In response to the article by Susan Brudner and her colleagues at C.L.A.W., “Make the choice to eat with compassion and awareness.” I have a couple of thoughts on the issue of vegetarianism.
The issue of sustainability is one at the forefront of modern agribusiness. It is both a constant thorn in the side of major manufacturers and a rallying point around which small farmers and artisan producers join. Sustainability however, reaches far beyond the ratio of animal protein to plant protein. From the work that Vandana Shiva is doing in India to the protective efforts of the Seed Savers Exchange in the heartland of the U.S., strides are being to taken to preserve the land we have available on the earth. These efforts rarely, though, take a direct stance encouraging all out vegetarianism. Revamping current farming techniques reliant on pesticides and genetically modified strains of essential plants, such as corn and rice, is more the path these groups choose. There are many sustainable farms in the United States that ensure the continued survival and protection of their local ecosystem which exclusively handle the production of meat. Such farms pride themselves on their dedication to the environment and at the same time provide food for their customers which in all likelihood is better than the product that a large non-sustainable farm would provide. I am in agreement with Brudner and C.L.A.W. that the majority of today’s supermarket shelf products are not up to par when it comes to sustainability, but my major argument against these companies deals not with the horrible environmental effects they cause, but rather with the enjoyment I take, or rather don’t take, in eating their products.
This concept of gastronomy is key to understanding a non-vegetarian standpoint. I feel that it is important here to explain that I am a gastronome, and no that is not another letter to add to the ever-lengthening acronym of on campus gender types. This title does not limit me to one food group or cuisine. It simply means that I follow in the footsteps of famous foodies of the past like Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and Platina. I have an appreciation of good food and drink. This appreciation comes in to conflict with the views of C.L.A.W. when that appreciation turns towards animal flesh. This argument is best posited by David Foster Wallace in his article for the August 2004 issue of Gourmet Magazine entitled “Consider the Lobster.” Foster asks the reader a seemingly simple question: “Is it alright to boil a sentient creature alive just for our gustatory pleasure?” C.L.A.W. would answer this question with a resounding NO. Killing the lobster is an act of violence, they would say. To enter into the world of gastronomy is to put that issue aside. If sustainability is achieved, the issue becomes an entirely ethical one, and to choose the consumption of meat is to choose one side of a debate that can never be resolved. As of yet, there is no law in any country in the world I am aware of that summarily bans the slaughter of all animals. It would seem that most of humankind has decided that sub-human animals have not demonstrated the same psychological or physical capacity as the homosapien and has thus allowed the individual to choose whether that death or injury is moral.
A gastronome, perhaps more than any other person, is aware of what sits before them on the plate. We pride ourselves on a more complete knowledge of the world of food than any other. Methods of production are at the forefront of our minds constantly, from the terroir of the soil for great French wine, to the difference in grass-fed beef from the Great Plains. Not eating meat is simply not an option for us. Meat represents one of the world’s tastiest forms of solid protein. Its rich history, reaching as far back as the earliest humans, ties together eons of food eaters. Most of all meat allows to us to have discussions like where the best white clam pizza is made. The answer to that is of course Lombardi’s in lower Manhattan. I am not entirely cold hearted though. The best vegetarian pizza offering is the pizza margherita at the brand new Una Pizza Napoletana on 12th Street in Manhattan, followed closely by the plain pie at John’s on Bleecker Street.
For more information on the appreciation of good food (both meats and vegetables) with an eye for sustainability, visit www.SlowFoodUSA.org.
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