Animal to Edible

by Noilie Vialles, J.A. Underwood (Translator)

Why do we find it necessary to slaughter living animals in order to enjoy their flesh? And why does this act offend our sensibilities, without necessarily making us into vegetarians? In her study of abattoirs in southwest France, Noélie Vialles brings to light a complex system of avoidances. Her analysis reveals that beyond the specific denial of the work of the abattoirs lies a whole system of symbolic representations of blood, human beings and animals, a symbolic code that determines the way in which we prepare domestic animals for the table.

Genres: Food, Anthropology

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 16, 1994

Reviews

[Sarah Giragosian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This meticulously researched ethnographic study of the French abattoir in the late seventies is as harrowing as might be expected, but more than that, it can be read as a study in dissociation. For the abattoir is chiefly a system that hinges upon and reinforces dissociation, making the industry's machinations possible.

[Rev. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the fact that I expected this to be academic, I was hoping that it would be a little less academic and more concerned with the psychology as per the actual stunners, et al. Overall, it was informative.