I was at the grocery store this weekend, and as I put a package of ground meat in my cart, I had a spasm of guilt about it.
This happens occasionally. For years I was a vegetarian, a choice made in large part out of concern for cruelty to animals. I eventually went back to eating meat, partially because I realized that "vegetarian" products like cheese and eggs and milk contribute to animal suffering too; unless I was prepared to adopt a strictly vegan diet, I wasn't doing as much as I had thought to help animals. Also, I became more comfortable with the ethics of eating lower life forms. (Jonah Goldberg explains it better than I could when he says that "when chickens give to charity, I will stop eating them.") My vegetarianism had flowed from my atheistic belief system, and when I gained a new understanding of the relative roles of humans and animals in the grand scheme of things, I gained peace about the idea of the raising and slaughtering of animals for use as a human food source, as long as it was done humanely.
But I still have pangs of guilt about those packages of cheap meat at the grocery store.
I love the idea of buying grass-fed beef from cows raised on family-owned local farms; same thing for chicken, pork, and any other meat. It would be better for my family's health, and it would ease my conscience to know that at least these animals weren't shuttled through a mass-production meat factory. My grocery store has even begun stocking beef and chicken products that have most if not all of these characteristics, and there are plenty of organic food delivery companies that serve my area, so it would be easier than ever to make the switch. Why on earth haven't I done it, then?
The short answer is that it's too expensive.
The long answer is that I've developed an entitled attitude about eating meat.
When I plan our family's meals each week, I always start with the question of what we want to eat. To keep our grocery budget under control we buy in bulk, favor generic brands, watch out for discounts, and avoid delicacies. Outside of those few concessions, though, there's a sense of entitlement in which I feel like I should be able to eat what I want, especially when it comes to meat. If I'm in the mood for hamburgers, hamburgers go on the menu. If that crock pot chicken recipe seems like the best fit for my cooking schedule on a certain day, that's what I plan for dinner. Having grown up amidst the staggering abundance of middle-class America, I've come to think of meat as a staple.
But what if I began to think of meat as a delicacy?
There have been plenty of times and places when eating meat was a privilege. A woman might buy a couple of pounds of beef or chicken at the market, then plan on having that last her family for the entire week. This requires a level of planning and creativity that many modern Americans aren't used to putting into our weekly menus. It means poring over the recipe book to find just the right casseroles or stews to stretch the meat budget by adding bulk to meals through less-expensive foods like vegetables or starches. It means branching out and eating all different parts of an animal in order to make sure none goes to waste. It means re-thinking portion sizes and taking a hard look at how much the average person really needs to eat, perhaps embracing the ancient tradition of the occasional fast. It means eating fewer animal products and and appreciating them more.
In 1910, two pounds of beef cost about $0.40, which was roughly 3 percent of the typical American's weekly salary. At my grocery store today, I can get two pounds of beef for $4, which is only 0.4 percent of the typical modern American's weekly salary. Interestingly, if I were to buy the specialty grass-fed beef that was farm-raised and slaughtered outside of a factory setting, two pounds would set me back $18 -- or, 2 percent of an average weekly salary. Eighteen dollars for a couple of pounds of beef has always seemed outrageous to me...but perhaps that's because I've come to take for granted the price points that are only available through mass production meat factories.
I went ahead and bought that cheap ground beef I put in my cart the other day, and I made a delicious chili with it too. I can't promise that I won't buy factory-produced meat ever again; I'll probably even buy it again next week, and the week after that, since revamping the menu planning system for a family of seven is no small task. But I'm encouraged to realize that it's possible to stay on budget and buy products from animals that are ethically raised, if you're willing to completely reevaluate your attitude toward meat.
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Wellness Mama (google that) has many interesting things to say about our modern diets as well, and though I’ve found her research both fascinating and convincing: I haven’t been able to change our diets either. I have a big prayer for “someday!” though.
There is a good cookbook though that has started me on the path of more frugal, even responsible, eating, called “More with Less.” It’s a Mennonite publication, with the emphasis being on using only what we need, so to better share all the world’s resources. And yes, there are several meatless dishes in it.
One of the things that has helped me re-evaluate meat and to see it in terms of stewardship—and yes, even to see it as a delicacy—as opposed to the extremes of “eating it just because we can” and feeling overly guilty about it is to adopt meatless Fridays. Friday is still a penitential day in the Church, actually (alas, “choose your own penance” quickly became “penance, schmenance!”), and going without meat on Friday was/is one of the easiest ways to fulfill it.
Ordinarily, we have some kind of meat or fish 3 or 4 evenings a week. I’m sure we could do with less if I were more creative. But I’m pregnant. And when I’m pregnant, I could happily have a big, juciy hamburger or steak every night of the week. We don’t, but I’d probably feel better if we did. The nights we don’t have meat, I’m practically starved and sick.
While the percent meat composed of an average weekly income has dropped, I would be interested in seeing a more thorough analysis of grocery budgets, then and now. How have the prices/ percentages (and our sources) of milk and produce and other foods changed as well? That grass fed beef may be only 3% of my weekly income, but it’s 15-20% of my weekly grocery budget.
Almost anyone with a backyard can raise their own rabbits & chickens for meat.
Just don’t watch Food, Inc. and you will be fine with whatever meat is available.
Here in Texas, we shoot our food whether that is wild hog, deer, or cabbage. ;)
Where are earth are you finding beef for $2/pound? Here in Northern VA, ground beef is $3.99/pound on sale. And that’s for 80% lean. The lower fat kind is even more.
It helps my conscience (and my pocketbook) when I fast as I should- no meat on Wednesday and Fridays year round and no meat during Advent (which starts Nov 15th for us) and Lent
For health reasons, I eat sardines for lunch every day and when I can find a place for an extra freezer, grass-fed will happen!
as a Catholic (and PRO HUMAN) vegan, I feel your pain! Too many vegeterian/vegan folks approach their compassion for animals as a knock on humanity. Though I don’t personally consume the flesh of beasts, I don’t judge people who do nor am I an evangelist about it (though I suppose this post might be construed as such)
I’m now at a very non-militant point in my ‘vegan walk’, I understand vegand and vegetarians and flexitarians and all that is in between - eating lower on the food scale is awesome! Celebrating God’s creation, REALLY awesome! Somewhere between factory farming and a fisherman eating what he catches is a happy place.
There are always meat substitutes, and yes they can be affordable! My wife makes homemade seitan, and our friend does a great blog called Plant Based on a Budget.
http://plantbasedonabudget.com/
Jose
PS look who else is a vegan Catholic!
http://blogs.rgj.com/mostlydogs/2012/08/21/paul-ryans-new-speechwriter-is-long-time-vegan/
Regarding the ethics of animal slaughter, I would like to recommend the book “Thinking in Pictures - My Life With Autism” by Temple Grandin. Temple Grandin is the autistic woman who went on to have a career designing slaughterhouses. Her perspective on this fascinated me.
I second the “More With Less Cookbook” comment. It has a line in it that has stayed with me since I first purchased it, “eat more simply that others might simply eat”. Lots of great recipes and it does challenge our ideas of what and how much we think we need to eat. “The kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”.
Sarah,
Last time I bought hamburger it was a little over $2.00 a lb(WalMart).Prices vary per state I think.
I’ve never quite figured out why they’d charge more for beef on pasture than for grainfed beef.Grainfed tastes better & costs more to produce.
I buy “happy beef” from a farmer and when I buy 1/4 cow at a time, it costs just under $4/lb. It’s not as cheap as the grocery store sale beef, but it’s way, way less than “happy beef” at the fancy grocery stores. And that $4/lb is the same for all the cuts, not just the ground. I have to drive a couple hours to get it (but I can visit my sister who lives out there on the way)—the places that deliver to the Twin Cities charge a lot more. But I find that to be economical along with non-guilt-inducing. I can usually get frozen happy chickens for a reasonable price at the farmer’s market too.
While I think any step to lessen animal suffering is great, I know that a lot of times the labels of “free range,” “humane slaughter” etc. are manipulated for marketing purposes. (It stumps me how anything involving “slaughter” could be considered humane, but that’s beside the point.) I love your idea of using meat as less of the center of the meal and more of a flavoring. It’s more economical, ethical, and healthier. Like I said, I support any initiative to lessen animal suffering and reduce consumption of animal products. I’m vegan myself…and I care about people too! I’m pro-life, pro-human, and I believe in not harming animals—since at this time in history it is not necessary for us to do so. In fact many studies have shown that humans thrive on plant-based diets. I’m getting a little off track here, but thanks for the insightful post, Jennifer!
It would be interesting to see the impact of the cost of meat as percentage of weekly salary compared to other items as well. although meat (and food in general) may be a low percentage compared to the old days, what other costs (fuel, housing) have increased to offset savings?
Hi Jen. Great thoughts. Thank you for writing about this. It’s a topic that’s becoming increasingly interesting to my husband and myself, in regards to our Catholic world view.
Some practical thoughts: HEB has organic ground beef for $5.99/pound at the butcher counter. That is cheaper than what you quoted, so consider that as a possibility. (I sincerely hope that the beef is sustainably and mercifully raised and processed. That might require a little more research on my part.) The fact that it would be free of GMO feed and antibiotics makes it my choice over the dirt-cheap ground beef.
Secondly, I am one of those moms that buys a pound or two of meat (any variety) for the week. In between we eat meatless (still dairy and eggs) or broth-based foods.
Another tip: HEB Central Market brand has organic chicken thighs, bone-in, which are the best price for your money at 3.49/pound. A whole chicken from the same brand is 3.99/pound. The bone-in thighs are flavorful because of the fat in the skin, which holds in moisture. They cook very nicely in the crockpot.
God bless.
For health reasons, we eat very little beef. However, we eat a lot of poultry. We’re not crazy about it. Left to our own devices, my husband and I could happily live on bread, butter, and salt. Or even pasta and tomato sauce. Our problem is if we don’t eat a fair amount of poultry, we fill up those calories with refined carbs, like pasta, or artery clogging favorites like cheese. Other than beans, eggs, and cheese, what proteins can you have in your dinners if meat’s just a side dish?
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In a typical week, our dinners will look like chicken and broccoli, chicken tacos, chicken and veggie shish kabobs, chicken margherita pizza, shredded chicken in salad greens, and then regular pizza, leftovers, vegetarian nachos, or eggs the other nights. If we didn’t have chicken, our health would suffer tremendously. We do eat vegetables and/or salad every night, but only because they’re good for us. Perhaps if we liked them more, we could eat chicken less.
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Because we eat so much chicken, a fair amount of it is organic, which I typically buy from Costco. I worry a lot about the antibiotics given to chickens, which is why I also buy organic or Eggland’s Best Eggs.
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I think, however, if we couldn’t afford organic, it would still be healthier for my family to eat all that chicken than to load up on (our preferred) processed food. I’m grateful that chicken is an affordable protein.
“There will never be any peace in the world as long as we eat animals.”
-Isaac Bashevis Singer
The meat/dairy/egg industries spends hundreds of millions of dollars lying to the public about their product. But no amount of false propaganda can sanitize meat. The facts are absolutely clear: Eating meat is bad for human health, catastrophic for the environment, and a living nightmare for animals. There’s never been more compelling reasons or a better time to opt for a plant based diet.
Want to create a better world? Eat like you mean it - Go Vegan
http://www.nonviolenceunited.org/veganvideo.html
“There is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to the beasts as well as man, it is all a sham.” Anna Sewell [1820 - 1878]
I can see I am selling way too cheap! Even at $4/lb, that is cheap for all the steaks, roasts, ribs, and burger.
My family and I (wife + 7 kids—so far) raise all-natural, grass-fed beef using management-intensive-grazing, and we dream of someday supporting the family with just the farm. We are improving the land God entrusted to us, putting it to its highest and best use (i.e. not planting houses on it, or corn), while keeping the weeds and brambles in check. The cows fulfill their highest and best purpose by becoming ‘the best cows that they can be’ enjoying sunshine and grass. I’m pretty sure they aren’t suffering, they are fat and lazy! The only nightmare here is when the phone rings at night, and the cows are out….
Don’t fall into the ‘organic’ trap, which is only a set of specifications that corporate food has taken over. Look for local/sustainable/face-to-face, rather than any label in the store. Google Joel Salatin/Polyface Farm for a better explanation of how grass-fed is better for you and for the environment, and why it is worth a higher price. In short, to keep families on the farm, and to improve (not just ‘create or save’) the environment. Pastured beef uses less resources than any chicken or beef you buy in the store, which was most likely corn/grain fed in a confinement facility, and shipped many miles from birth to table. The only thing better, and better for you, is wild game.
larry ,
I hear you about the livestock loose on the highway nightmare.Been there & done that on numerous occasions, but not for the last dozen years or so.After being “cow-free”, I’m getting ready to fence in the back field & run a few mama cows again.Maybe by reducing proximity to the road we’ll have fewer highway strays.We’ll see.
Nice to see a pro-vegetarian slant that has some credibility from a philosophical perspective, and some acknowledgement of the practical difficulties.
Apparently there used to be homonids, our close cousins, who were vegetarians. They died out, because the meat eaters had a health advantage.
But there can, of course, be too much of a good thing, and our society is REALLY good at providing too much of good things.
One concern I don’t see addressed here: There’s a huge problem with obesity in the U.S. and specifically with fatty and even cirrhotic livers brought on, not by alcohol consumption, but by excess sugars and bad carbohydrates. This has been encouraged by the pro-carbs, anti-fats-and-proteins government guidelines and bad scientific guesswork of the last 100 years or so which later studies have shown to be in error. It’s bacon and butter in moderation that’s good for you; it’s partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and margarine that are terrifically bad. Gary Taubes and the Eameses and the old Atkins diet have been nibbling around the edge of the problem for years now.
I bring it up because, well, I know an awful lot of chubby vegetarians. (In fact I dated one, but made up my mind that her vegetarianism was just one of many reasons I didn’t ever want to marry her.) Yes, I know vegetarians are supposed to be thinner, but it certainly doesn’t seem to be a magic bullet; folks who are thinner seem to be those who’ve taken control of their diet in some way that forces them to think about what they eat.
Anyway, my sense is that the non-skinny vegetarians are vegetarian in the sense that they don’t eat meat, but not in the sense that they eat nothing but collard greens: I think they took the meat out and substituted carbs to make up for the lost bulk. All the folk I know who’ve lost weight and improved fitness recently did so by changing their diet to contain mostly only two things: protein and vegetables, with an emphasis on the more bitter and lower-sugar of the vegetables. Their snacks changed from chips and sweets to peanuts and pecans. But when it comes to staving off cravings between meals, meat seems to last the longest time.
I wouldn’t want a world in which nobody ate meat. I don’t think it’d be healthy; and I think it would be a sign of society having developed an off-the-rails moralizing orthodoxy about animal rights, a faux-druidism, a vegan version of teetotaling. I can see the poster now: “Lips that touch meat shall not touch ours,” complete with the dour-faced crones, sending the whole male half of the population off to the butcher’s shop at a run.
But I can buy that reducing our overall meat intake to two-thirds its current levels by focusing on grass-fed and free-range and buying it less often could help…provided that we also reduced our sugars and empty carbs to a third of their current levels and upped the leafy greens.
In fact it sounds a lot like what Prudence and Temperance would recommend (with some Fortitude to keep it going).
@R.C. - You’ve outlined exactly why our family will not be vegetarian. Many of my peers have reached an age where their cardiologists have recommended vegan diets. My husband and I joke that it’s a good thing beer is vegan. ALthough our friends do lose some weight, it’s not as much as you’d think, and my husband and I often wonder if the weight loss is due to increased exercise. And they talk about how difficult it is and how they really don’t like the food. Several of them have turned off vegan and turned to more South Beach type diets, finding it much more livable. They typically switch from beer to wine, but they do lose more weight and say they feel healthier.
Grainfed beef is cheaper b/c it is fit for slaughter by 8 mos of age rather than pastured beef, which grows more slowly and is slaughtered at 18 mos of age. Also, grainfed beef is often fed corn, which is cheap, while pasturing cows means one must keep a good pasture organically. This is time consuming and we all know time is money. Also, the USDA certification costs a lot of money and pastured cows come from smaller farms, so there is more of an impact on the customer.
I wish I could remember the source of this, but one of the best perspectives against vegetarianism-as-good-for-animals that I’ve seen asked just how many of our food-source animals would still be around if we didn’t eat them? If you look in the USA, large herds of cattle and large flocks of chickens are only maintained because they provide food. You wouldn’t need as many to just produce dairy and eggs; and you wouldn’t need ANY for a vegan society. Who would put up with the mess of those animals if they didn’t provide some sort of product? And as domesticated animals, they probably wouldn’t do well in the little bit of “wilds” we have left, which are generally in harsh climates. And pigs? Forget it, they’re ALL about the food here in the USA. We don’t even use them for side benefits like getting rid of trash, as some countries do.
So it’s a little hard for me to buy into the animal-rights demand veganism arguments. Yes, I agree there should be humane treatment. But let’s not forget why they’re bred in the first place.
Hello - The least that you thoughtful folks can do is acknowledge the true meaning of words. I’m sure you wouldn’t want your language to (accidentally or otherwise) deceive.
I’m referring to the repeated use of the word “humane”. Hu·mane / hyoomáyn / adj. 1. having what are considered the best qualities of human beings; kind, tender, merciful, sympathetic, compassionate.
From Webster’s New World Dictionary
Now with this in mind - Could we substitute “kind” slaughter? “Tender” slaughter? How about “merciful”? No… I didn’t think so.
Therefore I propose that since “humane” means the alleviation of suffering - And since these animals are “fit for life” and delivered to the butcher free of disease, aged pain or injury - That there is nothing “humane” about it. There is no “suffering” to end. There’s only the forcible and violent taking of innocent life…
You may certainly call it “profitable” slaughter. Or “efficient” slaughter. But being true to the meaning of the word… It cannot possibly be “humane”. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to use that word and wrongly misrepresent yourselves.
Finally I contend further that all of this profitable and efficient killing is done without just cause as we who are in advanced civilizations and in front of computer screen have no necessity for it. The killing and eating of flesh is done to satisfy carnist desires - Gluttony and greed. To attempt to make the bloodshed of innocent victims seem “holy” or “sanctified” is disingenuous and betrays the whole notion of man made in the image of “good”.
Hi Colleen - I hope you realize that if we didn’t “breed” these beings… There wouldn’t be the problem of “the mess of those animals”. Supply and demand. Actually, if it weren’t for the huge amounts of subsidies and foreign markets - The “demand” and affordability of U.S. produced flesh would drastically decline. It is only artificially inflated and manipulated markets that keep “beef” as cheap as what it is. Technically - without government hand-outs - The typical 99cent burger would run about $23 ... In essence - My vegan money is going to support your “cheap meat”. :/
I struggle with this all. the. time!
I think the lack of emphasis on domesticity for women as we’re raised (and as we’re young professionals before marriage/motherhood) - which ties in with previous posts you’ve written/linked, I think - makes it hard to make these shifts once they come into consciousness and become actually meaningful in our families’ value systems.
For example, I have 2 little ones, my husband is in school, and I work as our DRE about 20-30 hrs wkly during the school year. It is all I can do to work my inner flylady (www.flylady.net, she rocks!) and keep us out of a pile of laundry, let alone pour over cookbooks. I make a lot of concessions, but little by little, I’d like to try to learn how to be more ethical in not supporting highly dysfunctional food systems. Not only because of the animal/farmer effects, though those are important, but also because of the instant gratification that is so built into every facet of American suburban life. Being able to make those choices - being able to have whatever we want at a whim - does have an impact on our expectations, whether we like it or not. (This is my own reflection, I am not criticizing you Jen!!)
I think patience, frugality, and honoring the integrity of the natural process breeds a certain virtue and forms the expectations of the members of the family in a healthy way. I am slowly slowly working to acquire the skills I need to steer our family in the direction over the next decade. Also, I’m sure there are exceptions, but everyone I know who was raised on a farm, especially when the farm was the family income, has an incredible capacity for work, honor, and just an integrated virtue about them that stands out from my own suburban sensibilities.
I always like to think of an Eliz Ann Seton quote: our job is first to do the will of God, then to do it in the way He wills it, third to do it because He wills it. I think of feeding my family as being the will of God, and doing it in the most ethical way in the way He wills it. I can’t do perfectionism because in the end we all get burned, and something essential always falls by the wayside when I insist stubbornly on an ideal. However, I really do think these things are important ethically and nutritionally - thanks for the chance to reflect again.
Colleen,
Some domesticated critters do quite well in the wild-like feral hogs.They do TOO well around here!
bea elliott said:
I hope you realize that if we didn’t “breed” these beings… There wouldn’t be the problem of “the mess of those animals”. Supply and demand.
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Um, that’s exactly my point. If we don’t need them in our grocery carts, we won’t breed them (why bother?), and because we wouldn’t breed them, they wouldn’t BE. I don’t think that most people who are upset about the meat industry actually want these animals to disappear.
And Kathleen, as to your point about feral hogs, yes, some may thrive, but not in comparable numbers as kept by our farmers! Or I guess if they did, they’d quickly be deemed a nuisance and you’d see campaigns to “fix” and eliminate them, like the programs for stray cats.
So funny that I read this right after a quick dash to Whole Foods with the objective to buy a bit of grass fed ground beef, organic lentils, organic milk, and Strauss whole milk organic yogurt. I used to feel pressure to fill up my cart, so I wouldn’t have to go back to the store for almost a week. I used to be a member of Costco. I think this was causing us to gain weight from having to actually consume all those products sitting on our shelves and in the freezer. It also tempts a person to buy tasty, prepackaged, processed foods (which are expensive!)Goodness knows I loved trying it all at the sample stands on Fridays! I’ve found that I enjoy cooking much more if the products are fresh, and locally grown. I prefer to go about 2 to 3 times a week to remain inspired. Yes, I looked at all those yummy steaks that were $20 bucks a pound, and bought my humble ground beef which ranges in price from $5-$7 a pound. The simple fact is that it is as good for you as wild caught salmon. It’s worth the extra $5, to feed the whole family! We can really taste the difference. My husband asked me to make one of his favorite meals when he was growing up, which consisted of seasoned ground beef and shallots, rice, seasoned lentils, and a vegetable. So it was relatively cheap and is healthy. I spent about $20 to make a meal which will also have some left overs. I DO have to control myself at Whole Foods. I’m a mercenary about only buying good deals, like organic, local avos for $1 or apples for $1.50, or their 365 Brand. But I also go to Trader Joe’s for good, cheaper, tried and true products. I also find that my kids enjoy their sandwiches more, and are less likely to toss them, if I roast my own turkey, chicken breast, and beef for sandwich meats. I try to buy it organic or at least free range, but that ends up happening only about half the time, or we’d be broke.
I finally signed up with my CSA- it feels like Christmas every Tuesday when I pick up my box!
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
Yes Colleeen - The vast majority of “domestic” cows, pigs and chickens would probably “disappear”. But these are not “natural” beings… They’d never be here without genetic mutations or drugs.
The pigs and cows especially as they are artificially inseminated to begin with… In other terms: raped for profit.
The pigs (and possibly cows) would eventually revert to their original genetic lineage. The chickens probably could live “wild” as there are feral ones nearly everywhere. The point being… They really don’t need you to “save” them - By consuming them.
Meanwhile each of the large mammals produce 6 - 8 times as much poop-waste as humans - And none of it’s disposal is regulated. You have hundreds/thousands of people affected in nearby “farming communities” who can’t drink their well water, can’t use the river inlets and can’t open their windows for the swarms of flies and stink that invades them. Doesn’t sound responsible to support institutions that treat their neighbors that way.
So please don’t infer that you’re concerned with humans either… In the end animal consumption costs the environment, human health and innocent lives. But since this a religious site I’m pointing to The Christian Vegetarian Association for a look at their pamphlet “Would Jesus Eat Meat Today?”:
I’m just unfair about animals. I play favorites. I’d eat a chicken but not an Anna’s hummingbird. I’ll eat cow but not horse. Meanwhile I dote on cats, who eat songbirds I wouldn’t eat, except under very unusual conditions.
But animals don’t have a concept of fairness in humans. So I don’t worry about explaining it to them.
The More with Less Cookbook is a great resource!
So Serena - You are arbitrary and irrational… This is fine if you can admit it with such ease - Others of us however require concrete evidence to harm others. Absolute justification - Species hardly qualifies for that.
Using your criteria though - May I ask if another race came to our planet (or if we encounter another elsewhere) and those beings saw us as inferior – And wanted to harvest our organs and use our bodies – Wouldn’t you scream bloody murder? Wouldn’t you want someone to defend your “right” to your own life – Even though it was proved to be “lesser” than someone else’s? Would you be happy with their arbitrary conclusion that your life had less value than say mine because I have red hair or brown skin… And you don’t?
I just want to make sure that you would approve of the same randomness and whimsy on your own fate as you foist upon others. ;)
This article is extremely disappointing.
Jennifer said that she stopped being vegetarian because eggs and dairy hurt animals, too, and she didn’t want to be a hypocrite so instead she went back to eating meat, therefore hurting more animals. Her “all or nothing” mindset hurts animals.
The part about chickens not being able to give to charity, therefore they’re worth eating - what the heck? Dogs and cats can’t give to charity - what should we do to them? What about poor people - if they can’t give to charity should we abuse them, too?
While it’s great to hear that she’s reducing her meat consumption, her reasoning for not being a vegetarian sounds wildly confused.
Ah, the good old days of the Depression! When roadkill was free meat and you could collect dandelion leaves for a salad! When sawdust was a filler for baking bread and a loaf of Spam could be made to feed 10 people.
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There were many more Catholics in those days….before the scandals came to light.
Colleen ,
Feral hogs are deemed a nuisance in the South & hunters try to keep the numbers down.In suburbs where it’s impractical or illegal to hunt with guns, folks take them out with bows & arrows.The younger ones are great eating, older boarhogs, not so much.
There are businesses that will trap them, too.
Actually, the domesticated animals that have gone feral may be valuable to agriculture as they’ve reverted to the older type breeds introduced to America & have developed better tolerance of parasites & adapted to local weather/habitat through survival of the fittest.The Flordida scrub cow’s another example.
Now if you can just find a way to explain this to my meat-and-potatoes; beans-fish-and-vegetables-are-disgusting husband, we’ll be doing great.
I have no philosophical objections to eating animals, but for health/wallet/gustatory enjoyment I’d just as soon eat vegetarian meals 2-3 times a week. I love beans and vegetables and fish and would be happy with, say, a vegetarian chili or a Nicoise salad or vegetable terrine. He insists on his beef, chicken or pork every night. And so it goes.
It’s interesting because in the part of the midwest I live in it has been much CHEAPER to purchase a cow from the farmer. We have purchased 1/4 cow from an amish farmed so we know it was grass fed, free range, etc and even with an increase from $2.50/lb to 2.95/lb, it still beats out the rock gut cheap stuff from the grocery store most of the time. It includes butchering and packaging. Everything from the ground beef to the steaks were the same. However, this time around they were less careful on butchering and we ended up paying a lot for extra fat and bones that we had to throw away anyway. I guess it’s part of the package, so to speak. Perhaps you can look around at local co ops or Weston A Price groups (FYI- I do NOT follow his food theories but I do know that a lot of the people that do are great resources on whole foods and how to get them cheaply!) and find a farmer. Perhaps it’s not one or the other; maybe there’s a third choice!!
@Dan Morgan: “While it’s great to hear that she’s reducing her meat consumption, her reasoning for not being a vegetarian sounds wildly confused.” Right on the money! Sounds like moral dissonance to me - People always will believe exactly what they want to. Meanwhile - We KNOW nonhumans desire to live as much as we do… And that their flesh is just a passing moment on our tongues. Such a price they pay for our fleeting, gustatory pleasures. :(
Maybe we can reach out & teach “non-humans” to stop eating each other, too?
:)
@ Kathleen - Why would we do that? Other creatures cannot biologically survive without flesh consumption. I’m for killing less - Not more! ;)
bea elliott ,
Some critters just seem to kill for pleasure: cats, dogs, coyotes,etc.If you’ve ever raised sheep, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Man can kill wastefully, too.
We are omnivores just like hogs & chickens. They both prefer meat,too, when they can get it, but can survive OK without it.
Eating meat’s not the issue.Waste might be, though.
You’re right - Eating meat is not the issue - As far as I’m concerned anyone can put a dead carcass on their plate anytime they choose… But killing innocent life IS the issue for man who is a moral agent. Totally different than a cat or alligator who acts on predatory instinct. Remember? That’s why we’re the “higher” beings? We have freewill and choices. They don’t. ;)
bea elliott ,
I guess roadkill’s an OK option, then?
:)
We actually ate a roadkilled wild turkey once.If the “roadkill”‘s very recent, it’s OK. Local game warden’s get calls frequently asking permission to use the deermeat after a vehicle hits a deer. That way you clean up the mess & don’t waste natural resources.Maybe thin out the herd, too.
Kathleen - Of course roadkill is fine - I have no problem what anyone wishes to consume as long as it didn’t require the theft of life. I think you and I are finally on the same page! ;)
Now… If you could only answer my question about man being a moral agent and not the “carnivores” in the wild—- We’d really be making headway. Thank a bunch! ;)
bea elliott ,
I don’t think we’d be in full agreement on the moral-agent issue except in the case of wastefulness & overconsumption.I support hunting & fishing & conservation efforts.I have raised & personally butchered livestock for our family’s use.I’ve probably shot every variety of varmint that preys on livestock or gardens.
Currently, I only have chickens but am hoping to get back into sheep & cattle soon.
I think we consume far too much meat considering our modern, sedentary lifestyles but that’s a health concern, not a moral issue to me.So, we’d differ on that, but God bless! I think we’d agree on conservation issues at least.Meat’s not an important part of my diet & even less so since I stopped producing it.
One reason that spending 2% of the budget on meat seems to be so much more painful now than it did back in the early 1900s is because back then, the Total Cost of Government came nowhere near to being 50% of the budget, as it is today.
I have been vegetarian for the last 28 years, based on compassion for the world’s poor and starving humans. I love animals, but I loved them just the sane all the years I was a carnivore. What made me go vegetarian was finally understanding that the “rich man’s privilege” of eating factory farmed beef/pork/chicken was directly (or at least indirectly) responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of human beings every year. Find my personal story at http://wp.me/p2Th32-2r. Thank you!
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