Book Review - Eating Animals

When I decided to change up what I ate, giving up meat was the easiest part. Something has always nagged at me about eating it and I am amazed at the number of people I hear say "I don't really eat/like meat that much." It is something I think we need to take note of. Maybe it is because they are health conscious. Maybe it is because they really don't like the taste. Maybe they are like me and it always felt, well, kinda mean. Even sushi, which I devoured on a weekly basis made me feel a little bit sad.

So why do we eat animals? And should we? 

If you are reading this blog, then there is a good chance you don't eat animals. But I still encourage you to read  Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. I encourage everyone to read it. It might not turn you off meat, but I have very high doubts that it won't change the way you look at it.

This book is not an all out horror fest or a major guilt trip. (Although there were parts where I cried like really really hard - those of you who know me well, know that I also cry really really hard during commercials about Kleenex) It is a well presented case for not eating factory farmed meat.  And then goes on to ask, why meat at all?

If I can digress for just a sec. I recently went to Herbivore Clothing located in Portland. And I bought a couple of these buttons - 

Factory Farms Are Mean and Nasty

After reading Eating Animals I am haven't purchased factory farmed meat or eggs. And there isn't anything in the future that I can predict will make me do it again. Foer takes it one step further though and says - why eat animals at all? Even if it was raised humanely, killed in the least cruel way possible, you are still killing a sentient being to eat it.

Eating Animals has a interesting cast of farmers, activists, and butchers in the book that give you the whole spectrum of opinion through interviews. While Foer's book clearly leans towards vegetarianism, it isn't a "you're an asshole if you eat meat" kind of book. That is why I suggest it to everyone.

Recently "pink slime" and  cruel condition for battery hens are on the news every night and I feel gratitude to the host of books and movies that are coming out about the way animals are treated and the disgusting things that go on at factory farms both animals wise and food wise. I am grateful that people are taking a closer look at what is on their plate. Eating Animals will help everyone investigate a little further. Check it out at your local library, or you can purchase it here.

Books - Skinny Bitch

Skinny Bitch - Co-authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

I hesitated reading this book. I have always wanted to be skinny and never have been. I call people skinny bitches, but only to their face. But the truth is, I don't ever want my daughter to feel that she needs to be. I don't want her to value herself based on her pants size, like I so often do. And also I don't want her to be a bitch. Self-confident and fiery? Absolutely! But with enough awareness to realize that bitchiness, while sometimes fun, really is mean-spirited and tacky. Thus resulting in my wavering over reading this book. (In other words yay for me, boo for our new generation of women.)

But getting past the title and into the meat of the book (or soy-based meat replacement), I realized that the authors, rather rapidly, explain what they mean by the title of the book and it isn't that you need to be a bone-thin twat. Rather the opposite. In fact thinness has very little to do with it. So good. I can keep reading.

There are many short chapters covering everything from politics to poop. If you spend your time reading peer-reviewed medical journals or can easily digest current economic theories, then this book is going to drive you nuts. It is a lot of catchy and intense one-sentence facts pulled from studies. There are about umpteen million footnotes. For the average reader, this is nice. Someone did the research for you and just gave you the goods. However, if you are looking for deep reasoning behind making a life changing decision, like going vegan, you may find that you need something more in depth.

Three things I really liked about this book. One, I laughed out loud a lot. I really like to laugh. It is up there with sex and food and pictures my daughter draws for me, as far as basic needs go. Two, they give you a list of stuff you can buy at the store. Like what kind of cereal, milk, bread, cheese, etc to buy. When you are getting started, you don't need recipes, you need food. You know, to answer the what the hell am I supposed to eat question. And of course we know, you are supposed to eat veggies and fruit, and I have upped my veggie intake by about 500%, but that isn't really what you eat everyday. You don't wake up in the morning and pull out the celery, or start roasting pepper. Well maybe you do, but I sure don't. I want toast or cereal or granola bars. This will give you a realistic list to start with.

The last thing I really enjoyed is their coaching. Every time you say "no I can't" - they say "shut up, stop whining, don't lie to yourself, you totally can."

And the truth is, they're right, you totally can.

The consensus - worth picking up or borrowing from a friend.