Jaidan Brass - Food (12/04)

   We spent a couple of class periods going over how we decided what we could eat versus what we couldn't. This sets us apart from animality because of how we look to decide what's okay to eat. Animals don't have a problem with going after food unless there's fear involved. If a hyena can steal the prey of predators, it will unless it decides the risk is not worth it. Some domestic dogs and cats will also hunt prey, even if they would rather them not. Humans, however, look more deeply into this question. We mention a bunch of examples in class. I think they were called the Jains(?), but they could only eat food that was given to them was freshly cooked and unplanned because they could have nothing to do with the killing of another organism. This includes plants and bacteria. Another one we mentioned is not eating animals with faces on them, which is common in the U.S. because food usually never looks like animals when we have them to eat. I was at a restaurant somewhere only a couple of years ago, and I got shrimp. I had never thought about the fact that the shrimp I ate originally had legs, so I was kind of freaked out when I got the shrimp that still had their appendages on. In a way, it was eye-opening. It's weird how humans can be very distinct in what they will and will not eat. I personally think I could eat anything if it was cooked and did not resemble the original animal. Probably even bugs or domesticated animals if I had nothing to do with it being killed and cooked, though, which I know many people in the U.S. might look down upon, but if it's already cooked, there's really only the possibility of it going to waste.