Comments on: Eating Animals: Debunking our Pastoral Myth http://civileats.com/2009/11/20/eating-animals-debunking-our-pastoral-myth/ Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:57:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Civil Eats » Blog Archive » Expanding the Conversation Around the Meat We Eat http://civileats.com/2009/11/20/eating-animals-debunking-our-pastoral-myth/comment-page-1/#comment-4654 Civil Eats » Blog Archive » Expanding the Conversation Around the Meat We Eat Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:04:06 +0000 http://civileats.com/?p=5597#comment-4654 [...] feast, and last week, Martha Stewart was standing behind the stove on her set discussing the book Eating Animals with its author, Jonathan Safran Foer, while preparing a vegetarian casserole. The dish was part of [...] [...] feast, and last week, Martha Stewart was standing behind the stove on her set discussing the book Eating Animals with its author, Jonathan Safran Foer, while preparing a vegetarian casserole. The dish was part of [...]

]]> By: Gerardo Tristan http://civileats.com/2009/11/20/eating-animals-debunking-our-pastoral-myth/comment-page-1/#comment-4621 Gerardo Tristan Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:05:08 +0000 http://civileats.com/?p=5597#comment-4621 Shelly, I don't think Eating Animals is a kind of book where advice or solutions should be given. It's not an Oprha show...It's for all communities and indiviudals to search and find ways of empowering themselves when it comes to responsible and ethical eating habits. Can I ask you what What you mean with "average eater" . I am unemployed and not wealthy and I consider myself pretty average yet I heavily lean vegetarian... Shelly,

I don’t think Eating Animals is a kind of book where advice or solutions should be given. It’s not an Oprha show…It’s for all communities and indiviudals to search and find ways of empowering themselves when it comes to responsible and ethical eating habits. Can I ask you what What you mean with “average eater” . I am unemployed and not wealthy and I consider myself pretty average yet I heavily lean vegetarian…

]]> By: Stephanie http://civileats.com/2009/11/20/eating-animals-debunking-our-pastoral-myth/comment-page-1/#comment-4607 Stephanie Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:09:21 +0000 http://civileats.com/?p=5597#comment-4607 Thank you Stacey Slate for your thoughtful, balanced review of Foer's compelling new book. I just may print it and give it, along with his book to friends and family this holiday season (but I will wait until after Thanksgiving; I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings). Michiko Kakutani's over-the-top angry review in today's Times was clearly neither balanced nor thoughtful. She ends with statistics about horrific loss of human life around the world,in a thumbing-her-nose-at-a-shallow-Foer manner (because terrible things happen to humans, we can't think about the sorry plight of animals?). The more I read of her review the more I kept thinking, "What is she so angry about?? I have been both moved and disturbed by Foer's book, and indeed plan to give copies as gifts this year, to people I love, because I care about them, not so much the pigs and chickens of the world. My concern about meat eating after reading this book is selfishly based on health considerations, not so much the compelling evidence Foer presents about our shockingly inhuman treatment of animals. Foer simply points out that we are all in denial about what we put into our mouths, and I don't really see how he faulted for coming to this conclusion. He's right. How else could I possibly relish the short ribs that fall off the bone and drip with rich, complex flavors, right after I watch a documentary about the horrors of the meat industry? Or dig into the delectable lamb burgers I rhapsodize about that are made in a restaurant I usually can't wait to go back to? You can see that giving up meat will never be easy for me, but instead of sticking my head in the sand, or ranting and raving about Foer's book, I've decided that denial is no longer the best course of action. I have asked my daughter, who eats mostly on campus, and thus away from home, not to eat ground beef,(not because of Foer's book, but an article I read in the Times about the gamble we take every time we swallow a mouthful of the stuff) in spite of the fact that I've always made both a mean meatloaf and a wonderful stuffed cabbage, a la my mother and grandmother. Give these up? Forever? How can I possibly live my life without these pleasures? Foer has prodded me to think about why we marginalize vegetarians and why we turn our backs on the fact that our food is filled with things that would make any clear headed person wince. Foer is the messenger, and should neither be shot or yelled at (well, maybe just a little) for lifting the curtain that stands between us and the truth about the food industry that is supposed to nourish us and our families. This is a book that should be read and taken very seriously, especially by those who view themselves as well-informed, thoughtful members of society. Thinking can't possibly hurt as much as ingesting the scary things that are fed to, and come out of the food that daily makes it's way to our tables. Foer did his job. Now it is time for me to do mine, and decide whether to pay attention or sweep his words under my meat stained tablecloth. Thank you Stacey Slate for your thoughtful, balanced review of Foer’s compelling new book. I just may print it and give it, along with his book to friends and family this holiday season (but I will wait until after Thanksgiving; I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings). Michiko Kakutani’s over-the-top angry review in today’s Times was clearly neither balanced nor thoughtful. She ends with statistics about horrific loss of human life around the world,in a thumbing-her-nose-at-a-shallow-Foer manner (because terrible things happen to humans, we can’t think about the sorry plight of animals?). The more I read of her review the more I kept thinking, “What is she so angry about??
I have been both moved and disturbed by Foer’s book, and indeed plan to give copies as gifts this year, to people I love, because I care about them, not so much the pigs and chickens of the world. My concern about meat eating after reading this book is selfishly based on health considerations, not so much the compelling evidence Foer presents about our shockingly inhuman treatment of animals. Foer simply points out that we are all in denial about what we put into our mouths, and I don’t really see how he faulted for coming to this conclusion. He’s right. How else could I possibly relish the short ribs that fall off the bone and drip with rich, complex flavors, right after I watch a documentary about the horrors of the meat industry? Or dig into the delectable lamb burgers I rhapsodize about that are made in a restaurant I usually can’t wait to go back to? You can see that giving up meat will never be easy for me, but instead of sticking my head in the sand, or ranting and raving about Foer’s book, I’ve decided that denial is no longer the best course of action. I have asked my daughter, who eats mostly on campus, and thus away from home, not to eat ground beef,(not because of Foer’s book, but an article I read in the Times about the gamble we take every time we swallow a mouthful of the stuff) in spite of the fact that I’ve always made both a mean meatloaf and a wonderful stuffed cabbage, a la my mother and grandmother. Give these up? Forever? How can I possibly live my life without these pleasures? Foer has prodded me to think about why we marginalize vegetarians and why we turn our backs on the fact that our food is filled with things that would make any clear headed person wince.
Foer is the messenger, and should neither be shot or yelled at (well, maybe just a little) for lifting the curtain that stands between us and the truth about the food industry that is supposed to nourish us and our families. This is a book that should be read and taken very seriously, especially by those who view themselves as well-informed, thoughtful members of society. Thinking can’t possibly hurt as much as ingesting the scary things that are fed to, and come out of the food that daily makes it’s way to our tables. Foer did his job. Now it is time for me to do mine, and decide whether to pay attention or sweep his words under my meat stained tablecloth.

]]> By: Shelley Ryan http://civileats.com/2009/11/20/eating-animals-debunking-our-pastoral-myth/comment-page-1/#comment-4596 Shelley Ryan Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:36:25 +0000 http://civileats.com/?p=5597#comment-4596 Nice write-up, Stacey... but one thing bugs me about this book. Foer doesn't offer a SOLUTION for the average eater. He makes us feel guilty, horrified, and pretty much powerless. If he had included specific actions readers could take, this book would be more worthwhile. Nice write-up, Stacey… but one thing bugs me about this book. Foer doesn’t offer a SOLUTION for the average eater. He makes us feel guilty, horrified, and pretty much powerless.

If he had included specific actions readers could take, this book would be more worthwhile.

]]> By: deborah http://civileats.com/2009/11/20/eating-animals-debunking-our-pastoral-myth/comment-page-1/#comment-4590 deborah Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:20:47 +0000 http://civileats.com/?p=5597#comment-4590 "Mankind's true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it." Milan Kundera (b.1929) “Mankind’s true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals.
And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.”

Milan Kundera (b.1929)

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