On Eating Animals

I read this book a couple of weeks ago and it made quite the impression, almost to the point that I wish I hadn't read it. I've always been weary of meat, specifically red, which will forever annoy my parents since I grew up on a cattle farm. Poultry and seafood have always been delicious, though. Most days I had a turkey sandwich for lunch and never tired of it. 


After reading this book, I haven't been able to eat any meat. I was knocked off my high horse when I read how terrible the poultry market of production is, specifically for chickens and turkeys. It's unbelievable what the animals and farmers go through to get food on the table.


Earlier in the summer, I bought a "The Joy of Cooking" book from the 1950s and noticed in many of the recipes how long was necessary back then to cook a chicken. It bordered on two hours for some recipes and I couldn't figure out why it now takes us less than 30 minutes to prepare chicken. One reason Eating Animals honed in on was the growing presence of antibiotics in the food we eat and how it's slowly eroding our immune systems, but we view it as convenience to make a quick meal. 


I know this book is extreme but Foer makes a lot of jaw dropping points that have very little to do with his opinion (he became a vegetarian while writing the book) on eating meat and everything to do with what the current production system is doing to our bodies and the environment. 


Regardless of your stance on the food industry, it's a book that will certainly surprise you.