one leg of the journey

for those who have followed along, i have taken you on my journey of food.
it started by simply going to the farmers' market on saturday and has become more of our way of life through some very minimal reading and other websites.

this book has been part of the journey.
i started it months ago and finally finished.
i can't say i buy the whole thing, especially since they are philopophically in favor of veganism or in the least vegetarianism .... but there are aspects that propel me further down this path... however that path is to be defined.

here are some things that struck me.....
in the conclusion of the book they sum up their five ethical principles. here is what how it specifically challenges me regarding my food choices.

1. transparency: we have the right to know how our food is produced.
challenge: i should care how my food is produced.
2. fairness: producing food should not impose cost to others.
challenge: i should care more about how my food choices reflect the full cost of its production past what it cost my pocketbook (i.e. the environment, communities surrounding farms, workers, etc).
3. humanity: inflicting significant suffering on animals for minor reasons is wrong.
challenge: am i being a good steward of a chicken's life if the company i buy it from debeaks its chickens, stores them in cages too small to turn around in, and gives them hormone shots in order to get them to mature faster? is that really what god intended?
4. social responsibility: workers should have decent wages and working conditions.
challenge: to find companies that do this.
5. needs: preserving life and health justifies more than other desires.
challenge: learning how to make different choices....seeking to change my own gluttony.

this is more info than you probably care about, but here is one quote that really made me think:
"eating too much should be seen not only as a health problem, but also an ethical issue, because it wastes limited resources, adds to pollution, and increases animal suffering. the average american today eats 64 pounds more meat, poultry, and fish a year than his or her counterpart in the 1950s. that's almost a 50 percent increase -- and americans were not undernourished then....along with the old-fashioned virtue of frugality, the idea that it is wrong to be a glutton is in urgent need of revival" (page260 -81).

i am lazy & a glutton if i am really honest with myself. i want convenience more than appropriate choices. it is hard because it is more than just changing to reusable grocery bags; it is learning and then being will to change.... which i don't know many people that like to change.

but, i still have more to read. this book has pointed me in some more directions.
i'll keep you posted.