Why is it that there is only one day a year we are expected to muster enough resolve to make a change? Perhaps this year the best New Year's Resolution would be to resolve to constantly reassess ourselves and make resolutions every month (every week?!) that will continuously improve our lives and the lives of our families.
So where to start? Johnathan Safran Foer's book "Eating Animals" is a good place. As in, "I resolve to read this book (and others that have been acting as dust collectors or table raisers)." Foer approaches the question of what and how we eat what we do as a recent father considering the infuriatingly practial yet complex question of, "what do I want to feed my son?" He embarks on a downright dirty journey to uncover the layers of responsibility that cake the choices we make- often unconciously- about our food.
With no agenda other than his own burning inquiry, Foer crafts a narrative of America's plate that looks the uncomfortable (human/animal rights violation, climate change), existential (why grandma's food always tastes best) and traditional (who made turkey for Thanksgiving anyway?) aspects of eating dead in the eyes. "Eating Animals" argues that conscious eating is the only kind of eating that parents should teach their children.
So what to do next? Eating a vegetarian meal is a good next step. Foer's book will inevitably inspire more resolve (if not, you missed the point) to change the way you conceptualize, rationalize and choose what you put in your body. Head to local farmer's market or pick up a copy of Clean Plates to start feeding yourself, and those closest to you, with a new resolve.
Resolve that your 2012 resolutio will make an actual difference in your life (and then the world).
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