Struggles and battles

The one issue I've found harder than anything else so far in this project is the issue of eating meat. You may have read my last post, which I read just after I'd read "Eating Animals".

Since then, I've been thinking about it a lot, and can't seem to put the issue away. I don't know why I've struggled so much with it - I guess it's an issue that a lot of people have strong feelings about. And, in my experience, quite differing opinions on. Over the last couple of months, I've discussed it with committed meat eaters, vegans, pescetarians and vegetarians. And I'm still struggling to work out what I think.

See, I still firmly believe that you can be an "honourable omnivore" (to quote Jonathan Safran Foer once more).  I don't think it's necessary to become a vegetarian or vegan, as for me this isn't just an environmental issue. And if I was going down the animal welfare route, I would go vegan too, since dairy cows and laying hens are often amongst the worst treated. But I believe you can eat meat responsibly, by sourcing it well, eating less and picking the less desirable cuts too.

But honourable omnivory turns out to be quite hard, as I've discovered over the last month or so. The meat that I buy for the food that I cook is the easy part. Simple - I go to a butchers that has an awesome ethical and animal welfare standard that I am happy with.

However, everything else turns out to be the problem.

Eating out should be easy. It should be a case of checking the source of meat before eating it. But there's two major barriers in the way - my forgetfulness, and my British politeness. The first has led to me eating (most likely) less than happy meat on a few occasions (bacon sandwiches on a work lunch, roast lamb in a pub). I really love eating out, and well cooked meat is one of the perks for me. I'm so used to being able to order what I want, that I'm struggling to adjust and remember that I'm supposed to ask.

And then there's the politeness issue. I thought asking the origins of the meat would be easy, but in reality I'm finding it really hard. I worry about appearing rude or whether it's appropriate in front of the people I'm eating with, and so have avoided it where possible. And this is something I really want to get over. I guess I'm luckier than most, in that a few of the places local to me have excellent sourcing policies, and so I can order what I want without worrying.

Overall though, not eating meat when I eat out (unless I know where it's from) is proving a lot harder than I anticipated, and feels like one of the biggest sacrifices I'm probably going to have to make this year.

The biggest issue though that I've struggled with is how to approach food that other people have cooked. I originally thought it didn't matter at all, and I should focus on just the meat I buy. However, a few people have suggested that I might be taking the easy route out, and possibly being a bit hypocritical. Which has led to a lot of self doubt and wrestling with the issue. Should I essentially become a vegetarian apart from the meat I buy?

Eventually, it was actually something within my house that made me come to a final decision. We cook together Monday to Friday, each cooking a meal each week. And it's one of my favourite things about the house - I really feel that it adds an element of community. But if I refused to eat meat that I didn't source, that either means I can't eat with my housemates (which I don't want) or that they are forced to follow my values (something which I disagree with).

At the end of the day, I stand by my original assertions. I value the social importance of eating together more than expecting other people to follow my values. All I can do is be passionate about what I'm doing and why, and hope it inspires other people to do the same. However, my poor record when eating out is something that I can work on...