The Conscience of a Carnivore

The above is the title of an article I just read here. For as long as I can remember, I have justified the eating of cute, adorable animals with the fact that they are more tasty than cute. I’ve also used that excuse while hunting, but I don’t get to do much of that anymore. I am also guilty of ridiculing the decisions of others on this matter. I have chastised the Asian culture for eating cats--“hey, those are pets, not meat”, while mocking the Hindus for just short of worshipping the cow—because hey, that’s food. That guy right there--the guy with horns on his head--the one blocking traffic. You could eat that guy, gain weight, and ease traffic problems all at once. And who on earth refuses to eat pork? Not to be captain obvious or anything, but that’s where we get bacon, and pork chops, and pork roast, and pork steak, and that wonderful concoction called the pork burger which contains said pork. And let us not forget the ham.

Now ask yourself this. What would it mean to grow meat in a lab—to just stick some stem cells in a vial and viola, animal-less meat(ok, it won’t be quite that simple)? Think about it. Tasty meat without killing the animal. A rib even a vegetarian could love. Could a vegetarian eat meat grown in a petri dish? What rules might that violate? Since i'm not a vegetarian, I would like to know if said people would even be interested in eating meat if it weren't an animal first--a "guilt free" meat. Perhaps this brings up a darker side to meat eating—Am I eating it just because it’s yummy or because it substantiates my place on the foodchain. I would like to think I am above that—that I’m just a glutton for meat eating—but who knows, it may just be my id at work.

Ok, so maybe all of this is a bit far fetched, and maybe I shouldn’t be wasting my time thinking about the tasty “meat in a petri dish” microwave dinners, but I have found myself more than just a little intrigued by this notion. Anyone willing to wait in line for the meal in a petri with me?