On Monday, Mr. Humm announced that Eleven Madison Park, closed since last March by the pandemic, would reopen with a plant-based menu. It marks a striking departure for one of the most lavishly praised American restaurants of the past 20 years. An institution long known for the technical proficiency of dishes featuring suckling pig, sea urchin and lavender glazed duck will reopen with a menu free of meat and seafood.
Gradually, then suddenly.
I think we’re about a decade away from the default “meat” served in cities to be plant / synthetic. You can still order meat but most people won’t, nor will they care. Meat will still be available to anyone who wants it and in any quantity they’d like but we’re at a point where it’s no longer a statement or a hardship to skip meat for most people except the poorest and most rural Americans.