Steak: It's what's for dinner Part II (Portfolio)

I couldn't help but revisit my steak eating experience, this time, however, from the cow's perspective. I am not going to lie, a good steak goes a long way to making me feel good. I can think of countless occasions when, over choosing a 'meatless' platter at some restaurant, I chose the steak (I did go to the steakhouse for a reason!). There is something about the juiciness of the meat, as well as the seasonings grilled into it, that just makes my mouth water. However, I must admit that I have found myself having the same satisfaction after eating a double big mac, super-sized. I was definitely missing something.

Each bite I take from my hamburger can almost be equivocated with going up to a cow in the pasture, or better yet, in a CAFO, and taking a bite out of it's hind quarters (I wouldn't recommend it, just picture it) My point is this: each time someone eats meat, there is an animal, somewhere, that had to die.

I have always been sensitive when it comes to animals. I remember on numerous occasions when an animal was hit by a car, like a deer, dog or bird; I would cry. The animal died because I hit it. I had similar feelings when it came to hunting animals. I couldn't bring myself to shoot them, and I just thought it was unethical (for lack of a better word) to kill them. Why then is it so easy to buy packaged meat at the store and eat it, but feel no remorse? The person eating the animal has just as much blame as the person who killed it. But, for some reason there is a disconnect between the animals and the people who eat them.


Michael Pollan, in his book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" said that "...most of us would simply rather not be reminded of exactly what meat is or what it takes to bring it to our plates (pp 305). He argues that the reason we don't know where our meat comes from, and how it gets to our plates, is simple: if the consumer knows, then the producer wont sell as much meat. This is one reason why slaughterhouses are off limits to everyone but the people who work in them. It seems like a good PR strategy to me. The question is, "Is it right, or is it wrong?" or, "It there a real answer to this question?"

It is hard for me to say, exactly. I suppose I could purport that it depends on the situation. However, learning about the process of turning a cow into a steak has definitely opened my eyes. Though I am not going to turn vegetarian or vegan, I am definitely going to think a little bit more about what I eat. I also know that I have eliminated my reservations for hunting. It's not that I have stopped abhorring the fact that I am ending the life of another animal. In fact, I think it goes beyond that. I am killing an animal any time I eat meat; therefore, I would rather know where my meat came from and how it got to my plate, then not have any clue if what I am eating really is what the packaging claims it to be.