Reading at the Table: The Compassionate Carnivore

Just like Nina Planck's Real Food, Catherine Friend's The Compassionate Carnivore: Or, How to Keep Animals Happy, Save Old MacDonald's Farm, Reduce Your Hoofprint and Still Eat Meat will not be earth-shattering information if you've been keeping up on food politics. Much of the information about factory farming practices was not new to me, but it is still heavy reading. I had to take a break while reading because I just couldn't stand to read anymore about it. But what I loved about this book is Friend's perspective on ethical eating is much more realistic than many others. First off, Friend is firm in her decision to continue eating meat. She readily admits that she enjoys meat and has no plans to quit eating it, while many others think that vegetarianism is the only way to fight factory farming. Friend also recognizes that eating "happy meat" is difficult. She recognizes that it is more costly and more difficult to find and sometimes it's just easier to close your eyes and buy the cheaper meat. She also recognizes that there will be times when we must eat factory meat, like at a restaurant or a family gathering. She admits that she doesn't eat this way all the time, but makes an effort to eat this way most of the time. She and her partner have their own small farm, where they raise sheep and chicken, so she is familiar with farming practices and lingo and she explains the differences in labeling terms (organic, free-range, vegetarian-fed, pastured, finished, etc). She also provides suggestions on how to find sources for happy meat and what questions to ask the farmers and butchers. A good resource for those who are interested in eating ethically.