Innocent Animals
Chopping up birds
In the Island Life section of the Honolulu Advertiser today (Wednesday, April 14, 2010) the main story was entitled "Buying the whole bird", which was about how to "enjoy value, freshness, versatility by learning to cut apart a chicken." It was accompanied by pictures with captions like, "1.
When a sacrifice is necessary, what can we ask of others? What should we ask of ourselves?
Foer makes the case, in this final chapter of Eating Animals, that food is at the heart of the human dilemma. Eating is the most universal act, and its implications are far reaching. What we eat affects our relationship with our environment, our relationship with family and with our extended family – the other living beings that inhabit this planet. Food is a source of comfort for most people. We eat, many times, to resolve our anxieties. We eat to forge social bonds and to escape, temporarily, from the constant barrage of demands we face in life. Eating, then, is the activity which most calls on us to consult our conscience, and the activity we are least willing to examine.
Another Alternative
An article in the Honolulu Advertiser today talks about aquaculture in Hawaii, and how various environmental groups are opposed to it on the basis that it is harmful to the environment. Aquaculture is another way of saying a fish factory farm, a large number of fish concentrated together in a sma
"I don't eat what I meet."
Review of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer Chapter Four: “Hiding/Seeking”
They eat what?!? Mad Cows and Rotten Snickers
A few years before I became a vegetarian, I had a glimpse into the reality of factory farmed meat that made me pause and rethink my habits. It was an assignment for a class I’ve since forgotten; I was tired and skimming through the photocopied handout when a phrase jumped out at me. At the end of a list of additives to livestock feed, the article mentioned waste from candy factories, including “rotten Snickers".
Does caring for animals make you a sentimentalist?
Review of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer Chapter Three: “Words/Meaning”
Respectful dialogue and education vs. forcing views on others
It feels like we have lost the ability to respectfully disagree. This is occurring on the national and state level as evidenced by the increasingly partisan positions that our political leaders are taking, whether it be in the school furlough negotiations, or in the national health care debate. Even in debates where the people involved are actually close in their outlook and aims, often vitriol and bitter words are reserved for those who have the same general aims and outlook, but who differ in some of their views.
What's wrong with eating animals?
This is the first in a series of weekly posts dedicated to our book club selections. Tune in every Tuesday to discuss the pressing issues raised by these authoritative and popular authors. Whether you have the time to read along with me or not, I'd love to hear your two cents. To pick up your copy of "Eating Animals" at amazon.com, follow the link at the end of the post.
Reply to a vegan
I received an email from a reader of our e-newsletter who expressed concerns about the way cows are treated by the dairy industry. This was in response to my CVO column about Hawaii's Fresh milk which we are selling.
What is Progress?: Lessons from Avatar
Caitlin Rose, my guest blogger, has sent me another thoughtful blog post based on the movie Avatar. Avatar is set to become the biggest grossing movie of all time, so it must be pretty good (I have not seen it). Caitlin's blog post follows: