Chapter 1: Eating Animals

This week I completed reading the first chapter of Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. The first chapter is the author letting us know who he is. He talks about his battle with vegetarianism. He spoke about his beliefs on food, family, and identity. He also explains to the reader why he wrote this book. The first chapter was so compelling because I learned so much about the author. I got a brief timeline of his life and he is very straightforward about his opinions. I was originally interested in this book because it reminds me of my sister. One day out of the blue she decided to be vegetarian. My family all believed it would last around two weeks, it has been three years. I respect vegetarianism but I don’t quite understand it. This book, in 19 pages, has already helped me understand more.  I look forward to the future chapters where he goes in depth about his experiences. I am interested to know how I feel about his decisions. Will I agree with them? Will I understand them? Will this book turn me into a vegetarian? Many of the topics that were brought up in the first chapter made me stop and think. One that I have continued thinking about is the idea of food as a source of memories. Foer says “Within my family’s Jewish tradition, I came to learn that food serves two parallel purposes: it nourishes and it helps you remember.”(12) I am Jewish. I do not keep kosher but I do eat Jewish foods and know the meaning behind them. For example, apples in honey on Yom Kippur represent the sweetness of the New Year. I had never heard the concept of food being a way to remember and tell stories. What does that mean? Food makes me think about stories. Every time I eat mandarin oranges I think of how my grandma would always give me them and let me watch frosty the snowman in her basement.  The food didn’t tell the story, it reminded me of it. Is that what Foer means?  I am fascinated by this book and will continue to search for the connection between food and memories.