Comments on: Eating Animals

By: Darcy Self

Darcy Self — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:18:30 +0000

I will never forget the first time my child ( who is now 19 ) connected the animal with the food. Picture this. Thanksgiving: my mum and I take my 3 girls who at the time were 6,5 and 3 to the local turkey farm to buy a turkey. So mum goes into the store and we go down to see the " girls" all in a pen and happy to see us all gobbling and talking. Very animated. My oldest daughter has a stuffed baby white lamb in her hands.

OK all fine and good, my mum comes out of the store with her purchase and she asks me to drive to the butcher for some …..lamb. Yes my friends, we get to the store and she asks where are the lambs?
Brutal truth? But we eat it moderation and we remember where it's from. To this day she eats lamb but only in grape leaves.

By: Dean E.

Dean E. — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:34:07 +0000

Thanks Eric, that's awfully kind of you, but frankly I visit your blog to benefit from *your* sagacity!

I do like the idea of Breakaway Philosophy, though. Orthodoxy can be a bit restrictive. It's more about The Way than getting the cobblestones of the path just exactly right according to the manual.

By: breakawaycook

breakawaycook — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:35:02 +0000

Dean, please stick around and show us how to reclaim the zealous idealism of our 20s! I've always thought that cynicism is pure laziness and often gets conflated with intelligence.

You can become the resident breakaway philosopher! Thanks for your wonderful comments.

By: Dean E.

Dean E. — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 23:47:26 +0000

I believe that the realities of our contemporary way of life combined with inevitable life disappointments are probably what diminish idealism as we age, but I also believe that we are responsible for our own attitudes and dispositions throughout life. A good attitude isn't a passive thing that just happens as the result of good fortune. I find that at the "old" age of 47, a lot of the enthusiastic idealism of my 20s is returning, largely because I'm reclaiming it consciously, albeit with more hard-earned experiential wisdom. Cynicism in excess is the result of a certain sort of personal laziness as I see it, and man, is it ever infectious! Don't let it get the best of you, folks. It's understandable, but it can become a mental cancer. A hardcore cynic is not well-suited to propagate kindness.

While I am not vegan and will probably always be omnivorous, I respect the choices that vegetarians and vegans make, because I know they're well-intended, and in most cases, appear to be healthful. Altruism begins with kindness to self.

By: breakawaycook

breakawaycook — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:21:52 +0000

Thanks Autumn. We need more propagation of kindness from all spheres of life.

The cameraman on my shoot yesterday (for the new veg book) is a vegan in his 50s.. He said something interesting: that there are plenty of vegans in their early 20s, but almost none in their 40s and 60s and older. When I asked why he thought that was so, he said that idealism seeps out of us as we age. Which is no doubt true, but so sad!

By: Autumn

Autumn — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:16:31 +0000

Thanks for a great review. I think a lot of people assume that vegan (or vegetarian) is synonymous with hateful propoganda against all the (food) things you love. We're living in such an entitled age, in such an entitled country, and I think anything that helps people step outside their comfort zone and re-examine their choices is a good thing. I'm vegan myself, but it makes me really happy to see people buying meat and dairy outside of the industrial farming complex. Knowing where your food came from is, to me, just as important as sharing it with loved ones. Being veg*n is not about overthrowing cherished customs or sentimentality. It's about trying to propogate kindness. I can't wait for your new veg book. I turn to this site for inspiration all the time!

By: Rachelle Boucher

Rachelle Boucher — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:50:04 +0000

i am with you.

By: breakawaycook

breakawaycook — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:34:27 +0000

Thanks Steph. The Joy book sounds amazing, can't wait to read it. It's called, "Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism (the belief system that allows us to eat some animals and not others)" Just ordered it. Where was the interview? Fresh Air?

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:29:49 +0000

Thank you Eric. I too am eating less and less meat these days as I learn more about how it's raised and also, the effect it has on our health. I heard an interview of Melanie Joy (author of 'An Introduction to Carnism') and it was really enlightening. I'd like to make real, informed decisions about what I eat. This idea that eating should just be fulfilling some whim is a bit silly isn't it? .

By: breakawaycook

breakawaycook — Fri, 28 May 2010 20:40:07 +0000

Thanks. It's easy to see why you'd get turned off reading his op-eds, but it's really worth reading — just get ready to be pretty depressed! Maybe read outside on a sunny day to mitigate all the gloom.