The Pleasures Of Eating By Jonathan Safran Foer

People tend to have various eating habits, but why do people consider eating dogs different from eating other animal meats? An American novelist Jonathan Safran Foer in his article called “Let Them Eat Dogs” argues that people should eat dog meat if they eat pigs, cows, and chickens as they have same capacities, they are all good companions and eating dogs is not taboo everywhere. Even though the way he defends this point is quite reasonable, in this essay I will give reasons why this might not always be the case. This paper will focus on a cultural taboo aspect of Foer’s argument which states that people should eat dogs because eating dogs is not taboo everywhere and it does not harm people in any way. However, people do not necessarily have to eat dog meat since based on our cultural practices, eating dogs is not the same as eating other animal, even though Foer argues that.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma, written by Michael Pollan, gives light to the question, “What should we have for dinner?” that he thinks Americans today cannot answer simply due to the fact that there are too many food options. This book serves as an eye-opener to challenge readers to be more aware and accountable of what is consumed daily. In order to understand fully where our food comes from, we must follow it back to the very beginning. Pollan goes on to discuss three different modern food chains in which we get our food: the industrial, the organic, and the hunter-gatherer. By tracing our food back to the beginning, we can understand that most of the nutritional and health problems America is going through today can be found on the farms that make our food and the government that can decide what happens. America deals with many food related illness such as, heart disease, obesity, and type II diabetes. Majority of a human and animals diet consists of being corn-fed leading to a high cause of obesity in the United States these are just some of the many diseases that come with over processed foods and diets we are unaware of. In this study, we will highlight the environmental and health issues and impacts related with modern agriculture and how these systems can be made more sustainable.

Berry begins the article by pointing out the consumer’s ignorance as they do not realize the connection they have with the agricultural cycle. Many believe that eating is an agriculture act, however, they do not associate themselves with this act because they do not have direct contact with the actual food production process. Berry explains that the reason why people think this way is because “they just buy what they want - or what they have been persuaded to want” without a second thought on the qualities and the states of the products (3). He appeals to the reader’s emotions as he describes the nature of the consumers because it demonstrates the reality of how little people nowadays care what they consume into their body. Berry further enforces his appeal on the audience’s emotions by claiming that “food is pretty much an abstract idea” to most of the urban shoppers (4). Shoppers understand that food is produced on farms, but have no knowledge on the locations of the farms, the type of farms, and the techniques that are involved in farming. This statement supports Berry’s claims on the consumer’s ignorance because it points out the important role that consumers actually play

Throughout the US there has been the big concern of where the food we eat comes from and if it is healthy. Everyone wants healthy food, yet we fail to eat the healthy food that is right in front of us, instead we eat industrial made food that causes the death of thousands of people each year. In the Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, you explore the pros and cons of our five main food chains; industrial,industrial organic, organic, sustainable, and hunter gatherer. In all ways, the sustainable food chain is the best food chain to feed the US. Animals and plants are developed naturally without any chemicals or pesticides and all of the produce is grown and sold locally and harvested by hand.

It is a known fact that the way humans produce food is not sustainable for a bright future. Here in America we discard almost half the amount of food we produce, which could be used to feed the enormous amount of starving people in the world. Not only are we being wasteful, but we are also greatly contributing to the amount of pollution and greenhouse gases because of our practices. After reading “What’s for supper?” my eyes were further opened to how damaging our agricultural system is and inspired me to take on a “greener” lifestyle.

There are many things wrong with our food system but one of the principal problems is us and our decisions. Wendell Berry who is a farmer and environmental activist wrote in the article The Pleasures of Eating about his theory of eating responsibly which included his opinion on food and the influence others have on what type of food we consume. In his article he addresses the problem with the industries’ influence on the quality of what we eat and the role the consumer has in this process. He states that we cannot be free if our decisions are influenced by others and all we do is agree to what they tell us we should.

The first introduction in the film is multiple images of farms, and agriculture of all kinds. Then the author quickly states that farms do not look like they use to. The message, and start of this film is to inform the viewer about the changes in agriculture, and present ideas about where our food actually comes from. The purpose of the film is to introduce to consumers the risk of eating foods that are owned by large corporations. This film addresses issues with large corporations owning all food sources, treatment of animals, and food-borne illnesses.

As the world expands through time and business, the natural process of developing food is forced to adapt to the growing demands of civilization. Henceforth, the modern-day food industry is capable of producing a plethora amount of nutrients that sustains mass populations. However, is the modern tradition and technique of mass food production hiding a burdened truth behind the curtains of society’s unawareness? Is such truth more sinister than productive? Filmmaker Robert Kenner directed a documentary in 2008 where the methods of processing meats and harvesting crops were analyzed with their effects. As a result, Kenner’s documentary, Food Inc., has revealed that the ways foods are processed have consequently made them perilous for society. Through the use of

In the Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan goes undercover as a “food detective” to find out what we should be eating. But are people doing anything to have a more sustainable healthy lifestyle? We can influence healthier eating, both individually and collectively, by doing things such as encouraging more “Beyond Organic” farms, changing prices for the foods we eat, and even trying to eat healthier in order to encourage and model to our family and friends. In this essay, I will show you how there are many things we can do to making healthier choices for ourselves and even our whole

Jonathan Safran, a vegetarian, states that, in his Juvenalian article “A Case for Eating Dog” the human race should be condemned for eating an animal’s meat, for it is a moral taboo to do so. Safran argues that eating any animal, be it a cow, or a dog, is something to take ignominy in. The author, Jonathan Safran, uses the satirical device of travesty to create a serious, firm atmosphere, which conveys that eating animals is a shameful practice. Safran argues that while, yes, a large number of dogs-and other animals for that matter- are wasted every year, it doesn’t give us permission to eat animals every bit as smart as animals we do eat. It is stated that “pigs are just as smart as dogs”, but we still eat them (Safran PPG 5).

Consumers have become increasingly detached from their food as America’s food system grows larger and continues to ruin the environment. The main problem is that most consumers do not know how their consumption habits affect the ecosystem around them. Nor do they know about how their food was produced. Information about how and where the food is being produced and wasted is essential, so people can shop responsibly. Short of legislation, Americans make choices at the grocery store. It is essential for all Americans to cast in a vote with their dollars to change the way that food is produced in the United States resulting in more sustainable food being more accessible in the aisles of the grocery store for all Americans.

I read this article called “The Argument of Eating Dog” written by John Sutter. In the article, Sutter argues that the treatment of the dogs is cruel, that people living in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam shouldn’t eat such intelligent and lovable creatures. I do agree that dogs shouldn’t be treated cruelly on their way to slaughter. However, this is happening in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Here in America, we find it repulsive and unthinkable to eat a dog, just as Muslims find it disgusting to eat a pig.

In “Let Them Eat Dog,” Jonathan Safran Foer makes his own “Modest Proposal” and that is the Western part of the world should start a plan to adding dog meat to their daily diet. Foer does display a coherent solution to some ecological and economical problems, but I personally think our development norms and mentality wouldn’t let this idea come even close to the drawing board. The thesis of the story is the act of eating dog meat, is legal in almost every state yet everyone still considers it taboo. Dogs might be fantastic pets but according to Foer says, they are “remarkably unremarkable in their mental faculties, and are, no different that pigs in that regard.” Foer continues on to talk about how there many examples of humans eating dogs

Watching the documentary Food Inc, there were a few points that stood out most to me. I think one of the most important concerns that were brought up is the consumers not knowing the truth behind the food. Whether there is actual harm in our food or not, we still need to know what is going into our food. The harm that may actually be inside our food can be caused by how easy it is to produce crap food now days. Making mass produced food is a lot easier than it has been in the past because genetics have changed animals into growing faster and fatter. This causes harm to the environment by creating factories for these foods to be made, which causes pollution by emitting many CO2 gasses. However this isn’t a concern for the producer. The producer is mainly focused on money they receive even if it causes harm to the environment or the consumers. The use of pesticides and other substances are used in foods, whether it’s in the production of corn growing or in the food in general to help keep germs out. This also causes harm to the consumer and environment that we should be aware of.

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” This is one of the most famous quotes from George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm. This quote can be used to argue about the moral wrongness of how humans treat animals and the concept of eating meat in general. There are many excuses humans make up for why they eat meat, but it is still morally wrong. It is wrong for the following reasons; First, because animals have feeling, second because humans don’t require meat in their diets, and lastly because raising animals just for them to be slaughtered is inhumane.