I wrote the following letter to the editors at Gourmet, in support of David Foster Wallace's lobster article. It's not the most eloquent thing I've ever written, but it's really hard to write something like this and maintain a tone that people will consider and not just reject as extremism.
Dear Editors,Thank you for David Foster Wallace's article "Consider the Lobster". I am quite sure you're getting a torrent of angry mail attacking Wallace as a writer, his facts, his observations, and your judgment as editors. I applaud you for publishing such a thought-provoking article in spite of the reaction it was bound to elicit. I bought your magazine specifically to read this article and I'm really glad I did.
I've been a vegetarian for something like 15 years, and I was fascinated to witness in Wallace's article the early process of someone confronting those most ingrained of habits surrounding our food--thinking about the suffering that might be involved in the foods we eat and what we can do to reduce the amount of suffering in the world.
The amazing array of vegetarian foods available is merely a side-benefit to vegetarianism but one that I enjoy every single day, free of the 'confusion' Wallace suffers trying to balance gustatory enjoyment and animal suffering and death. Refusing to take part in the cycle of killing for food is not selflessness, it's the most rewarding thing I've ever done.