For every theory about our future diet, there seems to be a contradiction.

Examining the way society eats is an exercise in paradoxical thinking. For almost every projected trend that seems to indicate an evolutionary shift in the way we eat, a contradiction turns up. About the only thing that can be said for sure is that these are some compelling times, anthropologically speaking. Consider the following:

If you''re under the impression that it''s easier to get more interesting and better prepared vegetarian food these days, you''re correct. At long last, chefs are figuring out that real vegetarian food isn''t just about sticking veggie side dishes all together on one plate. Instead of coming as an afterthought on menus, many restaurants are gaining a competitive edge by recognizing the fact that even non-vegetarians typically eat meatless meals a couple of times per week.

Translated into ratings for quality, artfulness and consumer satisfaction, the vegetarian dining experience is at an all-time high. Chef John Pisto, star of the syndicated TV cooking show "Monterey''s Cookin,''" is also impressed. "There are some places out there doing some incredible things, beautiful stuff. Really raising the whole level of vegetarian cooking, using all kinds of different grains, and reduced wine sauces."

But, at the same time, Pisto is the owner of four local restaurants, including the Whaling Station, where the menu specializes in USDA Prime steaks. "When you do eat meat, eat the best," is his credo.

It''s a philosophy that seems to be fueling the rise in upscale steak houses all across the country. Names like Ruth''s Chris and Outback now appear coast to coast. At the same time that vegetarian cuisine is appearing to go mainstream, research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirms that American consumption of beef has averaged around 60 pounds a year since they started collecting the data in 1910. Perhaps steak houses with a minor in vegetarian cuisine will be the next wave?

Equally contradictory are the duelling theories concerning diners'' dedication to home cooking.

In an article appearing in the "Electronic Gourmet Guide" website (www.foodwine.com), Chuck Williams, founder of the Williams-Sonoma cookware chain, issued an interesting forecast for eating in the new millennium. He feels we''re "headed toward easier and more convenient cooking. I don''t think people will let their favorite dishes disappear," he says, "but the kind of cooking done by our grandmothers will. People just don''t have the time, and there are too many alternatives." Does this seem odd, at a time when the health of Williams'' cookware business is at a peak?

The National Restaurant Association says 40 percent of our food dollars are spent away from home. And that report is supported by one done by the National Pork Producers Council indicating that 56 percent of us are willing to get in the kitchen for an hour or more only on Sundays. The rest of the week, that number falls almost in half.

But, on the other hand, 60,000 people, spread out over five continents and 35 countries, say that Grandma''s going great in the kitchen. The Slow Food Movement was begun in 1986, when food and wine writer Carlo Petrini''s world view was insulted by the opening of McDonald''s in Rome, at the historic Piazza di Spagna.

Even though this set of golden arches has turned out to be one of the corporation''s 10 highest-volume worldwide locations, Petrini launched a philosophical counter-attack. "Fast food is killing off the social aspect of food," Petrini asserts. "It strips people of their food, wealth and culture." Slow Food supporters now sponsor "conviviums" in their locale, events staged to preserve not only the pleasures of the table, but regional and cultural traditions otherwise threatened with obscurity.

The vigor of the movement has succeeded in expanding the group''s objectives to include efforts toward defending craft-based food production and the bio-diversity of crops, and providing support for small growers and local farmer''s markets. These concerns are shared by another group, known as the Chefs Collaborative. They''re a group of about 1,500 food professionals, food growers and other interested parties from all over the U.S., headed by chefs like Traci des Jardines in San Francisco, and Rick Bayless in Chicago.

The Chefs Collaborative focuses on forging a relationship between restaurants and local farmers and food producers, to the benefit of both the regional economy and sustainability of the land. They also promote an educational outreach with their "Adopt A School" program, a curriculum that includes studying food as it''s grown, harvested and prepared, and exploring food cultures and ethnicities.

While some of us can coexist pretty well within the paradox of supporting groups like Slow Food and Chefs Collaborative while grabbing gourmet-to-go on the way to the next meeting, other trends loom menacing and large. Despite the consumer outcry against the irradiation of food, the Food and Drug Administration has approved its use on beef and lamb. Apparently, another trend--that of food-borne illness from the E. coli virus--seems the greater threat.

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