Chew with an Open Mind
October 30, 2010 7 Comments
Six months ago I was making plans for my upcoming trip to Iceland. Included in those plans was to eat rotten shark fin…it was a “traditional” food in Iceland and I wanted to have an authentic experience while I was there. I told everyone I knew that I was going to eat shark fin, mostly just to see the shocked looks of disgust. “Rotten shark fin?” they’d say. I’d smile in affirmation.
I never did eat shark during my visit to Iceland.
I realize today that food, especially meat, isn’t some sort of novelty for my amusement. In order to eat meat, something had to sacrifice its life, whether it was a cow, a chicken, a fish or a shark, an animal had to die in order for me to eat it. I think that we omnivores often forget that reality because we’re disconnected from the farm and our meat comes from the grocery store wrapped in plastic. We see a steak, not a cow. We fail to recognize that that slab of flesh was once a living, breathing animal.
For the first time in my life, tonight I made the conscious decision to order a Vegan meal at my favorite restaurant. Standing in line waiting to order, I felt like I faced a very difficult choice: either get my burrito the same way I always do, with steak, or I try the alternative and skip any animal products; no meat, no cheese, no sour cream. Just beans, rice, tomatoes, lettuce and corn. I took a chance and it was delicious. I didn’t even miss any of the other ingredients.
The problem with meat isn’t that we’re eating it (some will argue this). The problem is that we’re eating it without giving it the respect it deserves. In the mornings we eat our bacon without concern for the pig that was killed for its spot next to our toast. At lunch, our turkey sandwich tastes good but we forget that an animal died for its place between those slices of bread. We don’t think about the living conditions that any of the animals are raised in. We don’t question the treatment they received during their life or the treatment they receive at slaughter. When’s the last time you were eating fish on a Friday night and asked yourself about the state of fish populations in our oceans?
When I was bragging to my friends about eating shark, my mind wasn’t thinking about the shark that would be caught, have its fins sliced off and then thrown back into the ocean to suffocate to death. Six months ago, I didn’t know about shark finning. And not too long ago I didn’t know about the dolphin slaughter in Taiji. Until I saw a video of what happens in slaughterhouses across the United States, I hadn’t given much thought about the meat that I love to barbecue on weekends.
Knowing is half the battle and educating the public is crucial if we’re ever going to change the world. This holds true in so many aspects of life besides meat; pollution, global warming, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, peak oil…most people, if they even know these things are taking place, are unaware of how it might affect them. The reality is we’re all connected; the plants, the animals, the dirt and water. They’re the reason the human species is able to exist and if we continue exploiting our natural resources until they collapse, the human species will collapse as well.
Learn and educate others about what is happening in our world. Raise awareness and demand change from our leaders. This isn’t only about saving whales or dolphins, it is also about preserving our own species. It is about saving us from ourselves.
About Steven
Definitely an interesting article. I must say that I think that if factory farming was eliminated, people may start to take notice of the meat that they eat. Most people don’t think about that stuff (like you said) and I think that until they see it first hand, they aren’t going to start caring. Meat may be more expensive without factory farming, but the quality of meat is much better and the animals are treated humanly and get to live the lives that they deserve. Plus, if the meat gets more expensive, people might start to eat less anyway.
What you’re describing is a trend in the way the world ‘happens’ today; it is something that has run rampant in the first world. Not knowing where things come from (food, clothing, other products, etc.) is all too common, and generally speaking peoples’ perspective shifts to one of the world being filled with products that can be bought or sold – a transaction – as opposed to being full of meaningful interactions with all other things.
This perspective is challenging to resist, and even more of an uphill battle to oppose. But good luck to you.
I’ve been a vegetarian for over 8 years now, and hope I never have to go back to an omnivore diet. If I do eat animals, it will be animals I raise and kill myself.
@Steve: Great comment and so true! As consumers, our life is one transaction after the next and there is no need for us to consider anything beyond the exchange taking place. We get what we pay for and it seems simple. Most people probably don’t consider anything beyond what is in their immediate view, from the purchase to the disposal. Before and after it is a part of our lives is of no concern. I find that troubling because we become wasteful and disinterested in the world and how our actions or consumption lead to certain environmental, social and political problems. If we took the time to become more aware, some of us might find that we don’t like what we learn and change.
I really applaud you for challenging the status quo and starting to examine where your food comes from. So many people never make this connection. Now to take it one step further, I don’t understand your comment when you say that it’s OK to eat meat as long as you respect it. Compare this to the dolphin slaughter. Would that be OK too as long as the fishermen truly respected them?How does life change for the pig when you are concerned for it before it becomes your bacon?I know many people don’t share my opinion that the lives of other sentient beings are not ours to control, and I struggle to see how killing animals is fine some times, but not others. Couldn’t what you’ve said about Taiji also apply to any other animal, whether farmed or not? – - “We’re fighting to protect the lives of creatures that have as much right to exist as any human being.”
Heather, I appreciate your comment and I’ve been struggling to come up with an answer that I think would satisfy your questions. What I’ve come up with is that I straddle a line between protecting the rights of animals (which is why I’ve chosen to stop eating meat) and accepting the fact that humans utilize animals as a source of food. I realize that this might be a hard line for me to stand on since at times I may contradict myself or sound like a hypocrite. I’ll apologize in advance for that. I’m not against people eating animals. I’m not against the Japanese eating fish and I’m not against Americans eating pork, chicken or beef. I also feel that the animals that are raised for human consumption should be treated humanely during their life as well as at slaughter.
Maybe it’s hypocritical for me to fight for the lives of one species over another. Maybe it’s contradictory of me to say that we should “protect the lives of creatures that have as much right to exist as any human being.” On the other hand, if people were to give due consideration to the food (meat) they are consuming (as I suggest in the article), maybe they would eat less. I don’t believe most people *want* to become a vegetarian or vegan. The choice for me to decide not to eat meat is just as personal a choice as chosing not to drink. I’m not here to force my opinion down anyone’s throat (pun intended). I’m only asking that people stop for a moment to consider their choices. If one person (and I think I’ve influenced at least one person) decides that maybe they’ll abstain from meat for one day each week, then I feel pretty good about that.
I thank you for the challenging comment and I hope I’ve answered some of your questions.
Thank you so much for replying to my comment! I want you to know that I wasn’t trying to be disparaging, or call you a hypocrite. I was genuinely very interested in getting your answer to try to better understand your thought process. Your response was very helpful in that regard.
I know that not everyone wants to become a vegetarian or vegan, no matter how much I wish that were the case. I can only make decisions for myself and my family, and hopefully lead by example.
In past I’ve supported causes such as Vegan Outreach, a group that hands out fliers titled “Even if you like meat…” and have also told my family members that it’s OK if you don’t go full veg, any avoidance of animal consumption spares lives. I truly believe decreasing animal suffering is worthwhile goal, however I struggle with the idea of promoting animal welfare, because I see how people then take this idea and come up with things like “humane meat” which just lets them justify what they’re eating and feel better about it. It doesn’t really drive them to examine why the animals are being killed for their consumption. When I originally read your post, I was viewing your message about respect very similar to that, another justification. I can see that’s not quite what you meant.
In all areas of life, I often wish people would really think about the choices they are making, take the time to do the research- learn and then decide. I think we are very much on the same page when it comes to that.
Heather: It was my pleasure to respond to your comment. It gave me a lot to think about! Thanks for visiting HGs and I hope to see you around in the future!