eating animals

Ellen DeGeneres had a guest on her show yesterday named Jonathan Safran Foer. He has written a book, Eating Animals, about eating meat and vegetarianism. I came across his segment kind of in the middle by chance, but was very interested in what he had to say. One of his points was that if every American citizen would eat one less meal that included meat per week, it would be the equivalent of taking 3 million cars off the road for that same week (to the best of my recollection; it was a very powerful example in any case). Abstaining from meat is something I've thought about for years from an ethical standpoint, yet I do find it very appealing at the same time - it simply tastes good. Eating less meat though is certainly something I can do. I am certain that if I were to witness the workings of a slaughterhouse, or simply read his book, I would make an even bigger effort to avoid eating meat.

Something I've kept in mind over the years is what non-meat dishes do I actually like as much as those with meat? Here are a few of my favorites: eggplant Parmesan, pasta with pesto sauce, and vegetarian pizza. From an ethical standpoint, eating any meat at all is wrong in my opinion, but eating less would make a difference nevertheless. I'm thinking of the Chinese stir-fry where the bulk of the meal consists of vegetables, and includes just a touch of meat for flavor and protein. I've found that my favorite way to eat vegetables is stir-fried where they maintain their crunch and from what I've read, maintain most of their nutritional benefits too.

Sitting here typing this, it's really such a loaded question trying to decide on all the ramifications of such an idea: how would it affect the economy? industry? the land and the environment? Which reminds me of the well-known adage Think Globally, Act Locally, which applies to so many subjects. What can we do as individuals?