Sorry Fugu

I recently went and viewed the short-play, Sorry Fugu.  Word for Word Performing Arts Company, a San Francisco’s theater group, does their rendition of “Sorry Fugu”, a short story by T.C. Boyle. Boyle begins with restaurant chef, Albert, who tries his very best to make an outstanding dish but after two attempts. The food critic, Willa Frank is still disappointed. After a couple unsuccessful attempts to woo Willa, Albert ploys a strategy to seduce Willa Frank into tasting his dishes and enjoying her food. 

 The play went better than I expected, although I haven't really been to many plays. I didn't know what to expect, but I did enjoy it. The play is very similar to the short story as in it follows most of the script. The play goes into further details with the character and their backgrounds. The play is very sensual and does reference to quite a bit of sexual acts among the characters. The term, 'food porn' is a good description what this play is about.

Food porn is is a  visual presentation of cooking or eating is that arouse a desire to eat or the glorification of food as a substitute for sex. Sorry Fugu brings to life the combination of cooking and pornography in a sophisticated way with its double entendres. The actors do a fantastic job at making it clear that there is sexual tension between one another. That's something that readers may miss in the short story.

To Eat or Not to Eat

    After reading Eating Animals, readers may want to choose to be conscious of what they are eating. Foer gives graphic details on practices of the farming industries and how unethical they are towards their livestock. His detailed description of the factory farming makes readers uneasy and gives them an idea of practicing vegetarianism. This well written book from Foer makes it a lot less challenging to convert to vegetarianism. I believe that Foer does make valid arguments; however, a solely vegetarian nation would be unsustainable. The United State's economy will not survive if we were all to become vegetarians. 

    Foer has valid arguments for being aware of the farming industry and being aware of what we eat. The details and statistics of the cruelty these animals suffer is alarming. Having a diet without eating meat tends to be healthier and less damaging to the environment. I've tried going vegetarian multiple times, but I haven't been able to sustain it. The longest I've lasted without meat is 5 weeks, but then I caved in. I know its healthier for me and better for everyone, but it's tough.
    Foer does a great job in touching the ethical, moral, and compassionate feeling of people. He is able to connect with everyone on the subject of meat. Foer goes from the eye of a farmer, to a consumer, and to a parent. He touches all bases of his audience. In the chapter,Hiding/Seeking, Foer displays views from the factory farmer, the line worker, the Jewish guy, and a poultry farmer. He even discusses the organic and free range chicken industries.
    I understand Foer's point of morality and ethics when discussing factory farming, but farming industries and restaurants around the United States will be devastated if everyone were to convert to vegetarianism. Our economy is too large to stop producing meat. Millions of people are employed by some kind of food industry. Sadly, the meat industry will not be able to continually employ people if everyone becomes a vegetarian. I'm positive vegetarian restaurant industry will not be able to survive on a large scale. To my knowledge, there is no vegetarian restaurant chain. Sure there are some restaurants that serve vegetarian dishes, but not solely.
    Because of the economic casualty created if the meat industry were to go down, I don't think it is a wise decision to put hundreds of millions of people out of business. These people work hard to put food on the table; even if that food is filled with antibiotics and growth hormones. It's better to have food on the table than nothing at all.  

Critiquing Eating Animals

 Eating Animals is a book that delves into the factory farming industry and its practices. Author, Jonathan Safran Foer discusses the mistreatment of animals through multiple investigation of farms and thorough research. He promotes a sense of vegetarianism and the idea of 'being conscious of what you eat'. Foer writes and formats his book in a way that is simplistic yet sophisticated. He is able to connect with a large platform of different readers as he brings to life the reality of factory farming.The idea of factory farming is obviously a controversial topic and a topic this sensitive will obviously evoke very strong and contrasting viewpoints.


Foer has the ability to connect with his audience because he becomes very personal within the text. He discusses his childhood and eating with his grandma. He also talks about having a child and how that ultimately led him to become a vegetarian.


 I agree with about half of Jennifer Reece’s review of Eating Aninamls.  Foer does come off as condescending and a little bit stuck up. He’s very biased which, for me, is a huge impact on credibility. Foer says that his main objective is to make us conscious of what we are eating, but I believe that there is a hidden agenda behind all of it. He really does want to convert people to vegetarianism. That being said, I also think that Reece’s review is biased as well. She took a few lines from his book out of context. For example, Reece quotes him as saying, “. He turns down the meat, telling Mario that he is kosher, which he is not. Why he does not tell the truth, that he is a vegetarian, is an excellent question, one I am still pondering.” He clearly says that it would be awkward if Foer tells Mario that he is a vegetarian. Reece also thinks that Foer is fighting for veganism but I don’t think that is the case. He hardly mentions the mistreatment of dairy cows or eggs. Bottom line; both Foer and Reece come off as bitchy and a bit stubborn.


 Jay Rayner, on the other hand, does a more professional job at critiquing Foer’s book. Maybe it’s because he is writing for the Guardian in the U.K. He criticizes Foer on his agenda to convert people to vegetarianism even though Foer says that’s not the case; Rayner also mentions that. Rayner believes that Foer doesn’t understand the process of factory farming and has to realize protein and animals are a requirement for people. 


 Foer brings awareness of the farming industry to the public. He exposes the inhumane treatment of cattle, chicken, and pigs. Foer’s rhetoric is very powerful as he uses detailed accounts and step- by-step processes of factory farming. He’s also done his fair share of research and investigation. The only knock on him is his condescending tone and his obvious bias towards the subject.