I'll admit it. I like to eat critters but I get a little squeamish when I think about killing, gutting, skinning, hanging and slicing them up. Especially when I think about doing all that myself. So there's a tension here for me because I also think that this makes my relationship with the meat on my plate removed, privileged and not a little hypocritical. Is it OK for me to eat something I'm not willing to kill myself?
It wasn't always this way. When I was a child, I spent summers on my grandfather's farm in northern Wisconsin. There I would blithely catch and clean fish, and help my grandfather with butchering the chickens. I would ride around the farm on the calf he was fattening up, appropriately called Kielbasa, then climb down and eat a piece of the previous year's Kielbasa for dinner. I'm sorry to say, but I don't remember feeling anything but curious: what does the inside of a fish look like? What's a gizzard and do I have one, too? But as an adult, I'm finding this territory a little more complex.
Some people work with this by adamantly eating the whole animal: snout-to-tail eating, it's often called, or everything-but-the-oink. They say it respects and honors the animal by not wasting anything. A worthy sentiment, but truth be told, I've never come home from the butcher's with a lamb's brain or a pig's trotter and tossed it into my frying pan. And I'm not sure, given the choice, I ever will. I would, however, give it a try in a restaurant...maybe.
Last week I discovered some old episodes of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage series on the web. The basic premise of the show is that Hugh moves out to the countryside and raises all his food himself. There's a lovely vegetable patch, of course, but he also hunts for game birds, rabbits and deer, fishes in the near-by ocean and rivers, and raises pigs and lambs and cows. And although we spend a lot of time with the butcher after the fact, we're still spared from witnessing what happens at the abattoir. I have to wonder why. What happens there that we're not willing to face, that we're not allowed to see or participate in?
We all know what an easily polarizing subject this is and it's tempting to fly into one camp or the other. But more informing for me, and more interesting, is to stay with the ambivalence, to really examine the questioning without leaping into judgment or reaction. When I do that, I can see that my ambivalence makes sense, that it is appropriate. Animals are indeed fellow living creatures with hearts that beat and a wish to live that's not so different from my own. And, when I eat them, there is pleasure in their taste and texture, my hunger is satisfied and nutritional needs are met. The worst thing I could do is to eat an animal but not enjoy it for all the guilt and hand-wringing.
Economy and the fact that I avoid factory raised meat means I don't eat critters very often these days. So when I do, I try to take a moment to appreciate what is before me and fully recognize that what once was alive, is no longer. There is something holy here, I believe, that asks for my respect and reverence.
And I hope that one day I will come closer to participating in the full cycle of the food that I eat. I know that I cannot really answer my questions by having a lot of ideas and justifications. There is nothing abstract about birth and death and perhaps when confronted straight on with those two truths, I will lose my ambivalence and find my answers simply and clearly in what is happening right there in front of me.
Novella Carpenter, urban farmer, on this very subject
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Most people have problems killing living things. That's how butchers stay in business. I think where meat eating went wrong was when factory farming became the norm which actually made our food animals just another widget. Animals are no longer respected for the fact that they give their lives so we can eat.
Local, organic, sustainable animal raising to feed a population who eats significantly less meat from more varied parts of the animal is most likely the best solution.
A carnivore is one that eats only meat. Aren't you actually an omnivore? Or do you eat no plant matter?
Ah yes, suez, good point. I'll change it. Thank you!
I find it interesting the way that food has become religious. And whichever religious camp you are on, is the "right" one. I am amazed at how "my way" is the only way.
As an omnivore, I also try to respect all of my food. I try not to let myself get lazy about any part of it. Is it okay to be lazy when it comes to the veggies I eat too, so long as I respect the flesh items? I don't think so. So often the most ardent vegans and vegetarians I hear from often spend little effort to consider how their food comes to them.
I really think that is the secret to the omnivore's dilemma. Respect our food, and consider how it comes to us. All of it. And remember that everything has a cost outside of the dollar bills that come from my pocket.
This is an interesting topic, as I just finished reading "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver about a woman and her family living (almost) completely off the food produced by her own garden and livestock. I was re-considering veganism before I read this book, but the author brings up an excellent point about fuel consumption and the typical vegan diet. It is more humane to encourage local, sustainable farming practices than to drink soymilk from another part of the country, and tofu from Japan. Also, during the growth and harvesting of vegetables (including organic) many animals are killed in order for the vegetables to survive; birds, insects, rabbits, rodents, etc. The vegetarian/vegan diet, while practiced with the best of intentions, takes a rather narrow view in respect to humane and sustainable agriculture.
lillianJulia - i see no reason why soymilk and tofu cannot be made locally so i'm not sure why you point those two items out as though they cannot be produced locally and sustainably. i also think vegetarians/vegans understand that animals and insects may die in the growing and harvesting of foods - i don't believe vegetarians/vegans are ignorant of or too narrow-minded to recognize that. it seems to me that a local and sustainable vegan diet is the least impactful diet one can eat. whether a calf is being raised locally, regionally, or internationally, it still requires a ton of resources to produce that would otherwise not be needed if one chose to simply not eat it.
I have the same feelings of guilt and since moving out of my parents, who are as close to carnivores as you can get - have prepared meat in my home maybe 2 or 3 times.
I don't know about you, but every time I eat meat, I get a flash of the animal being adorable and getting killed. While it hasn't stopped me from ever finishing something it has changed my eating habits. I felt terrible very recently eating some DELICIOUS veal ragu. I am trying to figure out what to do, because I really want some more but the thought of eating a "baby cow" makes my heart heart. Same with lamb.
In college, I learned that the extra calories from eating meat was a major boost for the physical evolution of man. More fuel to work with, the more we can do and better. Though this no longer has the same impact as it did in the past, I know that the reason I continue to consume meat/dairy is because it's perfectly natural.
In the meantime, I only eat meat when I'm with others, because they're cooking or we're at a place that serves meat and I haven't eaten in a while. I don't eat anything that I have had as pets (rabbits taste of evil once you've snuggled and loved one) and I always finish what I eat because being wasteful of any food is just dumb.
I think a lot of people are too hard on themselves when it comes to this subject. As long as you're not eating animals that have been factory farmed and injected with heaven only knows what chemicals, there's no reason to feel guilty about eating meat slaughtered by someone else. I skin and butcher my own deer a couple of times a year, and have been doing so since I was a child, because my father is a hunter. If I hadn't grown up doing it, I'm sure it would gross me out to the point where I couldn't. It wouldn't make me a terrible person. The very idea of what happens to water at the waste treatment plant makes me sick to my stomach, but that doesn't mean I'm going to start bathing in streams. I'm gonna let someone else deal with it and hop into a nice, warm shower. With a chlorine filter on the shower head, of course.
jrkoppelman, yes you are right in that I made too sweeping a generalization of vegans. To eat local, sustainable, 100% vegan diet is indeed admirable and makes the least impact to the environment than any other diet (that I can think of, anyway) and in no way should that be discouraged!
I gave up meat one year ago this month because I couldn't as is so eloquently stated in "The Omnivores Dilemma" "reap the karmic implications" of the food I was eating. And I didn't want anyone else to do it for me either. The fact that I couldn't bear to watch slaughterhouse videos meant for me, a major change of diet. I don't mind if other people eat meat. It is a personal choice. But, I do think that there is some truth to the old adage that if slaughterhouses were built with glass walls there would be a lot more vegetarians. I think it is up to us to choose the most humane products we have available and can afford. I try to buy local, USDA Organic, cage-free, and vegetarian-fed products when possible. I think eventually companies will get the message.
I come down on this issue with Temple Grandin, who is both an advocate for providing animals a high quality of life, and a designer of humane slaughterhouses. She writes very persuasively that quality of life for the animal is paramount, and that providing animals with a life free of fear and panic even up to their moment of death is entirely possible and laudable. I'd rather have a cow live a good life and be eaten than not live at all, which is what would probably happen if we all became vegans.
Most of us don't think twice about it, but many coddled household pets have a lower quality of life than cattle raised for slaughter.
This is a topic I struggle with myself. Thank you for putting it into words.
Thank you for having a balanced view on the subject. I'm an omnivore. I can't quite come to terms with viewing any subject as black and white. If you're going to put animal rights above all else then a lot of other grey area comes into play. If you still eat dairy, how do you feel about what happens to the calves that are a by-product of making that dairy? If you're a vegan that keeps pets how do you justify that it's not exploitation of that animal and what do you feed them? After all, cats are obligate carnivores for example. What are you doing about the migrant labor that comes into play with you food choices? How do you feel knowing nothing you eat is truly animal cruelty free? You can't just hide in a black and white view of the world b/c life rarely is.
I love food, I love the experience and ritual of it and I try to be mindful of where all of mine comes from. And I want to be part of the world rather than trying to rise above it. And I want my body to get everything it needs through the food I eat rather than having to take supplements. And with that view comes the grey area of knowing what we eat and where it comes from. We all have to find our level of comfort.
I don't think lillianJulia made too much of a sweeping generalization. Of course there are very responsible local-eating vegans, but there are a LOT of irresponsible ones who don't balance their diet, who live on candy and chips, who pay no attention to where the food comes from, who wear leather shoes, who rage against milk but not against honey, and who preach preach preach. Just like we can generalize about a lot of omnivores who pay no attention to where the meat comes from, what conditions the animals live in, etc... I think it's safe to say that in general the majority of people do not pay much attention to where their food comes from, whether it's veggies, meat, or soy milk.
I feel that above all no one should preach at anyone else over those choices. Having a healthy debate about the best way to eat sustainably (whether vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore) and how to best respect the environment and animals, but these choices are personal. Especially in this economic situation the most local sustainable ways to eat are out of reach for a lot of us. We can't afford local milk, we can't afford local or more natural meat, we can't afford organic.
I've always been fine with killing animals, when I was young I would even try to paint pictures of the fluffy lambs playing in the fields so my siblings would eat less lamb and I could have more. But I grew up eating little meat (compared to the families around us), and not much red meat at all (Easter lamb or tacos were the main exceptions). No matter how we eat the important thing is to be aware of the food, the animals, where it all comes from.
I'm not fine with killing animals so I don't eat them. I fall into the "if you won't kill it, don't eat it" camp. I don't eat meat, but I will eat seafood. I have no problem opening clams and oysters, so I eat those. I kill most bugs without much thought, so I will eat lobster and crab (Thank you Alton Brown for explaining that a lobster is akin to a giant sea cockroach!). I try to avoid farmed fish because it is an ecological nightmare, not to mention very bad conditions for the fish. I buy vegetarian cage free eggs, but I'd love to get to the point where I could raise my own chickens so I could be sure they were cared for. Not going to happen in a Brooklyn condo, though. I do have issues with the slaughter of male chicks inherent in our egg production system, so I realize there is a lot of cruelty in egg consumption, I'm still working that out. I've had pet rabbits for over 20 years, so in my mind they're companions, not dinner. I've never heard a good explanation for why it is OK to eat a pig, but not a dog or cat, even though pigs are more intelligent than both, or to eat a cow, but not a horse.
As far as making sure animals have good lives with no fear or pain up until slaughter, there is no way we could have the quantity of meat consumed in the US if those types of practices were widely adopted. Meat would become a luxury, not a staple. I'd rather animals not be brought into the world if their only fate is to eat, stand around in crates, cages or stall for the overwhelming majority (if not entirety) of their lives just so they can end up being slaughtered. I don't see how an animal has any enjoyment in their life under these conditions, regardless of how well they're treated throughout the process.
I am omnivore and I am comfortable with that as long I make ethical and sustainable choices about the meat, poultry, and dairy I consume. We eat less meat than others because they meat we buy is more expensive. It is also humanely raised and slaughtered.
It also tastes GREAT, the way meat and poultry should. Factory farmed meat is disgusting.
I completely agree with the statement by margrietta, and have a huge interest in farming ethics. I've grown up around dairy farms and know a lot of farmers who really do love their animals. A thing I came to realize early is that by owning livestock you must deal with deadstock. The cushy urban environments we live in now gives us little understanding of the realities of life and death, we are so sensitive. I applaud any vegetarian or vegan that can live with that commitment, It is difficult to ensure you get the correct balance of nutrition as a vegetarian, and the few I know that live off of bread and tofudogs look jaundiced. I do enjoy supporting the local farmer and would love to raise livestock myself some day.
first off, thanks dana for presenting a well thought out, intelligent, and open-minded discussion, and thanks to everyone who's commented for continuing this style. it's nice to know that many are able to discuss the issue in a productive and friendly manner.
in my opinion, even just thinking about and discussing the issue is a big, important first step. a lot of people actively choose to close their eyes to the matter. they don't want to even think about it because they know their reaction would make them uncomfortable.
it really, truly bothers me when people refuse to admit that meat is/was an animal. I've known people who will only cook meat when they can't tell what animal it was (i.e. a boneless chicken breast versus a whole chicken). I find it so incredibly disrespectful. it's having your cake and eating it, too: eating meat and not being okay with killing the animal. I think it is a somewhat natural reaction. we naturally have an aversion to death and killing and generally want to distance ourselves from it. but I think there is a difference between not wanting to kill an animal oneself and not accepting that killing animals is part of eating meat. those who eat meat should make an effort to recognize the entirety of their actions. does that mean you have to enjoy the fact that an animal dies to make your steak? certainly not. but I think one should recognize that it does indeed occur. I think being consciously aware that every time you choose to eat meat and animal was killed will change your relationship with meat and food, hopefully for the better.
I do hope, though, that people realize what a luxury it is to be able to turn away meat-- to be able to choose not to eat it because we object to the killing, to be able to choose to coddle our aversion to violence rather than get over it because we have to. many people in the world would never dream of turning down a source of so much energy and nutrition because it's 'mean'.
that said, since we are lucky enough in this country to have an ample food supply, I urge people who do eat meat to eat it in reasonable quantities. a serving of meat is roughly the size of your palm or a deck of cards. it is not a steak the size of your head. your dinner plate should hold a small portion of meat and be filled in with veggies and grains. meat should never be a filler, nor is its presence necessary for a meal to be complete. this seems to happen the most with chicken. chicken is thrown onto many dishes (pastas, salads, etc.) unnecessarily, in my opinion. often it doesn't really add flavor and its presence goes unnoticed. it's this type of mindless consumption of meat that has led the industry to become so factory-like.
anyway... lots of good and interesting points have been made by everyone! it'll give us all a lot more to think about!
Liz, I would recommend that you read Grandin's books. It's entirely possible to raise cattle in a humane way and meet the demand for meat in this country. It's not rocket science. Cattle farming is actually in better shape than chicken farming, which is pretty abysmal, but again there are things they can do to improve the lives of chickens and still meet the demand out there. It may cost some, but it's entirely possible. Maybe meat becomes more expensive. That wouldn't be a bad thing.
I think slaughterhouses should have glass walls, but I think it would make them better slaughterhouses - not necessarily make all of us vegetarians.