HIGH STEAKS

For centuries, meat was a rarity on Chinese dinner tables, reserved for festivals and the nobility—but no longer. China is now both the largest consumer and producer of meat in the world.

Memories of famine only a few decades ago make this change a powerful symbol of development.China’s carnivorous cravings,though, have come at a cost.Rates of heart disease have ballooned, as have waistbands. A growing reliance on meat imports to satisfy demand is a worrying geopolitical time-bomb. Food scandals abound, wild game has been linked to disease outbreaks,and the environment suffers from intense farming.

The government now encourages citizens to cut down, and new plant-based products promise to replicate meat without those added worries. So, we ask, has China reached peak meat?

過去，“桌上有肉”是生活水平提高的標志。如今，關于肉食消費的討論卻涉及健康、環境以及飲食文化等各個方面。植物肉的出現給人們提供了新的選擇，同時，為革除濫食野生動物陋習，人們也在不斷努力。