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The Vegetarian's Guide to Eating Meat: A Young Woman's Search for Ethical Food
Growing up in a household of food-loving Italian-Americans, Marissa Landrigan was always a black sheep—she barely knew how to boil water for pasta. But at college, she thought she’d discovered her purpose. Buoyed by animal rights activism and a feminist urge to avoid the kitchen, she transformed into a hardcore vegan activist, complete with shaved head.
But Landrigan still hadn’t found her place in the world. She criss-crossed the U.S., striving to develop her career and maintain a relationship. Along the way, she discovered that eating ethically was far from simple—and cutting out meat was not the answer. As she got closer to the source of her food, eventually even visiting a slaughterhouse and hunting elk, Landrigan realized that the most ethical way of eating was to know her food—whether meat or vegetable—and prepare it herself, on her own terms, to eat with family and friends.
Part memoir and part investigative journalism, The Vegetarian’s Guide to Eating Meat is as much a search for identity as it is a fascinating treatise on food.
But Landrigan still hadn’t found her place in the world. She criss-crossed the U.S., striving to develop her career and maintain a relationship. Along the way, she discovered that eating ethically was far from simple—and cutting out meat was not the answer. As she got closer to the source of her food, eventually even visiting a slaughterhouse and hunting elk, Landrigan realized that the most ethical way of eating was to know her food—whether meat or vegetable—and prepare it herself, on her own terms, to eat with family and friends.
Part memoir and part investigative journalism, The Vegetarian’s Guide to Eating Meat is as much a search for identity as it is a fascinating treatise on food.
- GenresFoodNonfictionMemoir
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 29, 2017
6 people are currently reading
366 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 1, 2017
Oh God, another "ethical" butcher. It is so exhausting watching ex-vegetarians talk about how "knowing" someone makes slitting their throat a good thing. It means you betrayed someone who trusted you so you could eat their body or snuck up on someone to shoot them then stalk them as they bleed to death. She posts pictures of her dogs and cats while writing entire books about how it's ok to cause suffering and death in animals with similar needs, personalities, and trust for human beings which is completely undeserved by us. Let's be honest. "Grass fed" beef (the body of a cow who trusted their captor only to have their life taken from them) is not even possible on the planet since most of the farm land already goes to animal agriculture 95-99% of which is factory farming. We would need a great many more planets to do anything proposed by this author even if it were somehow humane- it is not. The kinds of farming this author promotes actually have worse impacts on the environment and- in turn- the health of poor people that she willingly tokenizes for her claims. Her white-washed, middle class brand of "feminism" and "ethical" eating is clear. Humane meat is yuppie bullshit. I encourage anyone interested in this topic to read this https://strivingwithsystems.com/2017/...
May 9, 2017
A beautifully written book that explores dietary choice through the lens of privilege, place, community. Landrigan writes, "Food connects us to each other, and when we begin the process of weaving individual lives together, we create an elaborate tapestry known as community. Where food meets people, it's easy to put your finger on the essence of place." (215)
From New York to Montana, California to Ghana, Iowa to Kansas, Marissa Landrigan writes about how the places she's lived and the person she was in those places shaped her understanding of the food system, social justice, and ultimately, mortality. The book opens with Marissa looking at a steer's head in a slaughterhouse--but it's not only meat and death that Landrigan is trying to look at bravely and honestly but herself and the impact her choices make on the people around her and the ecological communities she inhabits. As a hunter she met in Montana said, "We all kill a little, the least you can do is look at it." I read this book as Landrigan's long hard look at food, death, privilege, choice, and ecology. I loved this book for its courage, its reflection, its vulnerability, and its refusal to provide simple or prescriptive answers to the the problems with the food system and the choices we have to make about what and how we eat.
From New York to Montana, California to Ghana, Iowa to Kansas, Marissa Landrigan writes about how the places she's lived and the person she was in those places shaped her understanding of the food system, social justice, and ultimately, mortality. The book opens with Marissa looking at a steer's head in a slaughterhouse--but it's not only meat and death that Landrigan is trying to look at bravely and honestly but herself and the impact her choices make on the people around her and the ecological communities she inhabits. As a hunter she met in Montana said, "We all kill a little, the least you can do is look at it." I read this book as Landrigan's long hard look at food, death, privilege, choice, and ecology. I loved this book for its courage, its reflection, its vulnerability, and its refusal to provide simple or prescriptive answers to the the problems with the food system and the choices we have to make about what and how we eat.
April 2, 2017
Ok so maybe I'm biased, but this is obviously the greatest book ever written by Marissa Landrigan.
May 24, 2017
This book was very eye-opening and really made me think hard about where my food comes from and the agricultural practices at work in the United States. Factory farms are just the beginning of the problem with the food industry and eating ethically is not as black-and-white as it seems. I'll be thinking about this book for a while, certainly while grocery shopping and making decisions on what to have for dinner. In addition to being informative, this book is also amazingly well-written and contains some of the most beautiful and heartfelt quotes I've come across in a long time. I loved the theme of food being the center of a community and the power it has to bring people together. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to find a better, more sustainable way of feeding themselves and the ones they love.
August 23, 2019
Great memoir and helpful indicator of how to make your own decisions in food. It isn't a how-to and it's not a treatise one way or the other. I don't necessarily agree with all the decisions and conclusions Landrigan has made, but it HAS made me reevaluate my own journey, which is really all I can ask from a book. I might have wished this book was a bit more inclusive of methods and options, but that's the book I would write, not the one Landrigan wrote, and adjusting my own expectations is sort of the point.
A hard recommend for anyone who's interested in shaking up how they look at food.
A hard recommend for anyone who's interested in shaking up how they look at food.
July 27, 2017
This book really forced me to deal with my own ideals as a vegetarian, and I'm incredibly thankful that someone wrote something so heartfelt, raw, and with the intention of being completely and totally transparent.
April 12, 2017
It is a well written book but I couldn't get over the vivid sickening descriptions of the first chapter. I tried but I wasn't able to finish reading it without my stomach turning.
October 11, 2024
This book was not what I was expecting- I expected information on ethical eating- which it covers (somewhat) but it is also a memoir....which I was less interested in. The author decides to become in a vegetarian in college after seeing a PETA film on pig farming. At that point she jumps full into vegetarianism without doing the research- lots of processed fake meats.
My issue with vegetarianism- and I respect vegetarians- but the ones that do it because it is "bad for the environment"- and then continue to just grab Morningstar and Annies, and other frozen foods- it isn't helping the environment- and my other issue (and this is one that is small)- but being a vegetarian is often a rich person's deed- a lot of people around the world (as she experienced in Ghana) cannot afford to just decide not to eat the food that is available- it becomes a bit entitled. As she educated herself, started shopping at farmer's markets and CSA, etc- I started to understand and respect her choices. Personally I don't eat much meat- and when I do I try to make conscious decisions, but it is hard- and you have to be willing to spend extra $$ and research the labels.
Read if you have considered being a vegetarian- I think this will help you be a smart one.
M & L Reading Challenge: a book with a green cover
My issue with vegetarianism- and I respect vegetarians- but the ones that do it because it is "bad for the environment"- and then continue to just grab Morningstar and Annies, and other frozen foods- it isn't helping the environment- and my other issue (and this is one that is small)- but being a vegetarian is often a rich person's deed- a lot of people around the world (as she experienced in Ghana) cannot afford to just decide not to eat the food that is available- it becomes a bit entitled. As she educated herself, started shopping at farmer's markets and CSA, etc- I started to understand and respect her choices. Personally I don't eat much meat- and when I do I try to make conscious decisions, but it is hard- and you have to be willing to spend extra $$ and research the labels.
Read if you have considered being a vegetarian- I think this will help you be a smart one.
M & L Reading Challenge: a book with a green cover
July 6, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this book for all the stories, the grappling with identity and food choices, which I definitely could identify with. Marissa threads such an interesting string of experiences living and traveling the country searching for the right place and community much like how the couple in the movie "Away We Go" search for the place that feels like home to start their family.
This book is a must read, whether you're a vegetarian, vegan, omnivore, etc., Marissa Landrigan's story speaks to us all, because the span of her experiences are classically American when it comes to the day to day decision making and navigation through a swirling nebula of tradition, ecology, morality, activism, family, nutrition, lifestyle habits, love and relationships, geography and place.
This book is a must read, whether you're a vegetarian, vegan, omnivore, etc., Marissa Landrigan's story speaks to us all, because the span of her experiences are classically American when it comes to the day to day decision making and navigation through a swirling nebula of tradition, ecology, morality, activism, family, nutrition, lifestyle habits, love and relationships, geography and place.
May 29, 2018
This book is a master class in balancing memoir with research--Landrigan has gone to great lengths to be an informed narrator who can parse the complexity of food choices, and while her education (in the field and from other careful reading) is clearly communicated to the reader, the personal story at the heart of this book is a lyric meditation on place, the transience of a generation, and the relationships that shape us. A gorgeous and impressive debut!
June 28, 2020
A wonderful debut book by an author whose search for the "right" way to eat takes her all over the United States (and to Ghana!) looking for answers to the question of food. Landrigan's prose is welcoming and engaging, and she avoids the easy binaries of the vegetarianism debate. If you're interested not only in where your food comes from, but what it means for you to consume it, you'll find a fellow traveler in this book.
August 11, 2017
I wish more time would have been spent on how much meat we consume in this country- searching for an ethical meal also should consider how much meat we consume, even if it is the happiest meat on the planet.
May 3, 2020
Overall, fine book. Interesting to read about her journey. Well written. I was hoping for for actionable insights. More info about how, exactly, small conscious food choices can add up. But still a good read, overall.
January 19, 2024
A really eye-opening grasp on how North Americans view food. I too, grapple with eating ethically and the choices I make each day.
No spoilers, but one line that has stuck with me, “I’d learned about animals before I’d learned about people.”
No spoilers, but one line that has stuck with me, “I’d learned about animals before I’d learned about people.”
May 4, 2017
Review forthcoming at The Rumpus!
November 24, 2018
Wenn man sich heutzutage ein bisschen mit der Welt beschäftigt, findet man sehr schnell Argumente warum man Vegetarisch oder sogar Vegan leben sollte. Mich hat daher die "Gegenseite" sehr interessiert und ich war sehr gespannt auf die Argumente von Marissa Landrigan.
Dieses Buch ist mehr wie eine Biografie aufgebaut und man begleitet Frau Landrigan auf einem Teil ihres Lebensweges. Ihrgendwann hat sie sich dazu entschieden wieder Fleisch zu essen und musst sich wohl für sich selber dafür rechtfertigen und dieses Buch schreiben. Ihre Argumente, warum sie wieder Fleisch ist, sind nicht haltbar und unbegründet. Man kann auch selber kochen und ethisch einkaufen, wenn man kein Fleisch ist.
Ich bin leider enttäuscht von dem Buch. Es hat meine Erwartungen nicht erfüllt. Es blieb sehr oberflächlich und wenn man nicht mit Scheuklappen durch die Welt läuft, kennt man auch ihre "Tipps" zur ethischen Ernährung bereits. Somit hat mich dieses Buch nicht weiter gebracht.
Dieses Buch ist mehr wie eine Biografie aufgebaut und man begleitet Frau Landrigan auf einem Teil ihres Lebensweges. Ihrgendwann hat sie sich dazu entschieden wieder Fleisch zu essen und musst sich wohl für sich selber dafür rechtfertigen und dieses Buch schreiben. Ihre Argumente, warum sie wieder Fleisch ist, sind nicht haltbar und unbegründet. Man kann auch selber kochen und ethisch einkaufen, wenn man kein Fleisch ist.
Ich bin leider enttäuscht von dem Buch. Es hat meine Erwartungen nicht erfüllt. Es blieb sehr oberflächlich und wenn man nicht mit Scheuklappen durch die Welt läuft, kennt man auch ihre "Tipps" zur ethischen Ernährung bereits. Somit hat mich dieses Buch nicht weiter gebracht.
January 13, 2018
Yes, I read the book. It was advertised as “part memoir and part investigative journalism”, but it is more like 90% memoir and 10% journalism. Very disappointed. I was hoping for something like Omnivore’s Dilemma or Eating Animals.
April 11, 2017
A book full of excuses for participating in animal exploitation. There's no ethical way to exploit animals for food. Go vegan!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews