For the past 25 years, no mammals (except for bacon – which was a pregnant thing) have crossed these lips. It all started when I was a kid attending day camp at our local Humane Society and the educational director there brainwashed us. Seriously. She showed us videos of veal calves stuck in teensy holding areas and told us about how chickens who are confined have their beaks cut off so they wouldn’t hurt their companions. And the real kicker was the field trip they took us on to the local feed lot auction, with the pile of deceased animals out back. While we were there, the tires on all of the camp vehicles were slashed, so we were stranded there for a few extra hours. Fun.
As I grew up, I continued learning about food, the food industry and land use. I taught high school environmental science and learned about the inefficiency and horrible pollution caused by farms that feed their cattle grain and do not allow them to graze the land. I taught my students about land use – and how it is most efficient when land is used to grow food for us, not to grow food for the animals that we hope to eat. They learned about the excess water that was required for such a food system, and how much waste it produced. And then, of course, there was the recent movie, Food Inc.
It raised my hackles. It made me cry. And then it had an effect on me that I didn’t expect. It got me to actually consider eating meat again. I know – it’s the opposite effect than you might expect. But this film, in combination with Michael Pollan’s books (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, in particular) made me realize that some farms, like Prather Ranch, do it right. They respect their animals. They do not confine them – they encourage them to graze and be the herbivores that they were meant to be. They don’t give them artificial hormones or antibiotics. And most important of all, they slaughter them humanely.
Prather Ranch
At the IACP conference I attended recently, I was moved by the comments of Ruth Reichl, the former editor of Gourmet Magazine. She pointed out that if we all refused to support an industry that tortured animals, that industry standard would have to stop. She is right – and her comments echo what Michael Pollan has been saying for years. We need to vote with our forks. Vote with our food dollars. And then feel good about it.
That brings us to cost. In a time when families are pinching and saving at every opportunity, expensive foods don’t always make it to the top of the grocery list. I would suggest that instead of buying cheap grocery store meats, that you buy good quality meats…less often. The cost comes from more than just the financial price. There is the ethical cost of how cheap meat is raised and treated, and there is the environmental and physical cost to the planet and to you from meats that are filled with chemicals and pollute the water that we all depend on. With the price we pay for quality food comes HUGE VALUE in teaching your children about all that is involved with making good food choices.
What are you teaching your children?
This is exactly what we have decided to do. I had just finished Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and was really close to becoming vegetarian. But once in a while, I still want to eat meat. We live in Germany, where factory farming isn’t as much of a problem (or at least it is easier to find meat that isn’t factory farmed and farms are more regulated by the EU). We will be eating meat much less often (more like 1-2 times a week) and will be buying it from local farms if at all possible.
Love this post! I don’t eat meat, haven’t for 10 years plus. I do eat sushi on occasion though. My hubs doesn’t eat red meat, but chicken and pork. We always try to buy local when we can, no matter what the product is. We try to do what we can, even if what we do is little, it adds up. We just need everyone to see the importance to make big changes. Posts like this help, thanks!
I prefer to only get meat from farmers I know and trust. I think an animal lover can be an ethical omnivore. We raise and butcher our own pigs, turkeys and chickens, get a 1/2 cow from my husband’s uncle’s farm, and my husband catches our fish, clams and oysters. Once we get our own laying hens, I’ll be very happy, as that’s the last thing on my list… since we don’t have enough land or time in our schedule for a dairy cow!
S: My sister-in-law is from Germany and I was always so impressed with the quality of their food. Bread came from bakeries, not in a package at the grocery store. And people always brought their own bags to the market – it was simply a part of the culture. It comes as no surprise that factory farms aren’t prevalent, either. Great job on feeding your family well!
M: Yes, I have eaten chicken and fish for awhile, but just added pork into my diet. I still don’t think I’ll add beef – I just don’t see it as an ideal use of our land. It just feels so much better to know where our food is coming from
FD: Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment – you are certainly eating in a way that your family can be proud of! There is nothing worse than considering the factory farming alternative. So horrible for those animals and for the planet. We have chickens – and every time I reach in and grab a warm egg, I smile. You will love your girls
Wow. I thought that the movie was very influential, but making you start eating meat again after 25 years is something else. I’ve seen a pig getting slaughtered live when I was in college, but I’m glad I did. Since then I’ve start appreciating the food more than before. Those images in the movie are just as shocking and can teach us a lot.
Nice post. I appreciated your honesty. We do not eat much meat, but I do on occasion. I have been more aware of the type of meat and from whom I buy it. I love what the guy from Stoneyfield talked about in the Food Inc. movie, by making your voice heard with your wallets. He is right – the power is with the consumer.