China has surpassed the United States in a metric once thought to be “unattainable”: daily protein intake.
Chinese media, South China Morning PostThe WHO reported the news with glee: China overtook the United States in protein consumption in 2021, though the UN data was only released this summer. Clearly, we have a lot of catching up to do.
The data shows that Chinese people eat 124.61 grams of protein per person, while the United States lags just behind by less than 1 gram — no small feat for a country with a much larger population, much higher per capita poverty rate, and much less meat intake.
US President Joe Biden greets Chinese President Xi Jinping before their meeting during Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Week in Woodside, California, on November 15, 2023. Biden and Xi will meet for the first time in a year at a key summit in San Francisco on Wednesday, but are seeking to prevent the superpower rivalry from escalating into clashes. The leaders of the world's largest economies are expected to meet for at least three hours at Filoli Country Estate outside San Francisco amid rising tensions over issues including Taiwan, sanctions and trade. (Brendan Smiarowski/AFP) (Brendan Smiarowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Certainly, protein intake is an important criterion for judging “modern quality of life.” China's food supply is advanced enough to provide the energy for over a billion people to grow big and strong. If our underlying tensions intensify, that will be a problem.
And, of course, there's the climate dimension: “The Chinese are showing that it's possible to increase your protein intake without eating as much meat as Americans, and to benefit the planet.” China's COVID-19 lockdowns were embraced by liberals in the West. Now those same people are judging you because of your protein intake. Must Eat bugs.
TOP SHOT – This photo taken on January 4, 2021, shows Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers gathering during a military training exercise in the Pamir Mountains in Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)
But in reality, this is more than a material issue: it is a spiritual issue, a matter of national honor.
Are we going to let America, the land of plenty, the buffalo plains, the home of big Texas barbecue, a country that has survived on estrogenic soy for thousands of years, overtake us? No, our pride cannot allow it.
Looks like meat is back on the menu, guys.
