Tara Austen Weaver

one woman's romp through a world of men, meat, and moral crisis

The butcher and the vegetarian

Jeannette Ordas

The cover is so deceiving that it's criminal. It's not a chick lit book at all nor is it really about men or morals. There's meat and there's Tara and the book is about navigating her way back to health and learning a lot about herself in the process. Growing up in a hippy Northern California enclave as a vegetarian, Tara didn't know the first thing about eating meat, except that not eating it made her feel like she was the weirdo. But when a few doctors and health practioners tell her to start eating meat, Tara sees this as an adventure in an unknown world. She doesn't just talk to butchers, but talks to farmers, visits ranches and even witnesses slaughter day at Prather Ranch. If she's going to invest in eating meat, she wants to witness and experience all she can. Tara's descriptions of the food she eats (both the meat and the vegetarian stuff) is mouthwatering. It's a shame that the recipes she waxes on about weren't included in the book. It's a minor quibble.

The butcher and the vegetarian one woman's romp through a world of men, meat, and moral crisis

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