Between the Lines - Eating Animals

February’s Pick - Eating Animals, by Jonathon Safran Foer

Thoughts
Foer shares in Eating Animals that throughout his teenage and young adult years he was an on-again off-again vegetarian.  It was not until he and his wife decided to start a family that he began to more deeply question his food choices. He writes, "Feeding my child is not like feeding myself: it matters more." and  “This story didn’t begin as a book. I simply wanted to know - for myself and my family - what meat is.. That search became Eating Animals, and by the end of this beautifully written book which is part memoir, part investigative journalism, the reader too will know what meat is, where it comes from, how it is produced, how animals are treated, and the environmental, economic and social effects eating animals levy.  Foer is an excellent writer, - the books's construction is unique and helps it transcend just being a book filled with facts that run the risk of numbing the reader's sensitivities.  And he is a storyteller,- weaving in stories from his childhood that remind us that food isn't just food. Eating, the act of sharing food, as Michael Pollan calls it, is "table fellowship,"; it is about memories, traditions, and comfort.  I know my transition to vegetarianism and then to veganism created tension within my family and sadly, still does to some extent nearly 20 years later. The challenge is how to tell new stories about food. Can we modify our traditions, and can we create new ones that don't include eating animals? These are the important questions Foer would argue we should ask. Although it isn't too hard to imagine what the author thinks about eating animals (that is he does not condone it), he is more philosophical than ideological.  By approaching this divisive topic in this way, I think he is better able to accomplish his goal of shining a light on animal agriculture and all of its pitfalls and complexities. You will find that animal agriculture is a complicated topic that includes not only issues about animal welfare, but also soil, air and water pollution, food borne illnesses, dangerous flu viruses, and the toll on workers, particularly those who work in slaughterhouses. Yet among all the horrifying and discouraging statistics found in Eating Animals, you will find a story about a vegan who is helping to design a more humane slaughterhouse and a handful of farmers who raise animals and process meat in a small-scale humane way.  I think it is his inclusion and empathy for meat eaters, factory farmers, and animal activists alike that makes this book on the topic different than others and maybe gives it a wider audience. Foer writes, “We need a way that brings meat to the center of public discussion in the same way it is often at the center of our plates.” I could not agree more. It is books like this one that will help us get there, help us to have productive and meaningful conversations that don't devolve into defensive and contentious arguments.       


Overall
Foer states Eating Animals is not a straightforward case for vegetarianism; I am not sure I agree with him on that point but it is an open-minded sentiment on his part. Perhaps what you take away from this book depends on where at the table you already sit. For me, Eating Animals is a reminder of all the reasons I eat the way I do, and as a vegan, it should come as no surprise that I strongly recommend reading this book. It is my hope that this well-researched work might change minds, change habits and change hearts.   To quote the author's grandmother, "If nothing matters, there's nothing to save."  There is a whole lot to learn here and a whole lot that matters.


P.S. I just found out that a feature-length documentary adaptation of Foer’s book, Eating Animals, was released last June. I have attached a link (here) to the movie website which includes not only the movie trailer and information on where the film can be watched but lots of valuable resources should you want to know more.


Kathryn