this audiobook. It took “both sides of the story” and really dug deep for their information. Would actually consider recommending this audiobook to someone questioning going vegan or limiting their meat consumption.
September 22, 2020
Interesting. As a guilty meat eater this has given me a lot to think about
January 19, 2021
Good intro to topics that can lead you into more depth of argument. My takeaway is too enjoy food but be consistent and conscious of what you are eating.
Tread lightly is the best message from this
Tread lightly is the best message from this
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews