I often gain a look of apprehensiveness when a fat person (fatter than me) offers me advice on the tastiness of a menu item. I mean does that mean that it is something really delicious? But how can you be sure that is an opinion built out of true palette for finer things, I mean aren't these people lacking in total self-control with food? So much so that they'll eat anything indiscriminately? I suppose we can trust them, right?
Who knows? I mean, what do I know about food? I'll eat anything. (except animals now)
Which also reminds me about something that I can across recently. An ex girlfriend of mine's brother started a website (blog included) about eating animals. While amusing, I find some of his retorts to people arguing against eating meat to be somewhat juvenile and oversight.
Some of the key points:
1) We were meant to eat animals.
2) Humanity developed by eating animals and not through a solely vegetarian diet.
3) Meat is tasty.
Well, let's tackle some of these using my own arguments.
1) Were we? Maybe? There are very few things that one can say for sure in terms of what we were meant and not meant to do. Breathing, eating, sweating, and fucking are all for sures.
But eating animals? Nah. Especially since human beings can re-evaluate what is necessary based on societal acceptability. This is the same reason why Americans consciously eat cows and not rats, horses or dogs (unless maybe, if they are starving?) So that's out.
2) That is true. As elaborated in Guns, Germs and Steel, humanity created farming models that included domesticating certain animals, allowing for a constant food supply. I will not dispute this. What I will dispute is the that the majority of Americans (except for ranchers, hunters and farmers) do not kill or corral their own animal based foods. This is true of the author of that blog. Who I am sure would never have the gall to kill his animals in order to eat them, he would probably throw up. I have absolutely no problem with any one who is willing to do the dirty deed themselves. I have killed and find it incredibly distasteful, this is why I strive (struggle) to fully eliminate animals from my diet. It is for personal ethics only. I find it counterproductive to proselytize people to your beliefs. I believe in the sale, but ideology must be pushed subtly in order to be effectively spread. One man's opinion anyway.
3) Indeed they are. Samuel Jackson put it best, "Sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I wouldn't know because I won't eat the filthy mother fucker".
Now, I will say that I could be labeled a hypocrite. I recently took a "Meat Vacation" in April, where I shamelessly stuffed my face with meaty deliciousness. This was in response to my recent break-up. I wanted to do something so extremely out of character and I didn't want to start smoking cigarettes again.
Meat is tasty, but I've stopped. I had to ween myself off of it after two more midnight sacks of 10 at White Castle and a bachelor party in Northern Michigan with grilling galore.
Maybe, I'll go hunting again to justify it. In the meantime, I have some karma to burn.
