Get rid of the lady steak in the hospitality industry: ‘sexism on your plate’
Emma eats often, a lot and with great pleasure, and is blissfully happy about it. Creating new dishes, visiting fun restaurants; she is often pleasantly surprised. But yes, as every bon vivant knows, there are also things that can irritate you so much that you can’t help but vent for a moment. Such as her frustration with a common phenomenon in the hospitality industry: the lady steak.
What on earth is a lady steak?
Emma: ‘You know the type: you walk into a random café or steakhouse and before you know it, the lady steak is prominently featured on the menu. It seems like some kind of special steak for women, often with an emphasis on its light weight and always a lean cut of meat such as filet mignon. What a treat. Not.
A form of sexism
Why on earth a “lady steak”? This is simply a piece of meat that you call that because it’s smaller and leaner than the rest of what’s on offer. And no, this isn’t a steak born of modesty; it’s a form of sexism that apparently hasn’t gone out of fashion in the hospitality industry. What on earth is behind it? Can we, as a society, just act normal for a moment? What does gender have to do with what kind of meat you order?
Small meat for the ladies, but I want a big steak!
Look, I get it. We live in an era where health and balance are central. But pretending that eating small pieces of meat is ‘ladylike’ goes a step too far for me. Yes, I’m a woman, but when I go to a steakhouse, I don’t want a lean piece of meat that you can eat without gaining weight. The fatter the better – and yes, I can definitely handle 200 grams of meat on my own.
105 grams of red meat per person: the horror
It’s already a horror scenario that, because of the climate, we may soon be allowed to eat only 105 grams of red meat per person. Yes, that’s shocking news for my fellow meat lovers, but I’m not making it up. This comes from the so-called ‘EAT-Lancet’ report, which advocates a major food transformation.
But why do we act as though it’s normal for women to ask for small portions? It’s nonsense, because it’s not about how much you eat, but what you eat. I simply want a beautiful steak, in whatever form, without someone pointing out that I should choose a small, lean portion because I’m a woman.
Lady burger? No thanks
Another thing that’s incredibly annoying: have you ever seen a lady burger on a menu? Instead of a delicious brioche bun, you get lettuce wrapped around your burger. Or instead of beef, a piece of salmon. Seriously? Why would you go to a burger joint if you want to eat healthily? You’d be better off going to a salad or juice bar, right? We live in a time when fit girls and fit guys are everywhere, and the hospitality industry is cleverly capitalising on this. But imagine a man going to a café on a day when he’s watching his diet? He definitely wouldn’t choose the lady version of the burger.
But let’s be honest: what you eat has nothing to do with your gender. Whether you want large steaks or small salads, that is entirely your own choice. Calling it a “lady burger” or a “lady steak” only causes irritation among meat lovers like me.
A call to the hospitality industry: just call a small steak a small steak
Let’s move beyond gender and just act normal. A small steak is a small steak; a hamburger with lettuce is simply a hamburger with lettuce. Done. If you need a healthy fix, fine, but stop labelling products based on gender. Make it easy for everyone and do away with the lady and man versions. I simply want to enjoy good food without being confronted with a sexist menu every time. Thank you.’
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