The Only Way to Eat a Cow

  

"The Only Way to Eat a Cow" by Bill McKibben is a very interesting writing piece. I noticed that there was a distinct brash tone in the author's writing. The author wrote about the benefits of becoming vegan and vegetarian, and various methods to prevent global warming via a carnivorous lifestyle. I also noticed the author's claim that becoming vegan is much better for the environment than eating factory farmed meat. I couldn't help but also notice the author himself was a vegetarian and an advocate for global warming prevention. I enjoyed the part about rotational pastures where cows would rotate from pasture to pasture so that the grass wouldn’t become too short in the field.
     This piece made me wonder several things. I wonder about the actual science of how a meatless lifestyle helps fight against global warming. I also wonder why Americans think of meat as an entree instead of a condiment or a side of an entree. I'm curious to see how much research supports the author's claim and I'm curious as to why the author chose to have a mainly meatless diet.
    I think that this entire piece gives me something to think about and also I feel like I learned something surprising today. I knew that eating less meat was environmentally friendly, but I did not know how much it would actually impact the environment. I do think that the writer is extremely brash and blaming if you don't take his side, but I do get his point. In fact, Mckibben makes some very excellent points and even offers a way to reduce global warming while providing a lifestyle with meat. I wish that McKibben offered more than one way to help the environment while eating meat. I would still like to eat meat but I do not want to harm the environment.