There is a lot of anger, a lot of frustration, and much suffering in the chickens….So when you eat the flesh or egg of such a chicken, you are eating anger and frustration. So be aware. Be careful what you eat. –Thich Nhat Hanh Anger
In certain parts of the world, people enjoy eating animals that other people would never eat. Dogs and cats, for example, are used for food in China and South Korea. Horses are on the menu in parts of Europe. Elephants, monkeys, kangaroos, snakes, and even beetles are served in various locales while some animals—like cows or pigs—are strictly off-limits for religious reasons.
In times of war, famine, and other calamities, people have consumed creatures that would normally be taboo for them, including cats and dogs but also rats and even other humans. And while eating human flesh is considered the ultimate taboo by most of us, a few small tribes actively practice cannibalism even today, though it was once much more widespread.
In stark contrast are those of us who reject many, most, or even all forms of animal flesh and instead choose a plant-based diet. I’m in that group and have been since a very young age.
For me, cows, pigs, and chickens—and all other mammals and birds—are on my personal taboo list.
Living on a small farm as a child, I got to know and became friends with the animals we raised organically and killed for food. By the time I was in my young teens, I couldn’t eat a pig or a cow any more than I could eat a dog or a cat or a human. The thought of a McDonald’s hamburger, for example, repulses me as much as the idea of eating the family dog repulses most people I know.
Not eating meat sort of evolved for me—it’s not a lifestyle I aspired to or a principle I decided to live by. There’s no temptation involved, or craving, or longing for meat. In fact, some frozen “veggie burgers” I’ve bought at the grocery store remind me so much of meat that I can’t eat them.
Eating fish didn’t bother me for the longest time until I started raising koi and goldfish ten years ago. These days I can’t say I don’t eat fish or shellfish, since I wouldn’t turn away from a hot bowl of New England clam chowder on a cold day. But that’s about it.
I have a lot of reasons for not eating meat that go beyond my personal feelings.
The main reason is that I don’t care to be a part of the violence involved in raising and butchering animals for food. It can be done somewhat humanely, but if you’ve ever heard a pig scream when it’s shot between the eyes—and chased it across hill and dale for two miles—you might not think it’s so humane. If you’ve ever placed a hen’s head over a chopping block and caught her eye just as the hatchet was coming down…well, I’ll spare you the details. That was a turning point for me.
At least, on my family’s small farm, the animals lived happy, content lives. Wholesome food, plenty of space to graze or move around in, and lots of love were freely given.
Commercially-raised animals don’t enjoy the same conditions. If you’ve ever viewed video footage or news programs about what goes on in so-called factory farming and at slaughter houses you know that’s a gross understatement.
And I can’t take part in that violence, even second-hand.
For me, to eat animals that have been raised in miserable situations and killed in violent ways is to not only support that violence but also to ingest it. With such an abundance of healthy non-animal food available to me here in the U.S., it’s easy to make a choice to not eat any meat at all. I don’t need it. I get plenty of protein from plant sources, and it’s probably more than I need.
Some people don’t have many choices about what to eat, or their paths have just been different from mine.
I’d never judge someone who eats horses or cats any more than I judge my friends who eat cows or pigs. And while I feel some revulsion at the idea of eating a dog or a cat—one of my cats is lounging here on my desk as I write this—I’m used to that feeling in response to the idea of eating a cow or a pig. Because of that, I believe I can better understand other people’s taboos and acceptances along with cultural differences and individual choices.
But I think the world would be a better place if more people considered eating less meat and fewer animal products.
Less violence, less killing. Fewer animals suffering. More land and water for growing people-food instead of animal-food. Less ground and water pollution from animal feces and urine, and less air pollution from gases produced. No need for workers to compromise ethics or shut down whatever compassion they might have for the animals so they can do their jobs.
I believe that violent energy—no matter what it’s associated with—makes for a violent world. And we can all live better without it. Violence begets violence. Peace begets peace.
How many people in the average restaurant—enjoying a steak or filet mignon or roast chicken—would be willing to kill the animals he or she enjoys eating?
How many who enjoy eating spring lamb would be willing to look that lamb in the eye, wring its neck or slit its throat, cut open its belly and scoop out the organs, quarter it, chop it up into the various cuts and then pop it in the oven and eat it?
Sounds like Jeffrey Dahmer, if you ask me.
Can you do that? If so, why?
We are what we eat.
For additional reading:
China to Ban Eating Dogs and Cats?
Cruelty to Animals: Mechanized Madness
Comments are always welcome! Even when they present an opposing opinion.
{ 14 comments }
I’m with you Leah. I’ve recently given up eggs after reading about the egg industry having some of the most depraved and deplorable conditions. Free range my ass. It means thousands of chickens jammed into a barn get “access” to a door that leads to a tiny enclosure outside where they are “free” to range, but the door’s closed. Head in the sand is the approach most people take to what they shove in their mouths on a daily basis. I’m learning and as I learn, I make choices. Indifference is not an option. Nobody’s perfect, but come on people. Do you really think your steak lived a good life? And why isn’t it labeled cow and pig in the grocery store? We like to live in the illusion that our taste buds prefer. Bottomline, killing is killing. Doesn’t matter if it’s a cute puppy or a cute cow. They should both be protected.
Katie´s last [type] ..Soul Searching- Week 6 of the 7-Week Life Cleanse
Katie, I’ve always wondered exactly how “free” the free range stuff is. I’ve suspected it just barely adheres to any laws governing it, if there are any. Growing up, we had chickens in the house sometimes! A calf and a pony here and there, too, because they really did have free range.
I think a lot of people don’t even question it or make a connection between what’s in the package at the store or on a plate at a restaurant–or in a Big Mac– and an animal that feels hunger and thirst and love and pain…I read awhile back about kids not realizing that milk comes from a cow.
I guess it’s all about people developing awareness over time.
I’m a farm girl too, so I know what it feels like to get to know animals and then have them hauled off to be put on a dinner plate. Likewise, hunting is a big thing in the area where I live, and killing animals in the wood is ‘sport.’ I’ve broken free of cultural conditioning and am a vegetarian/nearly vegan now, but why do these misconceptions persist? We do not need animal protein.
Seriously, I can’t even stand to walk through a meat section at a store anymore. It’s more than my spirit can tolerate.
Jean Sarauer´s last [type] ..What Lil’ Wayne Can Teach You About Marketing Your Blog
Hunting was big where I grew up too, Jean. I learned to use my dad’s guns and I was looking forward to getting a hunting license at age 12, but that was right around the time I was getting turned off by the whole scene. So I never did.
I know what you mean about the meat section. I think the misconceptions persist simply because we (humans) have been eating meat since way back, and it’s just deeply ingrained. In less affluent times or places, meat was for special occasions or having it regularly and in large quantities was only for the wealthy. Now most people in well-off nations are the equivalent of what used to be wealthy, and meat is relatively cheap…so they eat.
Glad I’m not the only one who knows what it’s like to know the animals and then see them on our plates! Eesh.
Leah another wonderful post that gets me emotionally disturbed. It disturbs me in positive way, since I haven’t yet been able to live a vegetarian life. I have many vegetarian and vegan friends and although I consume a great amount of non animal product – I’m not yet there.
Aileen´s last [type] ..Today I’m Visiting Goodlife Zen with a Basket of Friends
Thanks Aileen,
It’s definitely a disturbing topic! It’s all a process. I truly believe everyone has a unique path, and we all tackle different subjects at different times in our lives. For some reason, this one smacked me in the face at a young age. My older sister wasn’t bothered, nor my mom or dad (at least as far as I know), and I think my younger sister was too young to really react or think about it much (we moved and quit the “live off the land” thing when I was 14–we started when I was 6-7). For me it was never really a decision or a choice or a philosophy or a decision. I just couldn’t handle eating meat, and thinking about it came later.
Oh this is a tough one Leah. I agree and disagree with much of what you say – I agree that it’s not right to judge people’s choices, I agree that intensive farming is cruel and I agree that sport hunting is challenging to say the least. But would I prefer to see massive super-arable farms instead of grass-fed organic meat? I for one would not – I don’t trust big agri-business any more than the tobacco industry and the majority of grain crops, rice, wheat, etc are highly intensively farmed, not organic and devastating to wildlife through their rampant use of pesticide, herbicides, gm modification and growth accelerators. I would choose local, permaculture raised food, including meats – food that is authentic, low mileage, low intesity and non-devastating. And to hunting, there were (and still are a few) native peoples that hunted in a sustainable way – they respected the life of the animal they took and lived lightly on the planet. They did not farm, merchandise in supermarkets or treat living beings as mere commodities. I agree that the labelling of meats as pork rather than pig is a deception, but so is so much food that is labelled “healthy”. To protect all animal life would require us to live as fruitarians, waiting for the crop to fall from the tree to avoid harm to a living thing – mass arable farming is devastating to wildlife, flora and fauna. Mass arable farming is devastating to the honey bee and other insect life and therefore to humanity. I agree this is a difficult area with strong feelings, but I struggle to accept that mere vegetarianism versus meat eating answers the problems.
Hi Mark! Nice to see you here.
You’ve brought up a bunch of cool topics, for sure. Don’t even get me started on the pesticides and all that! Even in my neighborhood here, I don’t understand why people put pesticides and herbicides on their lawns. I don’t dare let my dogs drink from a puddle when we’re out on a walk.
I agree with you on the local food, even if it’s meat. I try to support the local farmers here as much as I can (veggies, of course
. For me, not eating meat is a personal choice that I believe is a good one–for anyone, for many reasons–but it’s still personal. When we start talking about animal cruelty or conditions animals are raised under for the meat that people eat, that’s getting into a different territory for me. And that’s why I speak out a bit. Plus I do think that Thich Naht Hahn is on to something with ingesting the anger. He says if you’re going to eat meat or eggs or whatever, just be careful about where it comes from.
I think we’re running down a bit of a slope if we start talking about fruitarianism. Might be an interesting choice though! For me personally, I do avoid, as much as possible, hurting or killing any sentient being whatsoever. That includes spiders and flies in the house. But there are limits to that. For the longest time I drew the no meat-eating line at fish, and it didn’t bother me until recent years. I admit I don’t feel all that bad about the few dozen clams or whatever in my clam chowder (when I have it, which is rare) though I think about it–that will probably go too.
An interesting practice that’s been discussed at a local Zen center is like this (I think it’s pretty common): eat only meat from larger animals so you kill (or require animals to be killed) as little as possible. In other words, avoid chickens or rabbits or shrimp and clams and instead go for the yaks, or whatever is big, cows etc. I’m thinking of Buddhists in Tibet, I think it is, who eat yak or something similar.
My ideal is to reduce the cruelty and violence that animals suffer and not support killing and violence. I do understand what you say about native people’s customs that were much lighter on the earth and far more respectful.
Mass farming–yeah, it’s awful. Lots of things could do with some change. There’s no one answer to complex problems. I think it’s a good idea, though, to start making some changes now. Even without any catastrophic change (nuclear war etc), in 50-100 years or 200 or whatever, things will probably have to change. Fuel and energy issues come to mind. Too much to get into here, but I think it’s better to willingly, mindfully consider changes now instead of waiting for them to be forced upon us–or our children, grandkids etc.
Hi Leah,
The title of your post caught my eye on the Men With Pens site. I’m so with you on the horrific way we treat these animals. Pigs are super smart. And lambs the gentlest little babies. The picture you’ve got above should be on the outside of the meat counter near the lamb ribs.
I write a monthlyish column for the local daily. My last one was called think globally, eat locally. I did a lot of research for it. What I discovered made me shudder.
I don’t think most people associate large scale suffering with the neatly wrapped, pretty blood-free steak they pick up at the supermarket nor the garbage the animals eat and they subsequently eat too. If they did, they’d change their diets.
Best thing to do is keep getting the word out to people, all 6.7 billion of us. Many folks contend the earth can only handle 2 billion people. That’s accounting for many of the factory farms — increasing numbers of people who want to eat animal flesh.
Excellent post! Thanks, Giulietta
Giulietta Nardone´s last [type] ..Wretched mortal- do you open your eyes
Hi Giulietta,
Thanks for stopping by! I’m so glad to meet others who know exactly what I mean. I think you’re right: not only do most people not associate the pretty, uniformly red-dyed, bloodless steaks with suffering, they don’t realize what the conditions are in the slaughtering, butchering, and packaging areas.
Would all the people who freak out about germs in their houses and buy the disinfectants and deodorizers that are advertised on TV want to eat anything that comes from those places, if they knew what was going on? I doubt it.
Thanks much
Hi Leah – what an excellent article! Seems lots of us are heading your way in terms of eating habits! The way we eat has enormous effects on our health generally.
I recall as a little girl in Scotland, my father killing one of our chickens and then our having it presented to us for dinner that night. We were all sobbing and refused to eat. From then on our chickens were considered to be pets who supplied us with eggs. For us, at the time, the eggs didn’t represent life!
I have never really enjoyed eating meat, though I can eat fish occasionally. Rest assured though, it is a culprit in the ever-increasing, life-threatening illnesses that were not around when I was a child. Being at the mercy of the food industry generally, is very worrying. Preservatives are in almost everything we buy. Imagine having bread in your freezer that is still edible three months later! You see we have, by our lethargy and lazy acceptance, allowed all of this to take place.
Here in Canberra, the government has recently allowed the importation of apples from China!!! Why? We can grow mountains of them here. Ah, but if we import them cheaply, we can make them into juice – one reason (amongst many) why I do not buy juice!
Like you, I source much of our food at our local farmers’ markets. I rarely visit the supermarket except to buy tissues, toilet rolls and the likes. I make wonderful food, much of it raw. I don’t believe I save any money, but we are already seeing huge benefits in our health. That has to be a plus.
Of course what we all should be doing is turning our pretty gardens into produce gardens. Then we would know exactly what we are injesting! sadly, we are but a few voices in the proverbial wilderness!
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Hi Maria! Thanks for your very interesting comments. I agree, the way we eat definitely has huge effects on our health. I see you had a very similar experience as I did when you were a child–yes, it’s really strange to be friends with an animal, kill it or have it killed, and then put it on our plates and try to eat it–eeeesssh!
We’re definitely at the mercy of the food industry unless we make choices to not be, at least as much as we can.
A lot of people take so many pills to control health issues (like blood pressure and cholesterol) when the real issue is what they’re eating, in many cases (not all, but many). I could tell some stories!
The health benefits of eating better far outweigh any extra expense or effort. Thanks for joining the discussion and I’ll look forward to hearing from you again
the picture got me! Although I personally don’t eat lamb – how can they when they look so adorable?
I’m transitioning into a vegetarian + fish diet primarily because I can’t bear the thought of their cute adorable faces.
Thanks for the well thought out post!
Hi Jenny! That picture definitely caught my eye too–I can’t imagine what it’s like to see a sweet little lamb like that and then kill it–and eat it. Ive never had lamb or veal–my mom never served it and I doubt I could have eaten it even before I turned away from other meat.
Thanks for stopping by!
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