THEY EAT WHAT? Food Taboos

Putting your personal feelings aside, the consumption of animals is as old as time. Why are some animals on or off the table? Why would someone choose to abstain eating animals? Remember the intercultural communication contexts? The consumption (or not) of animals is dependent on the environmental, physical, psychological, temporal and social factors. 

Connections: Consider how “close” you are to certain animals. Do you keep any of these animals in your house? Do they have names? In most societies, household pets are considered “part of the family” and eating those certain animals akin to committing cannibalism. 

Religious Sanctions: This is a common reason for food abstention. However, religious sanctions are actually built off of the idea “making a rule” that can be easily adhered. This creates solidarity and preserving groups’ interests over the individual’s. For example, Kashrut is derived from texts that categorize certain animals as a “virtue or vice.” 

Sacredness: Religious sacredness attributes certain animals as a blessing of livelihood and luxury. For example, in some cultures, cows and oxen are more valuable through their natural lifetime than being bred for slaughter. They plow fields during harvest, they provide milk for consumption, dung for fertilizer and leather after death and they are considered insurance during periods of drought. 

“Clean” and “Unclean” Distinctions: This is another common reason for food abstention; mainly concerning pork and deer. This has to do with features such as their digestive regurgitation, hooved feet and/or bodily requirements to stay moist (i.e. rolling in mud). 

Environment and Ecology: Before food transportation, humans survived off food that was found, farmed and raised naturally in their homeland. It wasn’t sensible to breed animals that wouldn’t survive all seasons. Farmers also have to consider what the animals eat: are they herbivores, omnivores or carnivores? Would the animals consume the same as humans, or were there ways to feed them more economically? 

Habits: Habits are a routine, and food consumption is a routine that humans have practiced throughout generations. Remember though: time changes, and so do habits and culture. 

As long as habits persist, there will be food taboos. It’s important to think “outside your bubble” and understand that there are people who choose not to eat certain meats, or any animals, for various reasons. Conversely, people consume animals that you personally find offensive. Whenever you’re preparing your next gathering with food, always consider your guests’ palates and cultures.