I always knew that there was a long process in which food goes from its origin to my plate. However, watching the film drastically changed my overall impression of that process. The industries who have control of most of the produce in the U.S. look at food and in their head all that registers is dollar bills. They have no compassion or sympathy for anything else. The only thing they care about is how much net profit they will gain come the end of the fiscal year. The way cattle and chicken, which are living creatures, are treated is inhumane and outright despicable. There seems to be no thought of empathy that goes into the process. Thankfully, I keep kosher restrictions which by definition disallows any harm to the animals. The main focus for slaughtering animals in Judaism is to cause as little pain as possible to the animals. The blade must be so sharp, and only one slice of the knife may be used. Multiple stabbings or cuts would render the food "not kosher."
I imagine that if I did not keep kosher I would definitely have a hard time eating meat. We as a human race do happen to be the ones calling the shots. What if we were some other species cattle? Would we want to be treated like that?
Aside from the horrific footage shown in the film which I do believe is to strengthen public awareness, there were some amazing points and new facts which I was previously unaware of. Besides for reading a few chapters in Omnivores Dilemma I had no appreciation for corn. I mean its great when its canned on the cob or even in its baby form, but the fact that almost everything we eat and even things we do not eat are created from corn baffles me.
Overall the documentary was really educational, and indeed sparked an interest for me in where the things I use in my daily life come from. And the fact that such a broad section of knowledge had never crossed my path before, it makes me wonder about other things that I take for granted and where they come from. My general mode of thinking has been changed thanks to this film.
I completely agree with you in the sense that this documentary was extremely educational. I don't think I can ever eat meat in the same mindset as I used to do ever since I was little. I think it is interesting reading your response because you keep kosher. I think this adds another level to your blog because these are some of the reasons why you keep kosher. I think it is important to understand where the food we eat comes from rather than just eating it with no knowledge at all.
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