Meat is a way of getting unusable vegetable matter growing on land which cannot be used for growing plants edible by humans into a form usable by humans - or it was, before feedlots and intensive feeding of cattle with plant products which could feed humans. In those instances where grazing is the primary way of feeding the animals, it is economic.

Mind you, round here, the grazing land is used for horses, which are neither eaten, nor, as in the past, provide any transport or traction.

There has been recent scientific research on the importance of cooking for the human digestion and development of intelligence. It makes food more digestible, and means we have to spend less time eating, by comparison with other apes with vegetarian diets.

Penny