On _Eating Animals_

I have been a semi-vegetarian for years now (I rarely cook meat myself, but will occasionally order fish or chicken at restaurants and will eat whatever is served me by a host). I became a vegetarian when I was a teenager and remained one until well after college. When I first decided to avoid meat most of the people I knew thought it very odd (though my family was remarkably accommodating, especially my mother who found in my dietary choice an excuse for culinary experimentation). When I went on school and church trips we often stopped at fast food restaurants where the only items on the menu I could order were fries or a cheeseburger without the burger. I soon ceased to be surprised at the baffled looks I received from across the counter upon making this request.

Things have changed a bit in our culture since. Healthy, vegetarian fare is increasingly available, even at fast food chains, but we are still a carnivorous nation.

Since I moved to the Midwest nearly 10 years ago, I've begun to add meat back to my diet, mainly out of convenience - many parts of the country - including most of Indiana - remain set on a meat and carbohydrate diet. Yet, as I've started thinking about eating ethically, though, I find myself wondering if I can really justify my occasional meat habit - after all, most of the meat we consume is factory farmed, the animals treated as product from even before they are conceived, much of our vegetable agricultural system goes toward supporting meat production, the extraordinary waste from meat production is damaging the environment, and many of the workers in meat facilities seem to be mistreated and unpaid for the dangerous work that they do.

To be sure, there are ethical alternatives. But, free-range, grass-fed, hormone-free meat is very expensive, and perhaps rightfully so. We have grown too accustomed, I think, to cheap meat - so accustomed that we are unable to see the real human, animal, environmental, and heath costs that we are paying. I'm beginning to think that not eating meat at all may be the only alternative for someone on a limited budget. And would be interested in hearing others' thoughts on this.

Also, a book on my reading list that I believe takes up these issues is Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals. I'll post a review after I read it, but am curious if others' have already worked their way through it.