Despite this being ostensibly a vegan blog (yeah, yeah, we all know I post more random drivel than I do vegan recipes), it’s very rare for me to ‘push’ veganism or vegetarianism as a way of life. Part of this is because I can’t help but think that people glaze over as soon as they think they’re being lectured and you’re more likely to put people off if they feel that they are being preached at.
But I have to say that I have been genuinely amused by some the reactions to the ‘horse in burger’ scandal that has broken this week in the UK. There have been so many squeamish comments that essentially can be summarised as follows :
‘Eugh, I thought I was eating beef, I never would have eaten it if I thought it was horse.’
So here is my thing, and its not a new point, or a great leap forward in original thinking:
What’s the difference between one sentient being and another? What makes cow edible and delicious and horse meat morally wrong?
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Now I know that there is cultural argument here, that we are raised to view cattle as food and horses as pets. But if we use that argument, does it not imply that we have never taken time to think outside of the culture in which we were raised? Surely, one of the great things about being human is our ability to think, to reason, to question, to form values and make choices accordingly.
So, if you are uncomfortable at the prospect of eating horse, then maybe you should also be uncomfortable at the thought of eating cow. And if you’re uncomfortable with it, if it doesn’t sit right with your values, then why not have a go at going without?
Image credit : Wikipedia
There, not too preachy I hope….
Honey For The Bees 