Nose to tail, marmite food lab, Zurich

Some would call it PR, I choose to call it an informal, yet informative gathering accompanied by great food. It’s always a bit tricky sneaking into these events. While I keep coming up with new and very forgettable sounding names, most of the time the interest in who you really are tends to be small. One was called “Nose to tail” and hosted by Proviande, the Swiss association of the meat industry, so I just couldn’t pass this chance up.

Two chefs (Sandro Zinggeler & Mirko Buri) prepared a few dishes using more than just the well know cuts of meat. The dishes I liked best were the Pulled Oxtail Burger and the Tom Ka Gai Soup. The first was a fun variation of the omni-present pulled pork, the latter very tasty and I enjoyed the chicken thighs thrown into the soup. An honourable mention goes out to the heart cooked with mushrooms and pumpkin, as well as the pork belly. The ultimate goal is to raise awareness for the less expensive cut of meats and ensure that most parts of the animal get eaten. Even though the food could have been more adventurous, the goal was reached.

But besides the food, the best discussion I had all night was with an organic chicken farmer. All the stuff in the PR brochures – while interesting information – paled in comparison to what I learned in this discussion on farming, farming methods, animal care and sustainability. Long story short: most vegan hipsters simply don’t have a clue.