Eating Animals
A meaty issue
He almost wishes he'd never read it , but thanks to this book, blogger Jamie Who? is a foodie with a conscience.
It's not every day a book changes your life. Sure, people say it. They say it all the time. They read something like Shantaram and say it. They read The Alchemist, or something else by Paulo Coelho, and say it. They read some self-help book and say it. But really, how often do they mean it?
As a huge fan of his previous novels, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Everything Is Illuminated, the idea of one of my favourite authors writing about food was, at the time, very exciting. After receiving Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer as a gift, I cracked the book open at the first opportunity I had and quickly realised I was in for a bumpy ride.
The book deals with the barbaric methods that are employed in farming animals for food and exposes several cruel practices in horrific detail. The author has conducted intense research, the accuracy of which is evident by the fact that none of the accused has taken any legal action. It challenges readers to ask, "Where is this meat coming from?"
As a foodie, I was forced to take an honest look at myself after reading this book, and was shocked to realise I had never really stopped and asked such a simple question. I understood that the best restaurants were the best because of their suppliers and the care they showed in sourcing ingredients, but what about the rest?
The burger you eat on a roadtrip? The bacon you add to every pizza? The chicken curry at the local Indian spot? Where is that meat coming from?
Since reading the book I have changed my life drastically. When eating out I email the restaurant beforehand to ask them if their meat is free-range. I ask waiters and chefs too. If they can't give me a satisfactory answer I opt for something vegetarian.
Likewise, shopping for meat has become difficult. I now consciously seek out farmers at markets and specialist delis that champion freerange meat. I also ask questions regarding how the animal was killed, how it was transported to the slaughterhouse and the general quality of life it experienced. You'd be surprised at how few are able to provide answers.
This book opened my eyes, but it was harrowing stuff . Part of me wishes I had never read it, but at the same time it is the most important thing I have ever read. If ever there was a case for ignorance being bliss then surely the daily consumption of meat is it. Meat, to the average person, comes wrapped in plastic and polystyrene.
Bacon is bacon. Bacon is not a cute pig rolling in the mud. Indeed, whenever I talk about this book people seem to assume that it will be a case for vegetarianism. Why? Because in their hearts they already know the outcome of a thorough investigation into animal agriculture.
I think most people who actually manage to get through the book (I was often in tears) will consider vegetarianism. Given my relationship with food that was never an option, but I have made changes. Big changes.
With everybody talking about sustainability and ethical farming nobody is considering ethical eating. I identified a difference between eating no meat and eating whatever meat is put in front of you. I've also bought into meat-free Mondays as my small way of making a difference to the carbon footprint. I challenge you to do the same.
To be honest, it feels a bit helpless at first - like you've rolled out of bed one morning and decided to fight crime on your own. But we have to start somewhere.
Jamie Who? is a freelance food writer with a passion for food, wine, his family and his bulldog. www.jamiewhatshisname.blogspot.com
