We should rethink our eating habitsPosted 2 days agoOne of the greatest pleasures of travelling around the world is eating. In conversations with my high school students, they share their desires to visit America just to eat a juicy hamburger with all the fixings; or Italy to twirl their forks in spaghetti. Recently, I went to Korea and had a field day at the bustling street markets where I indulged in the local cuisine. I’d go back there in a heartbeat; however, I would be reluctant to revisit the dog markets. At Gupo Market in Busan, Korea’s second-largest city, I locked eyes with about 50 dogs packed paw-to- paw in rusty, wire cages. The dogs looked like the ones you might consider buying from a local pet store. It took every ounce of energy not to break down as I watched one dog get yanked out by its neck while it used all of its strength to resist. The other dogs barked in protest as their friend was tied up and brutally killed. Its eviscerated carcass would later end up in a glass display case. As I left the market in hysterics, I was determined to spread the word about the dark side of Korean markets. I recounted my experiences and expressed my disgust with the barbaric Korean dog industry. My American friend was deeply disturbed, but told me I was being ethnocentric by insinuating their culture was backwards for eating “man’s best friend.” “How is eating veal any better than eating dog?” he asked rhetorically. My friend proceeded to educate me on how the maltreatment of dogs is the same, if not worse, in comparison to the methods used in North American slaughterhouses. There are allegations of force-fed calves, mutilated pigs and debeaking egg-laying hens and keeping them in over-crowded battery cages where they live in each other’s feces. Even though I have seen these images in documentaries, including the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals video Meet Your Meat, I have never seen this with my own eyes. Seeing maltreatment first-hand is much different than seeing it on a TV or computer screen because we have the luxury of switching the channel when the gory parts become too disturbing to watch. It wasn’t until I witnessed animal cruelty first-hand in Ethiopia, India, Korea and Japan that I no longer craved meat. “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian,” said Paul McCartney, the former Beatle and animal rights activist. To be sure, not every farm animal is cruelly treated. Farms that are family-run or free-range tend to use ethical methods. But the reality is that most of the meat we buy from grocery stores comes from factory farms. Killing animals inhumanely is immoral and unnecessary. Regardless if it is considered a family pet or an entrée for a family feast, all animals feel pain and pleasure, and have intellectual abilities. According to Peter Singer, philosopher and founder of the modern animal liberation movement, pigs and dogs are comparably intelligent and “need a varied, stimulating environment if they are not to suffer from stress and boredom. Anyone who kept a dog in the way in which pigs are frequently kept would be liable to prosecution.” Of course, people who eat meat are not immoral monsters or careless consumers. Some animal rights activists and vegetarians can get carried away with pretentiously preaching a meat-free agenda. What we chose to eat is ultimately our decision, and we need to respect each other’s choices; however, we are responsible for how our daily decisions impact our health and environment, including animals. The conditions in some factory farms are breeding grounds for viruses, and also play a major role in perpetuating ecological degradation and world hunger. If we can’t face facts and “meet our meat” perhaps we should reconsider our eating habits. We owe it to our future generations. Contact Ashley Clayton at |
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