FOER ON HUNTING, PETA, AND DISAGREEING WITH MICHAEL POLLAN

[Guest guest]

" FOER ON HUNTING, PETA, AND DISAGREEING WITH MICHAEL POLLAN: "

(12/22/09):

" Since childhood, Jonathan Safran Foer has dabbled in vegetarianism -- but when

he became a father he finally decided to take a closer look at his dietary

choices. The result is his first work of nonfiction, Eating Animals... [which]

uncovers some ugly truths about America's meat production system, but [in it]he

also weaves in stories from his own family history -- and shows how stories can

shape our diets. While others have argued for reforming our system of factory

farms, Foer argues for much more radical change: giving up meat (or at least

eating dramatically less of it). I talked to him about switching from novels to

nonfiction, raising kids veggie, and daring to disagree with the pope of the

sustainable food movement, Michael Pollan...

 

.... MJ: You have a whole section on PETA in your book. You acknowledge that

they're the butt of a lot of jokes. But it seems like you take them seriously.

Do you ever think they undermine their own cause by being so strident?

 

JSF: Part of their effectiveness is in acting like jacka**es sometimes.

Everybody knows who they are; they have an incredibly powerful brand and they

get that in part by undermining their own legitimacy. It's like a deal they

made.

 

....MJ: You are almost a vegan right now, right?

 

JSF: That is what I am moving toward...

 

[Very edited from:

http://www.alternet.org/story/144348/

 

 

 

 

 

" Hobbes: Do you think there's a God? Calvin: Well, SOMEBODY'S out to get me. "