Eating Animals: Why Eating Matters

If ever there was a book that could profoundly affect our lives at the most fundamental level, this one is it. I loved Jonathan Safran Foer's novels (Everything is Illuminated, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close); they were glorious to read and get lost in. But his new non-fiction kindles something more: it is somewhat of an awakening, and it just might tip us farther into what is being called the next great social movement of our time: eating consciously.

Eating Animals takes a bold and fresh approach to our most important relationship with the world around us -- our food. The originality of the thinking and depth of research establishes Foer as a major player in the national discussion of the ethics of eating. He is the Michael Pollan of a younger generation: grittier and more daring, more insightful and decisive. And as we would expect from Foer, the stories he tells explode off the page and into our hearts.

Foer takes us alongside him as he bungles through undercover investigations and into the hidden world of today's industrial farming. We find out that turkeys have been so genetically modified they are not capable of sexual reproduction. We learn that the chickens on American's plates have been bred to grow so large so fast that their mere genetics destines them to suffering. We learn that "free range" means next to nothing and why it's fish and chicken you want to most avoid.

The book is a case against factory farming, but we don't hear only the bad news about animal agriculture. Foer also takes us to the most humane and sustainable animal farms in the nation. We get to hear a dizzying variety of voices: factory farmers, slaughterhouse workers, animal activists, a turkey farmer who apologizes to his animals, a vegetarian cattle rancher, and a vegan helping to build a slaughterhouse.

Part of the appeal of the book is the real-life characters we meet and the new landscape of animal protection and food advocacy that Foer plugs us into. He has us meet the head of the nation's largest cooperative of family-owned pig farms, gives us a fresh perspective on the ever-controversial PETA as it approaches its 30th year and introduces us to exciting new groups like Farm Forward that are building unique coalitions with animal activists, small farmers, and sustainability advocates.

While Foer makes a strong case for vegetarianism, he gives dissenting voices a place and never forgets that the stories we tell about food are always about more than what we eat. "Stories about food are stories about us -- our history and our values."

Foer is quite fair to the "humane" animal farmers who he writes about appreciatively. In the end, he leaves us opposed to factory farming as something beneath human dignity, but stops short of an explicit case against all meat. His opposition to factory farming appears to be his central message, but I think he accomplishes something much less modest: For careful readers, the book offers an indictment of all meat. Virtually all of the "humane" producers he discusses mutilate animals without pain relief and treat them more as commodities than living beings. And as Foer himself says, "Every farm, like everything, has flaws, is subject to accidents, sometimes doesn't work as it should. Life overflows with imperfections, but some imperfections matter more than others. How imperfect must animal farming and slaughter be before they are too imperfect? Different people will draw the line in different places... But for me, for now - for my family now - my concerns about the reality of what meat is and has become are enough to make me give it up altogether."

Eating Animals is filled with powerful statistics, like the fact that 99% of all animals eaten for food in America come from factory farms or that animal agriculture is the largest contributor to global warming in the world (and one of the top two or three contributors to virtually all serious environmental problems). But it's not the facts that make this book so special, but its heart, humor, emotion, and spirit.

Foer was inspired to write the book after the birth of his first son, Sasha. "Feeding my child is not like feeding myself: it matters more. It matters because food matters (his physical health matters, the pleasure of eating matters), and because the stories that are served with food matter. These stories bind our family together, and bind our family to others." From the book's intimate start with childhood memories to its visionary ending of the deeper meaning of Thanksgiving, Eating Animals is a personal journal that not only feeds us facts, but helps us digest them.

In the end, the book is about much more than food. It is not only a book about eating animals, but about how we shape our world by what we eat. It is a book about who we are and who we could become. As one of Foer's friends wrote to him upon his son Sasha's birth, "Everything is possible again." The world is never fixed and neither are we. When we think seriously about the food we eat, we all have another chance at being more true to ourselves. We have another chance to be better.

If you can't wait to get your hands on the book, check out Foer's New York Times Magazine piece based on it.

 

Comments

[lyra201]

we eat the way we believe is right for us, in theory. i don't eat animals because i know it to be wrong for me. at age 15 i realized that i didn't want to be responsible for animals dying, and i knew i would never kill an animal to eat it if i had to do it myself. i ate animals for short periods twice but it didn't feel right for me. it was later in life that i learned of the terrible cruelty of the factory farms and how so many animals all over the world suffer at the hands of people.

i also know that most people do not feel pain about this.

even though i really feel that being kind to all creatures is evolutionarily higher than not, for the most part i don't preach. i just work on me. when folks ask about why i don't eat animals, i talk about it. i don't think anyone has ever been influenced enough to change for very long. so i just do my thing.

So many gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind,
While just the art of being kind
Is all the sad world needs.

Edna Wheeler Wilcox

[addg]

I think an important point is being missed here. The fact that 99% of our meat comes from cruel and inhumane factory farms is what needs to be addressed - not who's allergic to what. Those who are allergic to certain foods will have the sense to steer clear of them. The point is that we need to be aware of the cruelty suffered for a chicken dinner, a grilled steak, bacon and eggs breakfasts. Mr. Foer has done a great job bringing that to light. If you want to eat meat, go at it but be cognisant of what was endured previous to the dinner plate. There are ways to eat humanely and THAT is the point.

"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." - Gandhi

[wolfguide]

I hope that readers of this post that livein New York State will reach out to their assemblypersons and state senators and tell them to support New York Assembly Bill 8163. The bill takes the small step of banning hen battery cages, veal crates and tethering, and pig gestation crates. For more information go to: http://www.ab8163.com.

Thank you.

[ottabox]

Getting back to the question posed by Ms. Freston: Does it matter what we feed our kids?

The article below is from a highly respected child expert.

http://www.onthetable.net/spock-on-kids-diets.html

[Roguer]

Food for thought as it were... directed at the religiously fanatical vegans posting here and the author of this blog.

Let's consider food allergies.

The most common food allergies are:

* Dairy allergy
* Egg allergy
* Peanut allergy
* Tree nut allergy
* Seafood allergy
* Shellfish allergy
* Soy allergy
* Wheat allergy

These are often referred to as "the big eight." They account for over 90% of the food allergies in the United States.

The top allergens vary somewhat from country to country but milk, eggs, peanuts, treenuts, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat and sesame tend to be in the top 10 in many countries. Allergies to seeds - especially sesame - seem to be increasing in many countries.

Lactose allergies tend to be common in people with genetic stock that did not have a history in dairy, same with fish and shellfish.

By far the most common food allergy is legumes (beans, peanuts, soy).

Now with that little bit of knowledge, where does beef, lamb, goat, chicken, etc fall? Meat consumption is not even briefly mentioned, because humans are very capable and have a long history of eating and digesting meat with no adverse effects. Tens of thousands of years of history.

Avoid factory processed foods (that includes grains, fruits and vegetables), buy local food if you can. But don't feel guilty because you are human and require animal proteins. Vegans your points are merely moralistic and judgmental. Eat what you want, but stop condemning the farmer.

[ottabox]

I think you have your facts wrong about the difference between a peanut allergy and a bean allergy. Beans are way down the list.

[Roguer]

Combined they are the largest group... Peanuts are legumes... beans are legumes.... soy is a legume. They are all beans.

My facts are not wrong. Almost everyone that is allergic to peanuts is allergic to soy and together they make up the largest group.

Here... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_allergy a general overview of food allergies.

get back to me when you are done reading. Note there is no red meat on the common list and that only a small group in Australia has been shown to have an allergic reaction to red meat, due to a tick bite, they think.

Your comment does not address my point but rather tries to defend soy. If people are so concerned with hormones in meat why are they eating soy, which contain a similar hormone (phytoestrogen) as to what is injected to promote growth in beef.

I suspect that Ralgrow is made from soy, but I can not get any answers on that question. Either way they both seem to have the same effect on the people that consume them.

[chrisfrmchi2]

My Burgers and BBQs ribs turn vegans into balanced diet omnivores or at least people who aren't silly about eating and preachy.

A tiny bit of meat in your diet is good for you. No matter what vegan doctor salesman marketers happen to tell you.

If meat is ever reduced or really banned it suddenly will become healthy and very pricey and the new symbol of rich.

This methane and global climate change is nonsense...also.

how big were dinosaurs?? seriously now.

[JulieDole]

It's shrill propaganda like this book and this review that turns off moderate eaters from preachy, overbearing vegans and their ilk.

And in the interest of equal time, and written by former longtime vegans, raw foodists, etc. to boot, see:

www.beyondveg.com

It's the informed voice of people back from the brink of political food obsession.

Check out especially their listing on orthorexia, regarding people who compulsively obsess about eating only pure food, and "righteous eating." FYI, it's shown to be just as lethal as anorexia, and just as prevalent.

[3dtrix]

Will you stop, already - you're making too much sense...

[ottabox]

When I started out as a vegetarian 20 years ago I was young and my diet wasn't something I thought much about . I was a junk food vegetarian. I was young and didn't suffer from such a diet. Over the years I learned more about how to eat well and most importantly how to cook. If people stick with and educate themselves, a vegetarian or vegan diet can be as healthy or even healthier than a diet that contains meat. The people JulieDole mentions sound messed up should probably get mental health help. At the opposite end of the spectrum are the shoppers I see in my local grocery store. They have little knowledge of food or self control. 99% of them eat meat. Many, many, many of them are severely overweight and are at risk of serious health problems.

How many of JuliaDoles "case subjects" got into problems because they didn't know how to cook or who never learned how to properly eat for maximum health. Had many of them kept going with the process they may have developed skills, knowledge, behaviors in the areas in which they had problems. I know I did.

[ottabox]

I'll repost my conclusion with more clarity:

How many of JuliaDoles "beyondveg" eating disorder folk got into problems because they didn't know how to cook or they never learned how to properly eat for maximum health. Had many of them kept going with the vegetarian or vegan process they may have developed skills, knowledge, behaviors in the areas in which they had problems. As a 20 year vegetarian, I know I have gotten better throughout the years. Stick with it and if on the outside chance you do have a diet related health problem visit a veg friendly nutritionist or doctor.

[Roguer]

fanned

[Dazzle59]

After slogging through 4 pages of comments, I will throw in my two cents. If your diet contains meat, poultry, fish, eggs or dairy products, then you support cruelty to animals. It's that simple!

[KillgoreTrout43]

I support eating meat, cheese and dairy products.

[3dtrix]

No living thing on this planet eats without something else dying - the only question is, is the eater a predator, or a scavenger? I'm an old hippie, and you can believe I've even heard from sincere believers that plants have consciousness and feel pain. As I explain it to my grandson - every living thing wants to stay that way - and nobody wants to be someone else's lunch - but that's the way this world works. There are no rest homes in nature...

[belyeu]

Dazzle, if you consume meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, and vegetables it means you are an omnivore,which humans are.

[Anjushri]

Happy World Vegan Day all.

If you are eating the flesh of murdered nonhumans or their secretions, consider the moral choice and go vegan. Veganism is not a fad, it's not a "personal choice", it's not "extreme", it is a moral imperative. I say moral imperative, because if we were eating flesh of murdered children, it would be viewed as barbaric and immoral, and eating flesh of murdered nonhumans is equivalent. The only thing that stops us from equating the two, is that we have grown up in a speciesist society and we do not see nonhumans as equal in our regard. Veganism is the recognition of the moral personhood of nonhuman animals.

As Gary L Francione says "We live in a binary moral universe." "Speciesism is morally objectionable because, like racism, sexism, and heterosexism, it links personhood with an irrelevant criterion. Those who reject speciesism are committed to rejecting racism, sexism, heterosexism, and other forms of discrimination as well."
"Veganism is Ahimsa or nonviolence; veganism recognizes that nonviolence starts with what you put in and on your body."

To read more from Prof. Gary L Francione: Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach.
http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/

[3dtrix]

I LOVE Huffpost - and could not have ordered up a more perfect thread-mate...

[KillgoreTrout43]

What nonsense.

[lalilyman]

So are lions and bears and even fish murderous then? Because big fish do eat smaller fish .....

Plus, how do you know that tomatoes don't have consciousness, how do you determine that it's less cruel to eat a tomato than to eat a cow?

[3dtrix]

If you want to know what God wants you to eat - go to the nearest mirror and open your mouth. The instructions are written in your teeth - you have cutters in the front for meat, and grinders in the back for fruits, nuts, berries, and vegetables. Been this way for two million years. No overlay of morality or neurotic obsession is implied or endorsed by human dentition. God wants you to eat a balanced diet, and has fine-tuned your body to digest and utilize it.

If you want to formulate a theory or religion, and eat according to your musings - no one will stop you. If you imagine that doing so makes you some kind of enlightened or higher being - that's just being silly, and no one looks sillier than someone making grave and earnest pronouncements based on nothing at all.

Yes - fresh, local, and organic foods are better and better for you than factory-farmed and industrially-raised foods - for many reasons. Yes - the diets of most citizens of most developed nations could be better - in many ways - too much of ANYTHING is bad for you. Yes - sustainable agricultural practices are imperative as we rush headlong into an era of overpopulation and diminishing resources.

But about the basic guidelines for our diets - we've already got our instructions...

[IslandChica]

I respectfully disagree, 3dtrix. I think God would have given us sharp fangs, claws and the ability to run really fast to catch our prey if he intended us to eat meat. I also think he would not have given us 20 feet of intestine if we were to digest meat. How are those "cutters" in front not meant just for biting into apples or coconuts?

Additionally, I do not think God is happy with our inhumane treatment of animals. Factory farming is despicable, unsustainable and polluting the beautiful planet that God gave us.

So to each his own, but your theory is not concrete. :) Cheers!

[3dtrix]

I am not a religious man, and use the term "God" strictly metaphorically - that being said, God gave us gifts to gather EVERY kind of living thing we choose, without wings, fangs, or claws - our most potent harvesting weapons are intellect and language. Horses readily eat apples without cutters - coconuts are eaten regularly by islanders who have removed their front teeth for what they consider an aesthetic enhancement.

The traditional Inuit diet is NOTHING but meat.

While I agree - as noted in my post - that the depredations of unregulated capitalism as visited on the production of food are deplorable - and readily mitigated - I also believe if an almighty being chooses not to put a stop to war and genocide - I suspect that being looses little celestial sleep over veal pens, beaked chickens, and corn-fed beef...

[belyeu]

Island, God gave us everything we needed to consume meat that is why it can be consumed, digested, and absorbed.

BTW, There are many omnivores like humans that do not run fast, have claws, or have big fangs.

[KillgoreTrout43]

There are also sharp canine teeth. How do you know what, "god," wants?

[rnm]

You profoundly misunderstand the purpose of your teeth! And- I may be going out on a limb here, but YOU of all people have not the foggiest notion what "god" WANTS about anything.

Human teeth ARE NOT MADE FOR EATING MEAT!

[3dtrix]

Thanks for the heads up - and the laugh. I couldn't write posts like yours any better myself...

[Wisconsin Dave]

EAT NOTHING PROCESSED BY MAN OR AMIMAL
80% complex carbohydrates, 10% protein and 10% fats

EAT: Fresh fruits over oatmeal. Stew with lentils or beans, vegetables.

AVERAGE VEGETARIAN DIET
15% complex carbohydrates, 25% sugars, 20% protein and 40% fats

AVERAGE AMERICAN DIET
0% complex carbohydrates, 10% sugars, 40% protein and 50% fats

[odyssey58]

I tried it. I got fat and was tired and hungry all of the time even though I exercised.

Doesn't grain have to be processed? Only fruit and salt can be eaten completely unprocessed.

You really don't make any sense to me.

[KillgoreTrout43]

Bread has plenty of carbs. So does pasta. I am highly suspect of these, "stats." Eating according to the four basic food groups is healthy eating. That's why nutritionists stick to recommending the food groups.

[NHBill]

Enjoy everything in life in moderation.

[JulieDole]

Voice of reason. Thank you.

[KillgoreTrout43]

Exactly.

[ottabox]

As a vegetarian, I agree.

[RoseMerry]

I am an omnivore who is very concerned about the Meatrix (Google that brilliant satire about the truth of the factory farms). I wish I had the means to see the alternative but my poverty prevents that.

And so many people react negatively to what I think in a great idea - meat grown using high technology with no nervous system and independent of an animal that would suffer. Developed after the technology to grow human tissue for transplant, it is true meat without the possibility of suffering and without the horrible agricultural runoff that pollutes. Now, I do want to see more testing for it's safety and nutrition and it is way to expensive today, but so were computers in the 60's.

And whenever I can, I do seek whole, organic food.

"Rich man eats what he wants, poor man eats what he can"

[Wisconsin Dave]

Absolute lowest price diet on earth: Breakfast: Fresh fruit over oatmeal.
Supper: stew with lentils or beans, vegetables. Two meals only, no snacks.

[Wisconsin Dave]

We only need a diet of 10% protein and 10% fats.
Your diet would keep America just as sick as it is now,
with virtually all illness caused by the average American diet being 50% fats.

[ClarcKing]

How many thousands of years has man survived and thrived on meat / fish? Farm factories do need improvements and innovations. Market forces are a dangerous impact on food quality/pr­ocessing/p­roduction. Food production contraction is a worldwide threat to the population in the present crisis.
The study of vegetarian diets is important, however its' promotion as the remedy to food production, processing, distribution and the population's health is hasty.

[Wisconsin Dave]

A majority of people worldwide live on a diet that is 90% free of
all animal products.

My family five has for over 30 years has been free of doctor bills
by following this rule: Eat nothing processed by man or animal.

For be it dęad flesh, aborted chicks or milk fit only for baby calves,
it is 60% fats, 40% protein and 0% complex carbohydrates.

[businesshugs]

Thats great in theory, but have you ever been to the local grocers in a poor neighborhood? You wont find much in the way of organic food.
Eating the way your suggesting doesnt necessarily work for a low income family.
Organic food is expensive.

[anniebuddy]

Read THE CHINA STUDY. The research is already done.

[Vickster]

The "China Study" is a good example of bad research.

[odyssey58]

I wish I had fed my son more meat. Although his primary food was breast milk for over a year, I supplemented that with whole grains and legumes, vegetables, and fruits. He has allergies but his dad and I don't have any. I blame it on whole grains.

[Wisconsin Dave]

The average American diet is 50% fats, this is the root cause of most all
illness. Dairy products being the absolute worse hardest thing to metabolize,
as they are 60% fats, 40% protein and 0% complex carbohydrates.

Perfection is: Eat nothing processed by man or animal.

[odyssey58]

Huh?

[Valerie Keefe]

Um... lactose is a carbohydrate you know, right?

[pitter]

Also check out "The Ethics of How to Eat" by Peter Singer. Foer's book is a rehash of everything written by a true ethics philosopher, and Singer's book is perhaps the most important one to investigate these matters written within the past decade.