While reading this chapter on the human-meat relationship several things caught my attention that I either had questions about, or that I had never before known about that I wanted to investigate further. I feel that this topic is one of the most controversial in the realm of human-animal relations. What should we really be eating, and what shouldn't we? My whole life I've been raised eating beef, pork, chicken, turkey, & deer meat, and I've never had any real medical issues. I never really thought much of eating meat until I got to college. I feel that for most people my age, this is sort of a trend. We start to really think about what we are putting into our bodies in hopes of gaining nutrition.
In this chapter Herzog talks about the campaign to moralize meat, and how it has been a failure. He goes into how there are very few true vegetarians in the country, and that even a large percentage of those that claim to not eat meat, still eat animal flesh of some sort. You would think that with the spread of education about where our food comes from with sources such as Food, Inc., and research showing the relationship between red meat and obesity, cancer, and heart disease, that people would more increasingly shy away from eating meat. Well, are we really? Herzog also says how it seems to be fashionable for young people to claim vegetarianism. Is it just a fad to eat healthy and cut out meat, or are we actually changing the ways in which we eat, slowly but surely? From what I have experienced just in talking to friends, and hearing how others talk about food at Eckerd, it seems to me that it is somewhat of a fad, but at the same time I think that it is going to keep growing and hopefully become the norm of our future where people do take the time to eat healthier. But does this mean completely eliminating meat?
What I find most interesting is the comparison Herzog makes of our diet to that of chimpanzees and other apes. He tells us how chimpanzees, which most of us know are strongly related to humans genetically, love the taste of meat, but that it only makes up approximately less than 5% of the chimpanzees diet. Maybe there is something that we humans can learn from these close relatives of ours. Maybe eating meat is a good for us in a sense, but in significantly smaller portions? Is it possible that we humans, especially Americans, have overindulged our love for meat to the point where it has caused us harm? Maybe the answer is simple, and maybe it's not. I guess it's up to the individual to decide for themselves, based on their morals, culture, and appetite, whether or not meat is to stay in their diet, and to what extent.
-Sarah Nappier
I can definitely relate to you, Sarah, about how when I was growing up I never really put any thought into how or what I was eating. I learned to eat what was put in front of me and give no lip about it to my parents. It was not until about 8th grade when my best friend discovered PETA and their radical views. She constantly shoved their disgusting videos of slaughter house animal torture. Every time I ate chicken, she never failed to remind me that I was eating a a carcass of something that used to be living and that the "farmers" cut their heads off and they still stayed alive for hours after.
ReplyDeleteI tried to be a vegetarian because PETA's extreme ways made me feel bad about my decisions. However, my parents refused to cook separately for me and would not support my decision since they were worried I would get sick. Once I grew up more and was not as easily swayed by things, I realized that while PETA's heart may be in the right place, I absolutely do not agree with the way they go about things. They make people feel bad about eating meat, even though it has been found that strictly meat and strictly vegan diets are not the healthiest for us. The human body needs more than that.
I agree 100% that we need some amount of meat in our diets. Meat lies in our past and there is a reason why we have cravings for it. Some people watch those shows where people are addicted to eating strange things like coins, well there is a reason why people do this. Scientists believe it could be because that particular person has a nutrition deficiency and craves that particular nutrient. We crave meat because it has the protein or iron we need to survive. Sure there are people who have had success without eating meat, but I am sure they have a plethora of vitamins and supplements they have to take. But I digress, in my opinion a good balance of meat and veggies is the best way to stay full, be healthy and have a good amount of energy!
-Kelly Ejnes
Thank you for bringing up the idea of overindulgence! I think this is really an essential part the majority of the problems we are seeing today—not only with animals, but really in all facets of our society. In relation to animals, we are not only overindulging in the amount we eat, but as I mentioned yesterday in my post, we are overindulging in the items we are buying for our pets. Overall, I think this overindulgence has become a staple of our society’s need to prove that we are wealthy and successful.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you posed the question of what should and shouldn’t we be eating. This is a question I frequently struggle with, and I think this is another huge part of the food debate in our country. As we saw today most people really have no idea what they are eating or where is comes from. I find how little we actually know about our food very overwhelming; however, I think there is a problem that is even bigger. Companies have made it extremely difficult to find true and understandable information about our food supply. I truly do not understand at what point an entire country’s health takes a backseat to making money, but unfortunately that is what has happened here.
So, even if a person has the education to understand what they should and shouldn’t be eating, will they necessarily be able to find the foods they need? And are the foods they buy actually going to be what they say they are? Sadly, I doubt it. I really is a shame that we cannot trust our government and fellow Americans to have everyone’s best interests at heart (or should I say stomach?).
- Caroline Thrasher
While watching Food Inc. I couldn’t help but think about this Chipotle commercial that aired a while ago. In the commercial, the ridiculousness behind the meat industry is illustrated. The way they portray the animal-human relationship within this advertisement is very startling but real.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSE
I agree with Sarah, Kelly, and Caroline in the opinion that we are overindulging in meat. I would personally like to see a change in the total amount of meat American’s eat. I would also like to see a change in the way society treats those animals we take resources from. It seems crazy that we treat resource-related animals with disrespect. Certain farmers pack them into small cages or pens, feed them genetically modified corn, and hardly give them the time of day. Then to thank the animals for letting us mistreat them, we kill them and think little about it. In a way, I wish we valued our food like the Na’vi (from the movie Avatar) do. They hunt their own food and when they make a kill they fully understand and respect the animal they consume (usually saying “I see you” before ending the life of the animal). I’m not saying we should thank they animal for letting us kill it. I just think we should value our food sources in a great way.
-Nic Swaner
Jill - Responder
ReplyDeleteAll of your opinions are ones I see in myself. Food Inc. was an eye opening moment for me. I have tried many of times to convince myself and in a way make myself stop eating meat and become a vegetarian because I simply feel guilty for eating an animal that once had a face, a life and maybe even a family. I agree with kelly that meat lies in our past, and that we crave it for a reason. We just as any other species are animals. We often times forget that but we are. And in order for us to satisfy our bodies and store enough energy for ourselves, that sometimes means that we indulge in eating meat of some kind. As much as I would want to just eat home grown, organic vegetables and fruits, that won't sustain me. But a mixture of both would do the trick!
-Jill Willig