It was with much trepidation that I decided to go see Jonathan Safran Foer speaking about his recent book, “Eating Animals”, at the Philadelphia Library. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to hear someone expound on the horrors of animal husbandry. I’ve spent many a day thoughtfully justifying my choice to eat meat and didn’t necessarily want someone contradicting my decision. However, given that I was feeling confident with my current approach of eating meat that I know how it was raised, I was curious to hear his points against this ideology. What I heard in advance from the book referenced factory animal farming not sustainable farming techniques.
After a short reading from the book about his grandmother’s values, the discussion focused on questions from the audience, which in the end didn’t significantly address this approach. I came away feeling as if nothing very new on the topic of eating meat was revealed, particularly on the wake of Michael Pollen’s “Ominvore’s Dilemma”. But as I sat there listening to the conversation I was reminded of my own earlier thoughts that gave me pause about eating animals for both ethical and environmental reasons. The first, which first came to light while reading Pollen’s book, is that we may be able to say with a fair amount of confidence that our animal food was raised humanely, but the weak link comes in the slaughtering of pigs and cows which are processed at the same slaughterhouses as factory farmed animals due to USDA requirements. (It also applies to poultry, however the regulations are such that birds may be processed where they were raised if proper licenses are obtained). This was confirmed during my recent trip to Stone Barn Farms, the ultimate example of a sustainable farm where their livestock (other than chickens) is sent to NJ for processing.
While I haven’t read Foer’s book, I understand it covers the inhumane treatment in the typical slaughterhouse. In the book “Humane Livestock Handling” the author, Temple Grandin, illuminates how her autism has helped her understand animal instincts and behavior and has been able to use this awareness to develop recommendations for humane animal slaughtering. So while I know the capacity and knowledge for creating humane slaughterhouses is there, I don’t have much faith that is the standard practice and I have know idea how and where my locals farms are processing their meat. It made me recognize that this is a point I should be inquiring with the farmers, to show that it is important to me as a consumer.
The second personal reminder was that we Americans, including myself, eat too much meat / fish and to have an impact we should be focusing the discussion on moderation. There simply isn’t enough farm space to sustainably raise all the meat and fish at its current rate of consumption, never mind the health implications. I do believe that humans are genetically developed to eat meat; but not in American’s current quantities. Having access to sustainably raised meat has made me lax about the amount of meat I personally consume. While living in Berkeley with a biweekly subscription to a produce box from a Central Valley CSA, Farm Fresh to You, my effort focused on cooking tasty vegetarian meals at home and treating myself to meat on the occasions that I went out, particularly as many of the more sophisticated eateries were identifying the origin of their meat and fish right on the menu. I am aware though that there were many times that I ate meat out when I had no idea of how it was raised, but made the decision simply because I craved it. Now living on the east coast, with less access to an abundance of fresh local produce year round, I find myself infilling my menus at home more and more with meat while offsetting that by eating mostly vegetarian meals out. Part of the justification for this comes from the ease of ordering locally, humanely raised animals through Mugshots’ local buying club. In the days after the discussion, I made a personal commitment to eat less meat and fish.
I believe that more restaurants need to increase their efforts at offering several menu options of dishes that use little to no meat in order to encourage others to minimize their meat intake. Many will argue that people won’t order it; however, restaurants can be leaders in this arena if the creators believe in the mission. Just as Chez Panisse inspired a legion of diners to realize that they create simple, tasty dishes at home using local, seasonal ingredients without being overly complicated; dining establishments can also inspire a minimal approach to meat and fish, one where these ingredients are used to season a dish rather than being the central focus. This approach is very much in keeping with most home cooking of cultures outside the US. Here in Philadelphia, a recent edition to the restaurant scene, Horizons has gained attention for its exceptional all vegan menu while Zahav provides a stellar example what is possible with an emphasis on vegetables and grains without being vegetarian.
There seems to be a fair amount of attention on the topic of meat eating in the media recently. In the NYTimes alone in the month alone I’ve come across three articles expressing differing perspectives, in part inspired by Foer’s book. The first one is titled Carnivore’s Dilemma from a sustainable cattle farmer, followed by the review of Foer’s book and concluding with one from a vegan’s perspective, Animal, Vegetable, Miserable.
In the most recent seasons of Top Chef and Top Chef Masters, challenges included all vegan and vegetarian dishes. The resistance from the young chefs, the uncertainty from the masters and the fairly uninspired outcomes, had me realizing we have a long way to go to modify eating habits; but I appreciate that it was given high profile attention, along with other challenges involving sustainable fish and small, local farming.
While I may not feel that much new on this topic is coming out of Foer’s current book, that these topics have been discussed in well researched detail in “Omnivore’s Dilemma”, before that works by Marion Nestle, and before that “Diet for a Small Planet”, I appreciate the reminder to pay attention to my food choices and their impact on the earth. It is all too easy to forget this when confronted with the smell of bacon, the desire for a hamburger, or the appeal of inexpensive spicy chicken wings at the nearby pub. As Foer is younger than I am, I realized that with each generation comes a need to explore age-old topics from their own perspective and express those thoughts in a contemporary way that appeals to their peers. During the discussion, Foer made note that dictatorial expression of ethical choices is not likely to change behavior; that the most inspiration comes from those who are living examples of what is possible. This I truly believe.
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