The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers, and Happy Valentine's Day! We are in our third week of our discussion of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. I, for one, have really enjoyed this book. Though I might not agree with everything that Foer writes, it is very refreshing to read a well-written book on the subject of factory farming, and why we eat animals.For this week's discussion, I asked you to read the sixth section of the book, "Slices of Paradise/Pieces of Shit," which mainly deals with the pork industry. First, Foer introduces the independent slaughterhouse Paradise Locker Meats, which is located in the Midwest. Foer visited the slaughterhouse, which is known to be more humane in their slaughter methods. Specifically, that means pigs are killed one at a time, and not at the fast-paced rate as they are in bigger factories. Of course, there are still many issues with this plant, including issues with the meat inspection, and the obvious contradiction of the term "humane slaughter."
Foer continues to talk about the pork industry, mentioning how pigs are bred nowadays to be food, and not an individual animal, much like chickens and turkeys. He also brings up the fact that only four companies account for 60 percent of the pork produced today.
He then introduces Paul Willis, a pig farmer in Iowa, who produces pork for Niman Ranch, which is known to be a more humane producer of meat. Willis claims that on his farm, pigs can be pigs, until the time of slaughter, that is. While Foer is visiting the farm, the family finds out that a factory farm has purchased land nearby with plans to build a pork-producing facility, which would obviously ruin the land. This leads Foer to talk about the massive amount of pollution resulting from hog farming—specifically, the shit. He gives many facts and details regarding this subject, and then jumps into the actual abuses that factory-farmed pigs have to face. He relates it to a new form of sadism. It is truly unbelievable what happens at these farms.
Finally, at the end of the section, Foer goes back to the question of why we eat animals, especially now in the midst of the immense abuses of of factory farming. He brings up the issue of tradition, and talks about how remembering and forgetting are nearly the same thing, and happens quite often when it comes to our food.
The Discussion: Here's a discussion point to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!
1. Many people are aware of the terrible conditions on factory farms, and the enormous amount of waste they produce. What are your feelings towards people who choose to "forget" about these issues?
The Assignment: Please read the rest of Eating Animals for our discussion on February 21. If you still need a copy, you can purchase one at the VN Store.
~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
