To Meat or Not to Meat

I grew up working in my family’s butcher shop, so eating meat never really felt like it was a choice for me. Meat was what we ate, because meat was what we did — it was that simple. It wasn’t until I read Charlotte’s Web in the third grade, and many of my classmates vowed never to eat meat again, that I paused to think more critically about my family’s trade.

Despite the fact that the question of whether or not it’s possible to eat meat and still love animals has followed me since then, as an adult I still choose to eat meat. I have also chosen to follow in my grandfather and great grandfather’s footsteps and to work as a butcher — a profession that most people don’t see as lining up with being an animal-lover.

However, it’s because I love animals that I chose this path — I want to learn as much as I can about our food systems so that I’m better able to educate people on how to eat meat in a kinder, more responsible, and mindful way.

Do you eat meat? Why or why not?
Respond below.

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