Dear Jonathan Safran Foer,
I just finished watching your appearance on the Colbert Report, and I'm feeling disillusioned. You see, about 9 months ago I started down the road toward vegetarianism. I'm eating a pescetarian diet these days; I don't claim that it's perfect, or perfectly morally consistent, but it feels like a step in the right direction.
Then I stumbled across an excerpt from your new book, Eating Animals, on the NPR website, and I fell in love with you, your hipster glasses, and of course your lovable, sentient dog George. I even went out and bought the book in hardcover and read it on the plane over winter break, thoroughly engrossed, reading occasional passages aloud to my thoughtful-omnivore-trending-vegetarian husband. I felt intellectually compelled; I felt morally challenged.
And then today I opened up hulu to watch Colbert (a weekday ritual for me as I make dinner) and saw that you were his guest!
Much to my chagrin, you said almost immediately that you didn't think he needed to become vegetarian, but just to eat less meat. I understand that you reject a radical, unconditional vegetarianism (as you write on page 32,"It's a way of thinking that we would never apply to other ethical realms. (Imagine always or never lying.)") I do too, obviously, but as you also write, being a selective omnivore takes a lot more explaining and tends to make one much more challenging to feed than simply identifying as vegetarian (55-56).
I guess you and I both live in gray area, and you just happen to do so on national television. Still, there was no chance you could challenge Colbert a little more? Really? It would have been fun to watch.
Love,
Julia
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