Against Meat

The article titled "Against Meat" by Jonathan Safran Foer, was very interesting as it brought up ideas regarding the relationship of loved ones and friends, using the consumption of meat. I resonated with this article because of my personal background. Being boring in the US, I grew up having more than my parents, aunties, and uncles who were born in the Philippines. The consumption of meat in the Philippines was very important in some households. It was only through holidays and festivities that meat was included in breakfast, lunch and dinner. The article by  Foer uses the consumption of meat to describe how we was brought up as a child, all the way into adult hood. For Foer, the transition between vegetarian and consuming meat was influenced by the people he surrounded himself with. It was through the idea from his babysitter, that he questioned his ideals. He was brought up not to hurt family, friends, strangers, and even furniture. It was then that he decided to change his life.

Often times, we relate memories to the food we eat, as depicted in Foer's article. I know most people can relate to having to go to grandma's house and becoming stuffed at the end of the day, only to be given the comment, "Eat more, you look skinny" as if eating a lot will make you healthy. I do believe that food can bring people together. After Sunday church, every third week of the month, we would have a pot luck. A pot luck was basically a little mini gathering full of home cooked meals among friends, family, and strangers. You could could really taste the love and time they put into those dishes. These pot lucks brought everyone closer as people shared their recipes and memories. Choosing to be vegetarian and consuming meat only affect our health, but it shouldn't dictate how we choose to distance ourselves from people. Thats my post for tonight, this is Leonard Yalong, signing off!