Whereas Lisa is an ovolactovegetarian, Apu seems to be a strict vegetarian or perhaps even a vegan.
To go into greater detail, the word vegetarian has two main meanings: one who does not eat meat but eats other animal products such as eggs, dairy, and honey (this is more specifically called an ovolactovegetarian), or one who does not eat any kind of animal product, avoiding not only meat but also eggs, dairy, and honey (strict vegetarian). Strict vegetarianism is part of veganism, a lifestyle aiming to avoid anything that is perceived as being or resulting from animal exploration, not only in one's diet, but also in one's clothing, hygiene, transportation, and so on.
At Storytown Village, on the train ride that Bart sneaks onto, a girl is seen on the train with blue hair, that looks like a young Marge. But different.
Paul McCartney agreed to do the guest spot for this episode under the condition that Lisa would be a vegetarian for the rest of the show's run, and this condition has remained the same ever since.
With McCartney's guest appearance in this episode all of the surviving Beatles had guest stared on the Simpsons with Ringo Starr appearing in Brush with Greatness and George Harrison in Homer's Barbershop Quartet. Paul's wife Linda McCartney also appears in this episode, and John Lennon's wife Yoko Ono is lampooned as Barney's girlfriend Kako in the Be Sharps. Despite his death 9 years before the Simpsons first aired, a caricature of John Lennon would appear many times the show.
McCartney's backing of Apu's claim that he was was once "known as the the Fifth Beatle" was clear sarcasm, as McCartney's "sure you were Apu" remark showed displeasure in his voice tone and facial expression.
Homer Simpson overuses lighter fluid for a barbecue. This was also shown in "Treehouse of Horror" at the beginning of the "Hungry are the Damned" segment; however Treehouse of Horror episodes are often considered apocryphal.
"Meat and You: Partners in Freedom" is number 3F03 in the "Resistance is Useless" series. 3F03 is the production code of this episode.
From this episode onwards, Lisa's a vegetarian -- although several episodes that aired after this episode show Lisa eating meat with the rest of the family at the dinner table. Sometimes vegetarians will eat meat of it is considered important. It is likely just a normal goof.
Conversely, in a previous episode, "Lisa's Wedding", Lisa is stated to be a vegetarian in the future.
This episode makes a reference to the Season 4 episode "I Love Lisa" when Ralph says to Lisa "I can't believe I used to go out with you".
McCartney's quip about playing his song backwards to get a recipe for Lentil Soup is a reference to a conspiracy from the 70s that if you played certain rock and roll records backwards you can hear the voice of the devil. Wanting to mess with such people Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo frequently included the phrase 'We Smell Sausage' in his songs because played backwards it sounds like 'Jesus Loves You'.
When Bart asks about the extra "B" in Homer's BBQ invitation, Homer stoically replies, "That's a typo." Ironically, this is the first of two "Lisa the..." episodes in which Homer says this exact phrase. Later, in "Lisa the Skeptic", Homer tries to exploit the angel that Lisa discovered by setting up a sideshow-type exhibit in their garage. When Lisa exclaims that there is no proof what she found is actually an angel, Homer says, "If you look carefully, you'll notice I never ONCE use the word 'Angel.'" But then, when Lisa points to a sign that clearly says "ANGEL" and asks, "What about that sign right there?" Homer, in virtually the exact same tone of voice he used in this episode, again replies, "That's a typo."
Citations[]
The pig that Homer roasts and Lisa blasts into the air, flying over the nuclear power plant, is a direct reference to the cover of the Pink Floyd album Animals, which shows a pig flying over London's Battersea Power Station.
I Spit on Your Grave, a notorious exploitation film, is listed on the billboard for the drive-in cinema.
Apu mentions the song Live and Let Die sung by Paul McCartney and his band Wings, but he mistakenly refers to it as "Live and Let Live", being corrected by Paul.
Near the beginning of the episode, when Bart limbos under the "You Must Be This Short To Ride" sign for Storytown Village's train ride, he hums "Limbo Rock" by Chubby Checker.
Apu claims to have met Paul during the Maharishi period. The Beatles' visit to this guru in India was a big media story in 1967. Apu then claims to have been called "The Fifth Beatle" (mispronouncing it to rhyme with "Seattle"), a claim which Paul does not seem to agree with. The way Apu pronounces Beatles is a reference to how the antagonists in the movie Help! say it.
The Fifth Beatle is a phrase which has been ascribed to multiple individuals who worked closely with the Beatles in real life.
The version of "Maybe I'm Amazed" that plays over the end credits is an original mix by the Simpsons staff that, when played backwards, contains snippets of Paul McCartney reciting a recipe for lentil soup, which is a throwback to an earlier gag. The recited recipe in forward speed can be found on the "Extras" section on Disc 1 of The Complete Seventh SeasonDVD.
One of the backwards snippets says "Oh, and by the way, I'm alive", which is a reference to the Paul is dead conspiracy theory.
When Marge is initially trying to defend Storytown Village, Abe's beard isn't drawn behind his glasses.
The hole which the Papa Bear robot's leg comes out of alternates between being colored green and brown.
The lamb chop changes color when it flies into Homer's mouth.
It seems unlikely that a second grade class would be trusted with scalpels, considering that Ralph's parents, Clancy and Sarah Wiggum, won't let him use scissors.
A girl which looks the same as Sherri and Terri appears in Lisa's class. This could possibly be the third "twin", but Sherri and Terri are in Bart's class, not Lisa's. It is possible that Sherri and Terri's sister was held back twice.
The cattle in "Meat and You" have horns; steers have their horns excised after castration.
The barbecue takes place in the Simpsons' backyard, and yet Bart's treehouse is nowhere in sight.
Strangely, Apu attends Homer's all-meat barbecue, even though he is a revealed to be a vegan at the end. However, he is only seen from reverse angles in the scene, and when seen from the front, changes into another person. He may have attended for the company of friends as opposed to for the food.
Homer's grill has knobs on it like a gas grill, but he uses lighter fluid to get it started and it has no gas tank. Also, the lighter fluid changes colors.
Lisa leaves the house without closing the door, but the door slam sound effect is still heard.
Apu calls himself a vegetarian, but later states that he doesn't eat any animal products. This would make him a vegan, not a vegetarian. Some possible explanations: he didn't know the word "vegan" existed, he just wanted to see how Lisa likes being badgered for eating a certain food, or he purposefully used a word Lisa could connect to so she would feel less alone.
There are trees on the roof of the Kwik-E-Mart, and yet they are never visible in other episodes. Also, you should be able to see the plants and trees on the roof from the front, but you can't.
Neither Homer nor Lisa pay for the tofu dog that Lisa ate. It is likely that Apu didn't mind, seeing as how he is a family friend to the Simpsons. Or he was glad to see someone actually liked it. Lisa may have paid for it offscreen.
When Bart gets on the train at Storytown Village, there are two kids in the car behind him, but when Paul Bunyan chops Mother Goose's head off, there is only one kid.
Paul Bunyan's ox, Babe, disappears.
When Homer sees that Ned is holding a family reunion, Homer tells Ned that he couldn't believe that Ned didn't invite him. However, Homer wasn't so appreciative of being invited to a Flanders party in "When Flanders Failed". Considering his dislike of Ned, it is likely that Homer would express disdain at whatever action Ned takes.
Lisa imagines the animals that are involved in Marge's alternative meals before she says them.
There are a few goofs during the lamb chop scene: At first, Lisa stares at an imaginary lamb (which is the lamb from earlier) begging her not to eat him, while she holds a knife in her left hand and a fork in the other. When Lisa pushes her plate away, she is empty-handed, there's nothing to her left, and two utensils to her right. The plate and utensils get back in place, even the fork that appears at her left. The same happens to Bart (he might've been eating with his hands earlier) and there's nothing between the two. The kids' plates get closer to each other and Lisa is now right at the edge of the table. Finally, Lisa is back in her original place, and there's a bowl between her and Bart, which vanishes at the end of the scene.
Bart and Lisa watch The Itchy & Scratchy Show at night, but it has never been shown at night before. It might've been a TV recording from earlier that day, a VHS recording, or a special time slot, as the Simpsons has changed times too.
The archway leading to the kitchen from the living room has a door. There usually isn't a door there.
When Bart tells Lisa that cartoons don't have messages, the side table with the phone and small lamp is missing.
When Skinner talks to Lisa's class before the Troy McClure video, in a shot of Lisa face palming, the girl behind Lisa disappears, and the two students behind the girl switch places.
If Homer served Bart right after Chief Wiggum, there should be a burger and a sausage missing from his grill.
After the roasted pig rolls across the lanes and traffic and goes into the river, the roads are seen to be on a bridge, but there would've been no way for the pig to get onto the road in the first place.
When Homer looks through the field glasses, he is far away from the trash can, but when he throws the glasses away, he is now close to it.
The inscription on Apu's hotdog warmer changes from "HOT DOG" in uppercased letters to "hot dogs" in lowercased letters.
The items on the breakfast table appear and disappear between shots.
The sign over the boxes at the left of the Kwik-E-Mart appears only when Lisa is seen leaving it. In other shots, the sign is missing.
Lisa tells Homer that she learned a lot from Paul and Linda, but Apu was the one who gave her advice. It isn't the first time advice has been attributed to someone else.
In some FXX reruns, the song "Maybe I'm Amazed", which plays over the credits, plays over the shushing lady and the Gracie Films music theme.
