Jonathan Safran Foer's Let Them Eat Dogs

Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Let Them Eat Dog” is an article based on why people find it unacceptable to eat dogs. In some countries because of religion it is taboo while others believe the thought of eating a pet is disgusting. Throughout the article Foer tries to justify the reasons why these standards are held to the extent in which it would be okay to eat dog. Foer uses a satirical approach when trying to inform his readers about why dogs are not eaten while using analogies and also proposing the idea of ‘what if’. The comparison between countries and what they eat gives readers an insight of how what may be socially acceptable in one country contradicts that of another. According to the article, “The French, who love their dogs, may eat their horses. The Spanish, who love their horses may eat their cows. The Indians, who love their cows, may eat their dogs.” And the cycle continues. The way it seems here is that no matter where you go, what you eat one place may not be acceptable in another country. A reason these taboos exist may be to differentiate between multiple cultures and the eating of dogs emphasizes it.
The same could be said for the making of animals into food. Near the end of the article, Foer gives a Filipino recipe on how to kill and use dog …show more content…
For the eating of dogs to be morally acceptable the generalization of dogs has to change. The use of “family pooch” and man’s best friend” in Foer’s article appeals to the general idea of how dogs are seen but what if they were not seen that way but as cattle. Other than the thought of dog meat being wrong to eat, what stops people from eating it? If people are comfortable eating cows, pigs, and chickens, then it would be safe to say that what these animal eat before they are slaughtered are just as acceptable. What the animal is fed is essentially what you are