Monday, December 7, 2009
Organic Meat
I've realized that being a vegetarian is next to impossible for me. I have no idea how I was able to do it before. So while I will eat meat I will definitely not be eating it on campus. The dining hall at St. John's is very questionable and I don't really trust the meat especially because I'm sure it is factory farmed meat. My new solution is to only eat organic meat. Organic meat is healthier and the animals are raised in a more humane way. They are not injected with chemicals which keeps us from getting diseases and overall it is a much healthier option to eating factory farmed meat.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Think Before You Eat
Think Before You Eat
A lot of people don’t give a second thought when they eat meat, but in Charles Eisenstein’s article “The Ethics of Eating Meat: A Radical View” he does just that. Most articles about the ethics of eating meat are written by devoted Vegetarians or Vegans. Eisenstein however admits to eating meat. In his article, Eisenstein talks about how people don’t really understand the consequences of eating meat, such as how it affects our environment, factory farming, productivity, and ending his article with how people are afraid to deal with death.
Eisenstein says that most of the vegetarians that he knows are not motivated by nutrition. He goes on to state what he believes there argument is, “A typical argument goes like this: In order to feed modern society's enormous appetite for meat, animals endure unimaginable suffering in conditions of extreme filth, crowding and confinement. Chickens are packed twenty to a cage, hogs are kept in concrete stalls so narrow they can never turn around.” (Eisenstein)
Eisenstein makes a lot of great points, the first of which is his argument about the environment. I had no idea how eating meat affected the environment. For example, the meat industry accounts for half of US water consumption. Our drinking water is also being polluted by the livestock manure. (Eisenstein) The facts show that we will continue to harm the environment as long as we eat meat.
Another major topic considered is the use of factory farming. This is the most inhumane way to raise animals because the animals spend their lives suffering in contained small cages with multiple other animals with them.
The current meat industry is out to make money, no matter how poor the quality of the meat is. As a country we are extremely selfish and greedy when it comes to meat and pretty much anything else. In one of Eisenstein’s more controversial views he says, “In an ideal world, meat would be just as plentiful perhaps, but it would be much more expensive…To the extent that our society translates high value into high price, meat should be expensive…If food, and meat in particular, were more expensive then perhaps we wouldn't waste so much.” (Eisenstein) The idea of making meat expensive would not sit well with the majority of Americans, especially considering our current economic state.
Another compelling argument that is made is that we are afraid of death and if we had to witness how meat landed on our dining room table, we would be less motivated to eat it. Eisenstein says, “The physical and social distance from slaughterhouse to dinner table insulates us from the fear and pain the animals feel as they are led to the slaughter, and turns a dead animal into just "a piece of meat." Such distance is a luxury our ancestors did not have: in ancient hunting and farming societies, killing was up close and personal, and it was impossible to ignore the fact that this was recently a living, breathing animal.” (Eisenstein) Indeed it would be hard for us to ignore the fact that we just watched an animal be murdered and now we have to eat it. Back then we were not s civilized, so it was easy to kill an animal. If you were to ask most people today to go kill their own meat, then the majority of them would refuse. Death is a major problem in this country. Eisenstein observes that even in the medical system “death is considered the ultimate negative outcome”.
This is article is not meant to make everyone become a vegetarian; it is simply meant to show and educate people about where their meat comes from and ways that they can be healthier. Eisenstein is not arguing for people to not eat meat, but he is saying that there are more humane and healthy ways to eat meat. He talks about how when animals are used to do work they reduce the fossil fuel consumption. So basically, keeping animals alive and out of those horrible conditions will produce better results for everyone. There are numerous spots in the article that speaks for eating meat, just in an organic non factory farmed way.
1. Eisenstein, Charles. "The Ethics of Eating Meat: A Radical View." Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts,. The Weston A. Price Foundation, 30 June 2002. Web. 29 Oct. 2009..
A lot of people don’t give a second thought when they eat meat, but in Charles Eisenstein’s article “The Ethics of Eating Meat: A Radical View” he does just that. Most articles about the ethics of eating meat are written by devoted Vegetarians or Vegans. Eisenstein however admits to eating meat. In his article, Eisenstein talks about how people don’t really understand the consequences of eating meat, such as how it affects our environment, factory farming, productivity, and ending his article with how people are afraid to deal with death.
Eisenstein says that most of the vegetarians that he knows are not motivated by nutrition. He goes on to state what he believes there argument is, “A typical argument goes like this: In order to feed modern society's enormous appetite for meat, animals endure unimaginable suffering in conditions of extreme filth, crowding and confinement. Chickens are packed twenty to a cage, hogs are kept in concrete stalls so narrow they can never turn around.” (Eisenstein)
Eisenstein makes a lot of great points, the first of which is his argument about the environment. I had no idea how eating meat affected the environment. For example, the meat industry accounts for half of US water consumption. Our drinking water is also being polluted by the livestock manure. (Eisenstein) The facts show that we will continue to harm the environment as long as we eat meat.
Another major topic considered is the use of factory farming. This is the most inhumane way to raise animals because the animals spend their lives suffering in contained small cages with multiple other animals with them.
The current meat industry is out to make money, no matter how poor the quality of the meat is. As a country we are extremely selfish and greedy when it comes to meat and pretty much anything else. In one of Eisenstein’s more controversial views he says, “In an ideal world, meat would be just as plentiful perhaps, but it would be much more expensive…To the extent that our society translates high value into high price, meat should be expensive…If food, and meat in particular, were more expensive then perhaps we wouldn't waste so much.” (Eisenstein) The idea of making meat expensive would not sit well with the majority of Americans, especially considering our current economic state.
Another compelling argument that is made is that we are afraid of death and if we had to witness how meat landed on our dining room table, we would be less motivated to eat it. Eisenstein says, “The physical and social distance from slaughterhouse to dinner table insulates us from the fear and pain the animals feel as they are led to the slaughter, and turns a dead animal into just "a piece of meat." Such distance is a luxury our ancestors did not have: in ancient hunting and farming societies, killing was up close and personal, and it was impossible to ignore the fact that this was recently a living, breathing animal.” (Eisenstein) Indeed it would be hard for us to ignore the fact that we just watched an animal be murdered and now we have to eat it. Back then we were not s civilized, so it was easy to kill an animal. If you were to ask most people today to go kill their own meat, then the majority of them would refuse. Death is a major problem in this country. Eisenstein observes that even in the medical system “death is considered the ultimate negative outcome”.
This is article is not meant to make everyone become a vegetarian; it is simply meant to show and educate people about where their meat comes from and ways that they can be healthier. Eisenstein is not arguing for people to not eat meat, but he is saying that there are more humane and healthy ways to eat meat. He talks about how when animals are used to do work they reduce the fossil fuel consumption. So basically, keeping animals alive and out of those horrible conditions will produce better results for everyone. There are numerous spots in the article that speaks for eating meat, just in an organic non factory farmed way.
1. Eisenstein, Charles. "The Ethics of Eating Meat: A Radical View." Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts,. The Weston A. Price Foundation, 30 June 2002. Web. 29 Oct. 2009.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Ecological Damage
Jonathan Safran Foer , the author of Everything Is Illuminated has a new book out called Eating Animals. In it he advocates for a vegetarian lifestyle not because he is against eating animals but because of all the damage it is doing to the environment. Foer is Author of the week in the publication The Week. In it he addresses factory farmed animals. He says, "This is by far and away the No. 1 cause of global warming." Maybe we should all listen to Foer. It has been proven that his statements are in fact true. So hopefully those that don't care about animals at least care about the environment and don't want to see it destroyed.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Vegetarian Wrap
This is something I tried when I went home. The wrap is extremely simple which is saying something for me since i am a terrible cook. This is an easy lunch for anyone in a hurry. There is no cooking involved. All you have to do is pile the ingredients on the tortilla and wrap it up. I recommend using the cheese just to add some flavor
Instructions
* 1 whole wheat tortilla
* 1 large pinch broccoli sprouts
* 1 handful herb salad
* 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* Balsamic vinegar
* 1 tomato (optional)
* 2 slices fresh mozzerella (optional)
Instructions
* 1 whole wheat tortilla
* 1 large pinch broccoli sprouts
* 1 handful herb salad
* 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* Balsamic vinegar
* 1 tomato (optional)
* 2 slices fresh mozzerella (optional)
Factory Farmed Dogs
This past weekend I was talking to my mom about why it is good to be a vegetarian. I brought up that animals are smart and feel pain just as much as humans. We have had this conversation before and it has gone nowhere. So I took a new approach. I asked her if she would ever eat a dog or a cat and of course she said “No”. What is so appalling about eating a dog or cat that isn’t equally appalling about eating a pig or cow? All of these animals are smart. They can be trained as pets. They have feelings. When I asked my mom this, she didn’t have a response. If dogs and cats were raised in factory farms they would be shut down right away because no one would ever think that is acceptable. This is something I always think about when I have a craving for meat. I would never eat a dog or cat so it is equally unacceptable to eat factory farmed meat.
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