This little piggy ate roast beef. This little piggy had none.

Reading Pollan's chapter really opened my eyes up to a new world of dimensions to the meat eating argument. So often in the past I have scoffed at preachy vegetarians using the simple logic of... it's natural to eat meat, our ancestors ate meat and, probably in the back of my mind, - and it just tastes so damn good. I was completely secure in my justifications. This piece though really does make you, as the author describes, either stop eating meat, or look away. With a very justifiable equality logic that puts species on an even (sometimes animals being above humans slightly in some instances) playing field, he makes it very hard to find excuses to justify our habits, as natural or old as they may be. What he really accomplishes though is bringing the reader along for his logic ride, inviting them into his brain as he attempts to justify the practice that he enjoys so much. This is his strongest asset; his ethos. He loves eating meat. He did not begin by throwing facts out about animal conditions although it finds its way into the argument. He simply shows his step by step process leading up to the arrival of his conclusions. He highlights his attempts to defy the animal rights groups and then provides their logical rebuttals. It is very effective in garnering reader trust and had me almost hanging on his conclusions to form my opinions. In short he is doing more than saying don't eat meat.... he is using the universal emotion of pain to begin a complex dialogue about whether we can justify this practice on a level any deeper than our love for the good old quarter pounder.