Review: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Title: Eating Animals
Author: Foer, Jonathan Safran
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction, Food
Source: Amazon.com
Rating: 4/5
Why I Read It: I heard about this through Jessica’s review at Both Eyes Book Blog.
Date Read: 11/03/10
In this book Foer takes us on a tour of food production. He talks about the way we eat and how our families and friends influence what we eat and how this lasts throughout our lives. How we experience food is an important part of eating that I hadn’t really considered before. Foer says that becoming a father made him really consider the food that he and his family eats. He and his wife both ate vegetarian from time to time, but had never fully committed. Now that he was a father he wanted to make sure that his son got the healthiest diet he could give him, and this book is the result of his research.
Among the issues discussed in this incredible book are fishing (especially factory farming, long-lining, and trauling), the language we use to describe food production practices (i.e. how cage free simply means a lot of chickens shoved in a room instead of in cages in a room), factory farming, and modern diseases. In fact, in his research on chicken farming Foer tags along with “C” and sneaks in to a farmer’s chicken barns in the middle of the night to get a look at the place. While that story is shocking, this fact is even more shocking:
When the prestigious and well-heeled Pew Commission decided to fund a two-year study to evaluate the impact of factory farming, the reported that
there have been some serious obstacles … We found significant influence by the industry at every turn: in academic research, agriculture policy development, government regulation, and enforcement.
I loved the writing style employed by Foer. He is constantly changing it around. One chapter will be about personal stories, another will contain facts about certain issues, the next (my favorite) will be written as a series of definitions. Although Foer is vegetarian he gives everyone a fair voice. We hear from activists as well as from farmers and factory workers in slaughterhouses.
I highly recommend this book as it is full of information that the average consumer should know. Although we can be squeamish and we may, sometimes, prefer not to know, it is always better to know. My favorite quote about our eating habits, that really highlights the difficulties you can face when trying to eat both healthier or more ethically, is this one (eBook location 419):
The choice-obsessed modern West is probably more accommodating to individuals who choose to eat differently than any culture has ever been, but ironically, the utterly unselective omnivore – “I’m easy; I’ll eat anything” – can appear more socially sensitive than the individual who tries to eat in a way that is good for society.
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As this is a fairly food related post I am going to count it toward Weekend Cooking, the weekly meme hosted by Beth at Beth Fish Reads. For more information you can check out the original introduction post here.
Because I am including it for this meme, I will include a recipe from this book (and if you’ve read it, I’m sure you know what is coming *evil giggle here*). In chapter two of this book Foer talks about why we eat what we do. He argues (eBook location 329) that:
Our taboo against dog eating says something about dogs and a great deal about us.
The French, who love their dogs, sometimes eat their horses.
The Spanish, who love their horses, sometimes eat their cows.
The Indians, who love their cows, sometimes eat their dogs.
While written in a much different context, George Orwell’s words (from Animal Farm) apply here: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
He goes on to discuss how it would make great environmental sense to eat dogs, and talks about how the way we are raised and the cultures we live in give us the ‘stories’ upon which we base what is acceptable or non acceptable when it comes to food.
So, without further ado, I give you (from eBook location 367):
Stewed Dog, Wedding Style
Cut meat into 1″ cubes. Marinate meat in mixture of vinegar, peppercorn, salt, and garlic for 2 hours. Fry meat in oil using a large wok over an open fire, then add onions and chopped pineapple and sauté until tender. Pour in tomato sauce and boiling water, add green pepper, bay leaf, and Tabasco. Cover and simmer over warm coals until meat is tender. Blend in puree of liver and cook for additional 5-6 minutes.
I can’t say I’ve tried this, and I’m thinking that I probably wont. But he definitely makes an interesting point in this chapter. (Oh, and I paraphrased the recipe for the reading of those weaker of stomach).
A friend of mine read this and was amazed. I love Foer, so this has been on my TBR-list for a while. Good to know that you enjoyed it as well, now I want to have it.
I hope you get it and enjoy it. There is so much great information in this book.
Sooo…are you changing your diet at all because of it? I read it a few months ago, and it made me go from being veggie to vegan.
I definitely *want* to, but I don’t think I could ever give up meat and fish fully! Way too weak. I am definitely eating less meat though, especially while on the road. When at home I get my groceries from the farmers market so I know that the animals are treated better. It is definitely something that I am still thinking about though.
Interesting review! I haven’t decided if I want to read this one yet. I recently read The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, and I feel like this would repeat a lot of those issues. But I do want to know a lot more about farm production processes and this one sounds like it covers that. I love the quote you pulled out about eating ethically — it’s so true!
Oh I loved The Omnivore’s Dilemma. There is definitely some overlap, but there was also a lot that was new. I would recommend maybe just waiting a bit before picking up this book to avoid feeling that it is repetitive.
I’m with Kim. Sounds worthwhile if I hadn’t already read a number of books exploring the same issue. I think it is very interesting that what we eat expresses our concerns and loyalties as a culture more than anything else.
Yes, that is the biggest thing that I felt was new from other books that I have read – the cultural factors that influence our eating.
This is one of those books that I know I should read but don’t want to because of my own selfish meat eating reasons
A book I do recommend in a similar vein is Committed by Dan Mathews. Dan is the Senior Vice President of PETA but was in charge of their madcap campaigns when he wrote Committed. A very interesting and funny book and very well written but it did make me feel rather ill in some places.
That sounds interesting, thanks for the recommendation. And even after reading these books I do eat meat – I just try to get it locally from farmers that I know and eat much less of it.
No doubt, there are bad practices in meat and fish production. Practices that should be changed, for a number of reasons. Quality of the product. health of the consumer, proper treatment of the animal….
But as far as I am concerned, that really has nothing to do with whether one decides to be a meat eater or not. It is a separate issue. I also think we in the West most likely eat way to much meat, simply because we can. But I personally have no ethical issue with being a meat eater.
I definitely think that here in the West we eat more than we need because we can. And while I agree with you that the production methods are, in a way, a separate issue, at the same time they aren’t because by eating meat we are implying that we see nothing wrong with how it is raised / slaughtered etc. While I wouldn’t say that everyone should be a vegetarian or vegan I think that everyone should be more aware of what they are contributing to and do what we can to bring about changes in the industry.
So, this counts as a good book on eating habits, I’m guessing? I’ve been meaning to read this, simply because I loved “Everything is Illuminated” & he’s a vegetarian, so what could go wrong? Never got around to reading it though.
Does any of the reading on food affect your choices, btw? I’m curious. I always feel really conscious about food if I read a book on it, but tend to lose my morale when I see chocolate.
Yes, it is about eating habits, but it is also about food production. It does affect my choices in that it makes me be more conscious about where my food is coming from. What that means is that at home I will get meat from the farmers market and the local farmers, but I try to eat more vegetarian and vegan meals as well – especially when eating out and on the road.
I don’t think I’d be able to give up milk-products entirely (since I’m already a vegetarian), but I do not like cheese or eggs, so that’s easy. I do try to eat “vegan” more, but I wouldn’t be able to do it on the road, I think. I know how difficult it is to order anything vegetarian, let alone without cheese in it.
I have found it fairly easy to find vegetarian in Canada and the northern states, but southern US I find quite difficult! Milk I don’t have an issue giving up (other than for baking), same with cheese… the biggest thing for me is yogurt and ice cream!
Interesting review… I put this on my wish list after reading about it on Eva’s blog. A year or two ago, I went on a food book binge (Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, Animal Vegetable Miracle) and I’m almost ready for another one. I’ll skip the recipe though
Heh, I am glad you have decided to skip the recipe. I didn’t want to try it either! I hope you enjoy the book – I read the ones you mention a few years ago as well and found this a lovely addition to the list.
I’m glad I came across this review. I am currently reading Everything is Illuminated and I’m curious to know if you’ve read this as well. It seems that Foer’s writing style changes often… which is a good sign because I’m having a slow time of it with Illuminated. Thankfully, it picked up a third of the way through. Have you read it? Did you like it?
I haven’t read Everything is Illuminated. I have heard many good things about Foer but this is the only book of his that he has read. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for that one though. Good to know it starts off slow!
It starts off slow, but it is worth the effort of getting through the first half. It is an incredible read. I don’t know if you’ve read The History of Love by Krauss? It is a bit similar, although Foer takes a little more effort to read.
I’d offer to send you my copy, but I’m having a hard time giving it away.
No worries, I’ve got quite a stack to read through already anyway! Great to know that you think so highly of him though
First, this is absolutely positively a Weekend Cooking post.
I have been wanting to read this one ever since Eva read it and talked about how it really changed her way of eating. Most of the animal products I eat are locally produced by friends, so I know that my food is clean and safe — but it is very scary how the average American’s food is grown and processed.
I’m glad you approve of it for the meme
I try to get the majority of my meat from local farmers as well. Reading books like this really make me glad that I do that, and make me a lot more conscious about what I eat while on the road. It is really scary to read some of these things and know that it is real – sometimes it seems almost like it is so bad, it must be fantasy, or the exception… knowing that it is the rule is horrifying.
I’m a vegan and an animal rights advocate, and it’s surprising sometimes how little people know about where their “meat” comes from. This sounds like an informative book that might make some people re-think their choices. I hope so, anyway.
I also find it shocking that most people don’t know (or care) where their food comes from. I think that this book will at least make people consider and make a choice either way. Either be more considerate or KNOW what your actions are doing.
Like others, I think reading other books on this subject (and basically falling for them pretty hard) makes me less likely to pick this one up. Also, from what I’ve heard, Foer becomes much more extreme, really advocating vegetarianism for all which I feel might turn people off. Is that true? I do think it’s important to know what goes into what you eat, though, and so if this is a book that helps other people come to that realization the way that Animal, Vegetable, Miracle helped me, then I’m all for it.
Hmm… I think that he was definitely more extreme about advocating vegetarianism, but not to the point that I (a non vegetarian) felt insulted or put off by it. I felt that he was justifying his choices, and to an extent pushing it, but I took different messages out of it that would help me eat more consciously while still eating some meat. Things like that farm raised fish is sometimes worse, some of the fishing methods are worse than others, beef is actually oftentimes raised more humanely than chickens, etc.
That’s what I liked so much about Dan Mathews (PETA) autobiography. He never pushed that everyone should be vegan or not eat KFC etc. instead he says certain companies use bad methods when dealing with animals and these people should be avoided until they change their ways.
Interesting! While Foer does push for his side, he didn’t do it in a way that in any way irritated me or turned me off. I still felt like it was a great conversation where he was saying why he eats how he does, explaining a lot of the cruelty and disgusting practices, but also not judging.
I’m a big fan of Foer, and as I actually haven’t read any books that cover these issues before, I plan on picking it up. I agree with you that though the truth may be unpleasant, it’s better to kno and make informed choices.
I keep hearing great things about Foer so I will have to check out some of his other works at some point. I hope that you check out this book and love it!
What’s acceptable and not acceptable when it comes to food– deep in the south country, people used to eat a lot of squirrel, raccoon, and possum. All wild, and still available today. People sure made/make fun of that, although all are easily accessible and nutritious, and can use a good dog to get all three. As someone who is gluten-intolerant, I have experienced first hand an enormous culture change as I changed how I eat and eliminated wheat, barley, and rye grains from my diet. I also have learned how different the US is than much of the rest of the world. We rely heavily on genetically engineered wheat. When one starts to know where their food comes from, one gets quite paranoid.
Yes, I agree about what is acceptable varying by location. My sister lives very far north in Canada (when I visited her we drove on the frozen Arctic Ocean!) and they hunt a lot of caribou and other animals for food. It is so much cheaper than grocery store food, and is very healthy. And we do have a lot more genetically engineered food here, certainly a cause for paranoia for some!
I’ve been hearing good things about this one for months. It’s on my wishlist!
My mailbox is here.
Thanks Carina, I hope you like this one!