 Not ready to give up beef just yet? A visit to the Costa Rican rain forests is sure to change your mind. Land of surfers, supermodels, fashion burn-out repairees and adorable cows with big floppy ears.
The country is in near as much danger of being overrun by the fashion contingency - as it is of losing its rain forests. If we are all very careful, it can continue to offer a safe haven for those in need of fashion detox. There is one code of ethics must be followed in this or any retreat for fashion burn outs. It is bad, bad form to talk about "it" during your "time away". At a New Year's Eve oceanside bonfire, of all sensitive moments, we were descended upon by two guys - one in a pareo and beer belly - whose opening line was "Do you think this skirt looks dumb?" Straight men just shouldn't wear pareos unless you're built like Tracy Feith. Unable to speak, we were introduced to the rest of his friends who worked for Ralph Lauren, Chanel, and Donna Karan. Hearing the names that we left behind - spoken out loud from a guy in a skirt - all but ruined an otherwise glowing millenium celebration. I ran like the wind into the night and never looked back. A matron of a very remote and rustic eco-conscious lodging in Tulin who knew the unspoken code (and formerly ran Cynthia Steffe in NYC), mentioned it once and dropped it. Carolyn Murphy and surfer husband Jake have set up a cute quiet surf camp in Playa Nosara. Bridget Hall was easier to spot than the howler monkeys. After seeing her on all possible forms of transportation - from ferry to plane in all forms of daylight - we arrived at the harsh reality that she always looks super cute without make-up - and even better in boy's surf clothes. It was this that made us finally commit to drinking at least 2 liters of water a day - which by the way you can do in Costa Rica - as opposed to Mexico. I wonder if she eats beef?
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Spring 2000
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Anything trendy is always subject to scrutiny, but Hollywood's latest anti-beef eating trend led by Leo and pals, makes a lot of sense from both health and ecological standpoints: The higher an animal is on the food chain, the more environmental toxins it is sure to have running through its system. Beef is way up on that ladder. We eat it. We eat the toxins. Gross. For this very reason, over beefing it is also not good for our young gorgeous glowing complexions. Environmentally speaking, it takes 177 gallons of water to make enough grain to feed enough of one cow to make one hamburger - - which in turn creates a loss of 55 square feet of rainforest.
It may be worth learning to love fish and tofu every once in a while.
