Red Meat

Eating well-done red meat--whether barbecued, grilled or pan seared--does not increase a woman's risk of breast cancer, but a diet rich in fish, chicken or turkey may offer some protection against the disease, according to a UC Irvine study released today. Previous studies of rats suggested that chemicals on and near the surface of red meats cooked thoroughly at high temperatures combine with enzymes in the body to bind with DNA, causing mammary cell cancers.

Oh sure, like everyone else the last few years, I've been talking about how little beef I eat these days. It's true, with respect for my blood vessels and body fat, I eat less red meat than I used to, but I've never said that I don't still like it just as much as I did when I didn't think about my health and weight. Now advertisements are doing a pretty good job of persuading consumers that beef is as light (and pork is as white) as chicken or fish.

Meat lovers who eat beef, pork or lamb every day are more than twice as likely to get colon cancer as those who shun red meat, and switching to fish and chicken reduces the risk, according to a major new study. Experts have long suspected that the fat in red meat contributes to heart disease and cancer. But proving the cancer link has been difficult, in part because there have been few large, carefully controlled studies of the question.

I have recently sensed an interesting conflict in people's attitudes toward red meat. Some proudly boast that they never eat meat anymore. Others defiantly proclaim they will never give it up. And those in the middle struggle to do without, but sometimes succumb to the seduction of a big, juicy burger or a tender filet. Should you give up red meat? The answer may be different for men and women. If you are a woman in childbearing years, consider carefully before deciding to go cold turkey.

The long-suffering beef industry is bullish about a recent survey that detected a positive shift in consumer attitudes toward red meat. The turnaround is being attributed to a $30-million advertising campaign launched earlier this year by a coalition of livestock trade associations. The ads feature actors James Garner and Cybill Shepherd emphasizing the theme, "Beef. Real Food for Real People."

There are restaurants with crests, vast dark dining rooms decked out with stained glass, red leather booths and a 20-year collection of mirrored plaques that advertise obscure brands of liquor, masculine dining rooms that might be in the Rotary neighborhoods of Downey or Dallas or Des Moines. These restaurants, proud heraldists of the American surf 'n' turf aristocracy, have late-model Cadillacs in their parking lots and intimate nooks in their smoky, dimly lit bars.

It was about noontime last week when Janice Weglarz of Port Hueneme first heard the familiar, gentle rumbling. No use looking up--the child-care program specialist knew it had nothing to do with the weather. It was the same sound emanating from behind desks, in homes, in schools and out in fields throughout the county. Lunchtime. Stomachs gonging 12. Time to get something like, well, hey buddy, how about we go grab us a burger?

The California roots-country flavor of Red Meat's music recalls the style of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, or even the sounds of the Maddox Brothers and Sister Rose. But this brand of West Coast honky-tonk emanates not from those artists' respective hometowns of Bakersfield or Modesto, but from an unlikely place: San Francisco.

One of the most grating noises of the current presidential campaign is the sound of the Democratic chorus whining about unfair Republican attacks. Republicans are mean. Conservatives are insensitive. They are taking the low road on the character issue. They are dividing the country. The only thing President Bush is good at is fear-mongering, especially about higher taxes if Bill Clinton is elected. Journalists have jumped on this bandwagon, too.