Editor ’ s Letter

It’s a

my husband and I had several conversations last year about eating less meat and they all went something like this: I would say, “We should really cut back on meat. ” And he would say, “But meat is so delicious. ” And then we’d return to our beef tacos or Bolognese and get on with our night. I do want to cut back— and we will this year. I’m resolving to do it right here, right now, but I need a better way to sell it to my family than calling it “plant-based eating. ” I’m dealing with a chef husband who once refused to put a salad on the menu at his restaurant. And nothing sounds more terrifying to my kids than telling them we’re having plants for dinner. Roasted carrot hot dogs, mushroom burgers, a bowl of cauliflower wings— they’re totally on board for all of it. But plant-based chicken nuggets…no, thanks. Somehow the term “plant-based” swept the nation during the past few years and was swiftly, universally adopted before anyone stopped to wonder if it sounded delicious. And it’s likely here to stay: The editors at Merriam-Webster say plant-based is a

and that it is “moving steadily in the direction of being entered in our dictionary. ” I sort of thought McDonald’s would figure this one out and come up with a new name, because the company knows a thing or two about marketing, but they’ve doubled down and named their meatless burger the McPlant. (It’s being tested at a few locations.) I guess “Mc” does make “Plant” sound more fun, but it’s no Happy Meal.

We struggled with the terminology when we were creating the meat-free section on the flip side of this issue. Would “vegetarian” sound right? Or “vegetable-forward”? We settled on the coverline “Meatless Mania, ” which is not exactly groundbreaking, but it sounds a lot more exciting than “Plant-Based Special Issue. ” And if you see a Meatless Mania Burger on a fast food menu later this year, well, you read it here first.

Maile Carpenter Editor in Chief @maile__fnmag