Friend Dani has a very precocious daughter named Piper and before she was 10 she decided, on her own, that eating animals was mean and that we shouldn’t do it. Up until that point she had been an omnivore like the rest of her family. She told me she didn’t think that killing a living thing to eat is a fair choice. I reminded her that plants and vegetables were living things too, and she amended her statement to say killing animals to eat wasn’t fair. The entire family decided to follow Piper’s lead and now CHOOSE not to eat animal flesh with the exception of fish. And now Piper is preparing for a class presentation of her choosing on Ethical Eating.

Ethical Eating? What does that mean for Pete’s sake? Do I have to give up foods I love to be an ethical diner? Does it mean that I have to become a vegetarian, or worse yet, a vegan? Do I have to eat only organic produce? What about free range chickens and cage free eggs? Farm raised fish versus wild caught? Can I do that and STILL stay within my budget (we all know that organic, cage free, free range, etc. cost more than double in some cases)?
It is a varied and vast topic, and Dani and I delved into it while cooking up a MOSTLY meatless meal (John and I are omnivores), bringing Piper into it for her thoughts as well. Basically, the short answer is this: know where your food comes from and make choices about what you eat that follow your moral compass. If you are an animal rights activist that means one thing. If you are concerned about our waterways, it means something else. If the thought of pesticides and herbicides makes you cringe, like Rachel Carson, then your choices will be entirely different. Of course some people would think any of that makes one a “food snob” and maybe it does. Does choosing to eat based on your beliefs make you a food snob? Does selecting only the best choices you can afford and not settling for second best make you a snob? If you answered YES, then yes, ethical eating makes you a food snob. If you answered NO, then you know what a true food snob is.

So here is a breakdown of SOME of the ways you can choose to eat ethically:
• Vegetarian and Vegan – Vegetarians eat no FLESH of animals and Vegans eat no animal products at all (including honey, eggs and dairy). Some choose this option for animal rights (killing something to eat it is abhorrent to them), others choose it for health reasons and still others object to the practices of mass producing meat. While it is becoming much more widespread, it is not an option for me as my favorites would be removed from my diet.
• Choosing Organic – Organic gardening and farming means raising food products without pesticides or herbicides, no GMO feed for the animals, and no hormones or antibiotics in meat and dairy. This is a good jumping off point if you are just starting to think about your food. These options DO cost more because the grocers and retailers know they can get the price – supply and demand.
• Eat Local – harder for us here in the desert, but in other parts of the country this should be a no brainer! Choose produce, and meat products when possible, that are from your area. Typically that means within a 100 mile radius. Farmers’ Markets are great places to shop this way. Be aware! Farmers’ Markets tend to be pricier. This is an ethical choice for a few reasons – supporting family owned farms AND less petroleum used in the transportation to market, and many family farms are organic. If you have a local “pick your own” farm, go and do that!
• Seafood Watch – This is a great resource for choosing sustainable, healthy choices for fish and shellfish. Many species are “over-fished” leading to depletion in numbers and consequently having a massive impact on the natural water ecosystems. You would think farm raised fish is a good choice, but that is NOT necessarily the case. Look for stores and restaurants with the Seafood Watch sign. These places will have ONLY “good choices” so you will know that everything you buy meets the Seafood Watch guidelines. Thank you Rick Moonen for the education!
• Snout to Tail Dining – for ages when an animal was slaughtered, EVERYTHING on it was used, from its hide to bones to organs and fat, not only the meat (Hello!? Native Americans?). In the 20th century we removed ourselves from this way of eating as we grew more prosperous and commercial “factory” farming became the norm. There is a movement to go BACK to the old ways. Several Chefs have gotten on board with Snout to Tail and I had the good fortune to eat in one of those restaurants in San Francisco. Many people won’t eat organ meat (liver or kidney for example), but is killing an animal JUST for the musculature ethical? Folks following the Snout to Tail model don’t think so and use or consume as much of the animal as possible. Try a crispy fried pig’s ear as a gateway food.

This is a pulled pork and crispy fried pig’s ear sandwich with pig brain mayo. Along side are curried macarons filled with foie gras mousse. Thanks to The Vegas Foodie for the photo. Created by Chef Brian Howard of Comme Ca at the Cosmopolitan for a food truck event.

I am NOT the most ethical eater, but I DO make choices that fit with my life and my moral compass about the foods I eat and buy. I use bones, tendons and feet in addition to meat when I make stock. The result is a thicker, richer, silkier stock and I participated in an ethical choice. I pick my own at a local farm, buy produce from a co-op and choose organic when possible and not outrageously overpriced. When buying fish, I use the Seafood Watch app for my phone (I used to carry a card…). And occasionally I will even do a Meatless Monday (it usually turns into MOSTLY Meatless Monday because I love bacon). The one thing I can’t/won’t do is go Vegetarian. I’d be miserable and if you are miserable about what you are NOT eating, is that an ethical choice?

It’s no secret that I believe as a member at the top of the food chain, I should be able to eat anything I want, up to and including foie gras, much to the shame of Californians and animal rights activists everywhere. But I KNOW where my food comes from. DO YOU? I grew up on a farm in upstate New York. I planted and picked strawberries, zucchini and tomatoes. I fished, raised chickens, collected eggs, plucked chickens, and participated in the butchering of meat, both farm raised and wild game (Moment of Truth – I can freezer wrap a butchered, average sized deer in 15 minutes). I know how to grind meat and stuff sausage into casings. If you don’t know where your food comes from, there are PLENTY of sources out there for you to watch and read. I challenge you to do a little research and find out exactly how your food is produced. Where did it come from? How does it make it to your table?

Beware, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing…and it might change the way you eat forever.