2011 is a very imporant and dynamic year for me. I completed a challenging cleanse early in the year,and now I find myself contemplating an even larger change, meat or no meat?
A book, Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer, sparked this dilemma ( www.eatinganimals.com) .
Growing up in an agricultural community, it wasn’t uncommon to have meat three meals a day. It was “healthy”, it made me “strong”, helped me grow taller, etc. There may have been some truth to those claims, but the state of mass-produced meat production is alarming, and arguably doing the opposite, causing sickness and weakness in those that eat it.
I don’t want to preach to the choir, but I do encourage everyone reading this to check out the book(see link above), and educate yourself. Jonathan Foer presents our carnivorous tendencies from both sides of the fence, avoiding a Michael Moore-esque steamrolling point of view. The topic of eating animals is a touchy subject for most, and honestly, one of the topics I have thought about least. I consider myself an educated person, but I haven’t taken the time in 24 years to research the welfare of the animals I eat. I love eating chicken, beef, pork, fish, and generally, most animals. But just because I like the taste of them, doesn’t excuse me from my ignorance of how they are raised, fed, and slaughtered. As a biologist, it would be a fair statement that I enjoy and appreciate animals. But the more I read about farming practices, I also learn how brutal, sadistic, and heartless the process can be. And all for what? Keeping prices of meat cheap? I would rather pay more for meat and eat less of it. I would rather eat a chicken that got to run around and eat bugs, or a pig that got to explore the farm pasture, than pigs and chickens who are raised in polluted and cramped conditions.
We are lucky to live in a part of the world where we, as consumers, have more buying power and choices than we realize. Our diets are so varied, partially due to a globalized economy, but also in conjunction with the plethora of cultural diversity present in Canada. When we have some beautiful ingredients and products to choose from, why do we not have much choice with regards to how chickens and other meats are raised. By buying these products in Safeway and other grocery stores, we’re giving our consumer stamp of approval that it’s ok to raise animals in their own filth and pump them full of hormones and antibiotics that eventually leech into our water supply and food chain.
So what? Well if I have the power to say yes or no, I feel compelled to say no. I want to eat those animals, but I want to make a stand for not only my health, but for animal welfare. The reason I have occasionally made fun of vegetarians is solely based on the mystery factor. I never really understood how they survived or how they were nourished without meat. As I continue to explore health and cooking, I am amazed daily, at the level of creativity and excitement of vegetarian food. I can survive on oatmeal for breakfast with hemp hearts and blueberries, rice and lentils and vegetables for lunch, and a nice pasta for dinner. I can still eat desserts. I’m not going to die without meat. Actually, there’s a good possibility that my health will improve. I have had hypothyroidism for over 8 years now, and a couple of food sensitivities. I owe it to my body to give it a break, even though it will require me to cook more at home, it will give me a creative avenue.
Thanks for listening to my rant. This is where I am at. There are a lot of restaurants in Victoria that celebrate farm to table cooking, and I highly encourage supporting these establishments,especally those that boast ethically raised meats from local farms.
Has anyone else been thinking about eating less meat or going veggie? I would appreciate stories and thoughts on the topic.
Cheers
-Eating Victoria
I am having the same dilemma and find myself steering away from the meat section in stores. Many nights I am concocting meals out of seeds and nuts instead. I love the taste of meat but thinking of the animal that likely was treated badly, then butchered……takes the tastiness out of the experience.
I suffer from no such dilemma. But I do admit that it’s a chore to obtain good, quality free range, ethically raised meats. I try to buy these where possible.
I’ve experimented with a range of diets, and practiced vegetarianism through most of my college years (years ago, before it was trendy or fashionable to do so). I’ve flirted with vegan diets at times along the way, but have concluded it’s not for me. Part of my food beliefs stem from living and travelling abroad, a well developed cultural sensitivity, if you will. Anthony Bourdain touched on this when he said that the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle is rude to the inhabitants of many countries he visits — he considers vegetarianism, except in the case of religious strictures as in India, a “First World luxury.”
There are two considerations for me: ethical, and health. I think meat diets can, contrary to PETA propaganda, be highly ethical, but it takes work. Conversely, a strong case could be made that certain types of vegetable farming are as destructive to the food chain as factory meat farming. Think of all the farmland now being used to grow corn for processed foods, unhealthy breakfast cereals and for biofuels – we are losing crop diversity. Re: the health consideration — I have no doubt that a balanced meat diet is healthy.
As for Michael Moore, I’ll have to take you out for a drink on this one to tell you why you’re wrong in your characterization of his style of polemic.
YRS
Good luck!
I too grew up in a farming environment, raising chickens and meat for eggs, milk and meat. I have been vegetarian for 21 years and raised three healthy children. All three are taller than I, including my strapping 6’3″ son… maybe all that meat stunted my growth!
I chose vegetarianism for 3 reasons –
health – long and short term. If you recall 21 years ago people in the US were dying after eating burgers from Jack in the Box and Mad Cow was in all the news. I do not have confidence in the factory farm model. I agree with a previous comment that large scale farming of vegetables can disrupt the food chain and can also create health risks (ie -recent samonella poisoning in walnuts)
Ethics – when my family raised and slaughtered our own food, we knew the animals were treated well and had a somewhat fulfilling, although shortened life. Similarly, when we ate hunted/caught wild animals/fish. Yes there are ethical issues here to, but they were easier to balance. I can not accept the conidtions that factory raised animals face.
Environment – I think the vegetarianism isn’t so much a first world luxury as a first world obligation. The meat focussed diet of the first world is contributing to food shortages in the rest of the world. Factory farms also have huge environmental impacts on local areas, and in the carbon produced in transport, etc.
In my travels, it has been difficult to maintain vegetarian diet – we were thoroughly sick of root vegetable tangine in Morocco after a week! And I think that people may have to balance their respect for other cultures if they travel and are guests where vegetarian diet is not familiar – it is a challenge. I have found myself eating fish when I prefer not to, because it would insult my hosts if I did not.
Finally, I think that the local farming movement is positive for animals and vegetables.
I love cooking and eating good food. I enjoy my vegetarian diet and I am happy that Victoria is finally beginning to offer more options for eating out. That said we have a long way to go! I look forward to reading your reviews of vegetarian options in our city.
I went through this a couple years ago after taking a food ethics/politics class in school….
Since then I turned vegetarian, turned locavore, turned ethical eater… I do consume meat now – in extreme moderation (this goes for all meat: fish, white and red), and I try to source as much of my food as locally and ethically as I can. Local does not equal ethical due to enviro and labor practices… However, I don’t think it’s very difficult at all to get locally sourced and ethically grown food – veggies, meat, or otherwise. It does take some effort and willingness however to resist one stop shopping (i.e. Fairway, Thrifty’s, etc…)…
I have some ideas if you want some help – the Moss St Market hosts Terra Nossa Farm – happy eggs and meat! And while you’re there you can grab some veggies and fruits, and jams, etc…
PS. Another great book is Taras Grescoe’s “Bottom Feeder”..
PSS, the Halal butcher in the Quadra Village has amazing meats – most of which are pastured, local, organic, and even killed in what I think is the most painless and least stressful way possible for the animal… No mass meat slaughters here!