The Gist: Happy Monday afternoon everyone! This is the first week of our discussion of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, and I hope you're as excited as I am. I have been dying to read this book for some time now, and I'm glad that I'm reading it with you guys. I've read one of his novels so far, Everything Is Illuminated, and I absolutely loved it! And I really like what I've read of Eating Animals thus far. So let's begin!I asked you to read the first three sections of the book for our discussion today. The first is entitled "Storytelling," in which Foer talks about his background, specifically his relationship with his Grandmother, and how her life revolved around food. She was a surviver of World War II by staying on the run, and she ate to stay alive, in comparison to how most Americans live, in which we eat whatever we please, even if we're not hungry. Foer also talks about how he came to the understanding of how the eating of meat meant that you were eating animals, and that once he came to this realization, he has gone back and forth between eating meat and being a vegetarian. He shares that he felt the need to write the book once he himself became a father. He truly wanted to learn what meat actually is.
The second section is called "All or Nothing or Something Else." He begins the section by talking about his beloved family dog, George, who is actually a female. Before George, Foer was not a dog person, but he explains that once he saw George, he fell in love. He goes on to talk about how his relationship with George has led him to question the difference between animals and humans. It also leads him to question why we eat certain animals, and not others, which is different in each culture. As we know, animals that we would not eat in US—primarily dogs and cats—are eaten in other parts of the world, and Foer wants to know why. He then brings up our relationship to fish and factory farmed animals, which he describes as full out war. We have used technology to increase our production of our meat to a tremendous extent, and even though people don't know everything about these industries, they know enough, and they still don't change their habits. Foer questions why this is.
In the third section, "Words/Meaning," Foer lists words relating to the eating of animals, and gives a definition of some kind, whether it's an actual definition, or a story behind the word for phrase. Some examples include "Animal," "Battery Cage," "Comfort Food," "PETA," and "Radical."
The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!
1. Foer brings up stories of his Grandmother's relationship with food at the beginning of the book, which come from his memories, as well as his family traditions. How much do you think tradition and culture affects the way we eat? By being a vegetarian or vegan, do you feel like you've gone against your family tradition, or do you still find a way to keep it alive?
2. Foer says that it was the birth of his son which pushed him to write this book. Has an experience in your life ever caused you to make a big change or to accomplish something you've never done before?
The Assignment: Please read the next two sections of Eating Animals for our discussion on February 7. If you still need a copy, you can purchase one at the VN Store.
~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
1. Keep it alive! There's just no animal products in our recipes anymore. Everyone loves how light the foods are.
ReplyDelete2. Illness brought me to vegan diet - more focused, more creative - led to writing and photography! Happy me :d
Such great questions. Thank You so much. Blessings for a great week!
1.Foer brings up stories of his Grandmother's relationship with food at the beginning of the book, which come from his memories, as well as his family traditions. How much do you think tradition and culture affects the way we eat? By being a vegetarian or vegan, do you feel like you've gone against your family tradition, or do you still find a way to keep it alive?
ReplyDeleteI do see culture as weighing heavily on our food choices and what we see as appropriate and inappropriate to eat. (e.g., Most Americans are disgusted by the idea of eating horses, cats, or dogs.)
However, ethnic food traditions are not something I have a lot of insight into. Although my family is primarily German, we had absolutely no food traditions other than sauerkraut on New Year’s Day. My mother hates to cook and saw our kitchen basically as a room to display knickknacks. Growing up, I mainly ate heat and serve meals. So, I don’t feel as if I’ve gone against a family tradition, unless it’s one of macaroni and cheese and Lean Cuisine.
Now that I have my own household, I’ve expanded my palette and I am trying to revive my roots a little bit by sometimes cooking meatless German foods for myself and my husband, such as potato pancakes, bier kase, and soy sausages. I also have embraced a lot of other ethnic food traditions as well, especially Indian and Mexican, which are very veg-friendly.
2. Foer says that it was the birth of his son which pushed him to write this book. Has an experience in your life ever caused you to make a big change or to accomplish something you've never done before?
Yes, absolutely, but for me, it was a highly negative emotional experience that prompted me to take some major life steps and completely reassess my values and beliefs. Because it was such a negative experience, I’d rather not discuss it here.
1. I've recently gone vegetarian, and while my dad is neutral about the situation, my mom is unhappy with my decision. I definitely feel like I'm going against tradition because we have always been a meat-based diet family. But, I feel like I am implementing good practices for my family by being a vegetarian because my mom now cooks meals without meat for the family because of me. I am very appreciative of her willingness to do so.
ReplyDeleteResponse to question #1
ReplyDeleteI come from an Italian-American tradition of cooking and eating. So I was worried that not eating certain things with my family would make me feel left out. So, when I ordered pizza without cheese, picked up an eggplant sub, or didn't eat the meatballs on my plate, I was a little worried. But I find, just like with eating out with friends, once the food is selected and ordered or prepared, the experience of enjoying a meal and everything that entails is the same! People are eating and talking and enjoying each others company and it doesn't seem to matter much what they are actually eating. In fact, family members and friends are curious to try what I am having because it looks so good and it gets them to thinking. My mom actually decided to go vegan after reading a McDougall book and the China Project booklet!
I read half of the book at the book store but they only had hard cover which was too expensive for me to buy! (college student budget) but I loved what I read of it and I love Jonathan Safran Foer. He was amazing talking about Eating Animals on Ellen. I also did a report on his book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. <3
ReplyDelete1. Even though neither of our mothers are great cooks, most of the holiday meals are centered around animals. We go when we can and participate as much as possible. I much prefer spending holidays with our immediate family and see the extended family at more casual get-togethers
ReplyDelete2. yes!! I knew I wanted to raise our children on a vegetarian diet. When our first started eating that's when I became vegetarian (with a few ups and downs along the way, but we eventually got there). Thirteen years later we sent her to a summer camp at Farm Sanctuary in NY and we all came home as vegans (again, not perfectly, but very nearly there!)
I am also excited about this discussion! I have had Eating Animals on my to-read shelf for too long, so when I saw that the VegNews book club would be discussing it, I realized it was time to just start reading -- and I'm so glad I have.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your questions:
1) When I was a young child, my family was vegetarian. We went back to eating meat because my parents were worried about complementing proteins, especially with two young children. How things have changed! In a way, my veganism is a return to those veggie roots.
In another way though, being vegan goes against my family's traditions, particularly those of my husband's family of origin. His mother is a caterer and his grandfather was a chef, so food is very important. His family continues to celebrate the food traditions of Norway, which is not very vegetarian-oriented.
This year, we tried to incorporate one of the traditions of my husband's childhood -- the marzipan pig (a traditional Christmas Eve treat) -- by finding vegan marzipan pigs. I think it's important to hold onto tradition to the extent it's compatible with one's ethics and responsibilities to others.
2) Yes! I was already vegan when I became a mother, but breastfeeding changed my view on the dairy industry entirely. Before, I conceptually understood that animals make milk for their babies, but once I was a mother, I realized how intimate and personal the experience really is, and how degrading it is to take another animal's milk under even the most "humane" circumstances.
p.s. - Robyn Moore has written about her views on the dairy industry as a new mom (which are similar to what I experenced) here -
ReplyDeletehttp://prime.peta.org/2010/12/reflections-on-the-dairy-industry-from-a-nursing-mom
As an advocacy movement, I think perhaps we've ignored outreach to new parents (in part because a significant portion of our movement chooses not to have children). Much of the push for more environmentally responsible and organic products in the marketplace is coming from mothers. Imagine what a huge impact there would be if there was an equal push for cruelty-free vegan products!
1. How much do you think tradition and culture affects the way we eat? By being a vegetarian or vegan, do you feel like you've gone against your family tradition, or do you still find a way to keep it alive?
ReplyDeleteI think tradition and culture highly influence what and how one eats. Our tastes are formed through family meals (I have a penchant for saurkraut, pickles, beets and other 'Chech" food that was served in my family).
Also, for many people, food gets associated with love and togetherness and other emotions that are shared in a family. Rejecting what one was brought up on is often like rejecting one's family. (I remember when I had turned vegetarian, then went through a period when I didn't eat any sugar at all--for the first time--my grandmother seemed to accept the vegetarian aspect more than the sugar. When I refused some cookies she had made, she said, in a very perplexed tone 'You don't eat SUGAR?" as if I'd announced I no longer believed in God or something.
As a vegetarian/now-vegan, I've found ways to incorporate 'family' foods into my meals. I can make a mean 'tater-tot hotdish' (I'm originally from hotdish-loving Minnesota)using soy-based meat analogs, homemade mushroom soup, and vegan tater tots.
2. Foer says that it was the birth of his son which pushed him to write this book. Has an experience in your life ever caused you to make a big change or to accomplish something you've never done before?
Not that I can recall. Not one single defining moment, more like an accumulation of small moments.
Thanks everyone for these wonderful comments so far! I've really enjoyed reading them all, and can't wait to see more. I'll check in tomorrow as well.
ReplyDelete~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
1. Foer brings up stories of his Grandmother's relationship with food at the beginning of the book, which come from his memories, as well as his family traditions. How much do you think tradition and culture affects the way we eat? By being a vegetarian or vegan, do you feel like you've gone against your family tradition, or do you still find a way to keep it alive?
ReplyDeleteI believe culture is one of the most important aspects on how we eat. We learn how and what to eat based on cultural norms. I don’t think my family feels like I have gone against them, but as a whole, the culture I live in says so. I live in Italy, where there are a LOT of old people who grew up in total poverty and associate meat with wealth or affluence. My family loves to eat together, and they always make a point to veganize everything. Even my father, who is a a hardcore fisherman and hunter doesn’t make me feel out of place. I guess I am lucky, though.
2. Foer says that it was the birth of his son which pushed him to write this book. Has an experience in your life ever caused you to make a big change or to accomplish something you've never done before?
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in my 20s at a time when I was interested in parties and drinking and not much else. I was miserable. The experience changed my life. I made a LOT of changes, including with my diet. Veganism cured my Crohn’s diease, but I stay vegan not for health but because veganism is not just a diet, a way of life. Living as a compassionate person who does not exploit animals has made me a better person and influenced MANY people in my life to make more compassionate choices. I feel like a missionary of compassion. Maybe I annoy people, but deep down I know most people know that not exploiting animals is a better way to live, even if they only make small choices and change gradually.
sorry the above comment was from ME. I guess my husband was signed in!! SORRY!!
ReplyDelete1. Foer brings up stories of his Grandmother's relationship with food at the beginning of the book, which come from his memories, as well as his family traditions. How much do you think tradition and culture affects the way we eat? By being a vegetarian or vegan, do you feel like you've gone against your family tradition, or do you still find a way to keep it alive?
I believe culture is one of the most important aspects on how we eat. We learn how and what to eat based on cultural norms. I don’t think my family feels like I have gone against them, but as a whole, the culture I live in says so. I live in Italy, where there are a LOT of old people who grew up in total poverty and associate meat with wealth or affluence. My family loves to eat together, and they always make a point to veganize everything. Even my father, who is a a hardcore fisherman and hunter doesn’t make me feel out of place. I guess I am lucky, though.
2. Foer says that it was the birth of his son which pushed him to write this book. Has an experience in your life ever caused you to make a big change or to accomplish something you've never done before?
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in my 20s at a time when I was interested in parties and drinking and not much else. I was miserable. The experience changed my life. I made a LOT of changes, including with my diet. Veganism cured my Crohn’s diease, but I stay vegan not for health but because veganism is not just a diet, a way of life. Living as a compassionate person who does not exploit animals has made me a better person and influenced MANY people in my life to make more compassionate choices. I feel like a missionary of compassion. Maybe I annoy people, but deep down I know most people know that not exploiting animals is a better way to live, even if they only make small choices and change gradually.
1) Simply, food is tradition. Who's to know what a child might crave, apart from the guidance of its parents, and the whole social context in which it's raised?
ReplyDelete2) My health problems caused me to re-evaluate my diet. 22 year old males that have single digit bf% and run sub 20 minute 5K times ought to be the picture of health. Instead, I had (and in some ways, still have) the digestive system of a person three times my age, who has subjected their body to abuses I would never consider.
Hi Everyone! It seems like culture and tradition are very important to you guys when it comes to food, and I totally agree. Unfortunately, my family food traditions were filled with processed meats and fatty casseroles, but now that I've been a vegan for almost ten years, I don't really miss them anymore, and now I have helped to make some new family traditions.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thanks so much for all of the thoughtful comments. I'll be wrapping up our discussion on Friday!
~VegNews Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
1)it is polite to eat. it is a sign of health to be 'filled out'. it is inconvenient to eat healthily. people assume that all vegans are egotistical and judgemental. or that vegan=homosexual. eating meat is actually a priviledge, not a daily requirement. knowledge separates the informed from the ignorant. ....this is the culture i live in..central alberta, canada.
ReplyDeleteI'm new and a bit behind on reading but I did want to comment on the discussion points. I do think our preferences and tastes are based on tradition. But that's the point, it's the taste, no one really likes unseasoned boiled chicken or beef. So for me veganizing traditional favorites and starting some new traditions will be my goal.
ReplyDeleteNo one particular thing affected me but heart disease does run in family and i want to naturally stay healthy but also a desire to live cruelty free.