On Sunday we went to Vromans to hear Jonathan Safran Foer speak about his latest book, Eating Animals. Neither of us had read any of his work but we were curious about his position on this particular subject. I started and finished it in 4 days and now consider it as one of the most important books I have ever read. It’s heartbreaking to say the least, but it’s the kind of heart break that people need in order to grow as ethical human beings. Eating is an important part of everyone’s daily lives and the information he presents gives readers the power to make conscious, educated and most importantly ethical decisions about how we go about it.
Did you know...?
"Animal agriculture makes a 40% greater contribution to global warming than all transportation in the world combined; it is the number one cause of climate change."
Isn't that insane?
This book answers the what's, where's, when's, how's and why's..but most importantly, he gets you to think about something that many people just DO because it's imbedded in our cultures and is woven into our traditions and ways of life. The question, "Should we continue the way we are heading?" is rarely a bad one to ask.
Thought provoking. Although educated, I am still torn about the act of eating meat. 1,000 years ago no one would have dared think twice, but now meat-eating is so intricately tied to energy consumption. And I'm not about to go hunting for my own hamburger.
ReplyDeleteGreat questions, great thoughts.
Thanks for commenting. Like you said, this is a different situation than it was in the past. The differences between how a family farm (the way things used to be) is run as compared to a factory farm (where 99% of the meat we buy in supermarkets come from) is like night and day. The way factory farms do business is truly disturbing and dirty. They like consumers to imagine animals grazing in fields of grass by slapping a label on chickens and eggs that say "free range" and "cage free" when in fact the animals most likely never see the light of day and only have 67 square inches of space, cage or no cage.
ReplyDeleteAnd these eggs cost more too, so they are manipulating people into paying more money for a false image they create. After reading the book I took a look at the "cage free" egg whites in our refrigerator. On the container there is a large illustration of rolling hills and a tiny farm in the background (what anyone would picture a nice friendly farm to look like) That communicates something...Then in tiny letters that you wouldn't see unless you were really studying the container it says, *Hens are free roaming inside a barn," Obviously not what the picture is communicating. And the word "barn" has a nicer image than the overcrowded sheds they are actually raised in.
I really don't like being lied to.
But I LIKE this conversation. :) Thanks for thinking about this with me.