A few articles that I bookmarked in the Times over the past two weeks…
How Do the New Plant-Based Burgers Stack Up? We Taste-Tested Them
I agree that Impossible Burgers and Beyond Meat rank highest, though I’ve also been a long-time fan of Field Roast.
But I always find it odd when taste tests include non-vegan products, such as American cheese. The tasters could have just as easily sourced a wide range of outstanding vegan cheeses (see Vegan Cheese Tasting). Nevertheless, it’s great to see vegan (plant-based) meats going mainstream.
When Biking and Bears Don’t Mix
This article hits close to home, literally. I live at the base of Mt. Ashland, a destination for thousands of mountain bikers. And I’ve nearly been run over by a numbers of these bikers over the years.
And I worry about the animals. I’ve mountain biked in the past but the focus these days seems to be about speed and downhill times, and this can only increase the risk of collisions.
PS: Recent events in the Ashland area inspired I play I wrote about mountain bikers, a series of traps that were set in the hills, and the probable extinction of the Franklin’s Bumble Bee (Bombus franklini); it’s called Species of Least Concern.
Forest Service Backs an End to Limits on Roads in Alaska’s Tongass Forest
Alaska has suffered from a multi-year drought, unusually severe wildfires and now a president who governs out of spite and short-sightedness. Hopefully disaster will be averted a year from now.
John is co-author, with Midge Raymond, of the eco-mystery Devils Island, forthcoming in 2024. He is also author of the novels The Tourist Trail and Where Oceans Hide Their Dead. Co-founder of Ashland Creek Press and editor of Writing for Animals (also now a writing program).
