Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Ellis's Reviews > Eating Animals

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Rate this book
Clear rating

by
287912
's review

really liked it
bookshelves: what-the-fuck-are-we-even-doing

I think that this book has changed my life, albeit in a really f*cking inconvenient way. I've read Omnivore's Dilemma and Fast Food Nation and all the types of books that people who are trying to be socially conscious are supposed to read, and I know about the horrors of factory farming and how brutally animals are treated in the course of getting to my plate. But somehow it's been easier to live with it and ignore it in the past; Pollan even gives you a convenient out at the end of his book, where he "pities" the "dreams of innocence" of the vegetarian. I've never quite had it put to me the way that Safran Foer does, and it is this way that I cannot escape. This book asks just what the hell are you going to do about it? Knowing what you've just told about how chickens are raised & slaughtered, how the hell can you ever go to the store & buy chicken breasts again? After reading about what's done to pigs in the course of their lives, how can you go buy bacon? And even if you don't want to admit that turkeys and chickens and cows can feel pain, how can you support of an industry that Human Rights Watch says is guilty of "systemic human rights violations"? I'm not trying to get on a high horse or anything here: I love meat. I love bacon & sausage & desebrada & chicken fingers and pork roasts. I love these things and I don't want to go without them. And I never asked for the farming industry to use genetic manipulation to breed animals that are weaker & sicker. I never asked for them to jam-pack animals with antibiotics & end their lives in horrifically violent ways. But I don't think I can eat meat anymore because whether I asked for it or not, buying their products is supporting their ways.
This review's getting too long. I suppose to sum up, this book has changed my life & I really wish I hadn't read it. I really wish I could just go on pretending that none of this ever happens. I wish I didn't tear up when I think about the chicken in my freezer (keep in mind that I am pregnant & emotional, please).
28 likes ·  âˆ� flag

Sign into Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ to see if any of your friends have read Eating Animals.
Sign In »

Reading Progress

Finished Reading
November 10, 2009 – Shelved
June 13, 2017 – Shelved as: what-the-fuck-are-we-even-doing

Comments Showing 1-11 of 11 (11 new)

dateDown arrow    newest »

message 1: by Dan (new)

Dan Schwent Your review is good, though I'll never read the book and fully intend to continue my carnivorous ways.


Ellis Yeah, if you want to keep eating meat you really shouldn't read this. I'm currently reading Wodehouse to cheer me up.


Athena Deitrick Aww, this makes me happy and sad. Maybe ignorance is bliss, but it also makes you a dumb shit. (Not YOU, but ya know, "you") Being aware of how the world works and what things like eating meat really mean just makes you a more enlightened, caring being. I'll take you to Watercourse and you'll realize you can have a wonderful fullfilling life without meat!


Ellis That's funny, I actually went to Watercourse the other night. I'm not sure why my pasta had to be $12.95 a plate, but it was pretty tasty.


Athena Deitrick Yeah, it has gotten more expensive since it's so popular now. :P I'm trying to convince our sales reps to throw our xmas party there. I don't know if the dudes would go for it though.


Ellis Just don't tell them that they're eating seitan. Smother everything with gravy; Watercourse has such delicious gravy.


message 7: by Rachel (last edited Nov 13, 2009 03:19AM) (new) - rated it 4 stars

Rachel This is so wonderfully astute:

"And I never asked for the farming industry to use genetic manipulation to breed animals that are weaker & sicker. I never asked for them to jam-pack animals with antibiotics & end their lives in horrifically violent ways. But I don't think I can eat meat anymore because whether I asked for it or not, buying their products is supporting their ways."

Melissa, BRAVO! This is one of the best things I have read in response to this book.

Good luck on your journey! Wishing the best of health to you and your bebe!



Meara Way to make a choice! I agree, nothing tastes better than a BLT. But I swear to never eat one again.


message 9: by Lisa (last edited Dec 13, 2009 04:55PM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Lisa Vegan Meara, There is vegan bacon and vegan mayo, so you could make a vegan BLT and see if it was as tasty. Some people say yes.


message 10: by Rachel (last edited Dec 13, 2009 04:54PM) (new) - rated it 4 stars

Rachel grapeseed oil vegenaise ...



it would be delicious on a fakin' bacon BLT.

my bf and i made a tofu scramble this morning, and i used it as a topping on a toasted bagel ... *after* i spread said bagel with vegenaise, of course! dang, i can't get enough of that vegenaise. when we were making the scramble, we mixed in vegan sour cream and daiya vegan cheese, as well as salsa, green onions, red peppers, mushroom and lots of spices ... and i topped the steaming hot bagel + scramble with daiya cheese ... it made for a very decadent breakfast. especially for me (i normally just eat fruit for breakfast). we used the tofu scramble mix from Fantastic foods ...



i don't normally make tofu scrambles at all, and when i do, i usually make my own "scrambler mix" using tumeric, nutritional yeast, spices, etc. here's an example recipe, although i normally just throw something together:



i've never made a fakin' bacon BLT, but i'm sure it would be yummy with vegenaise, lettuce, tomato, and toasted sourdough bread.



Lindsay Hopefully, you will find that being aware of the issues surrounding animal commodification and abuse is actually a blessing in disguise in the long run. It takes courage to change food habits and routines, but it is SO rewarding to eat according to one's morals. Not to mention the awesome health benefits of skipping the meat!


back to top