Cassandra Perkins

Cassandra Perkins grew up a typical modern American. Her parents are divorced and she lives with her mother in the small town of Bethesda Maryland, just outside of Washington D.C. Although Cassandra does have two brothers, they are both a lot older than her and she didn’t really grow up with them. Cassandra says she ate a lot of frozen dinners growing up because her mom isn’t much of a cook, but when she did cook it was mainly rice beans, and meat. She says that it is very difficult for her to imagine eating a meal that doesn’t include some kind of meat- she considers it the focal point of the meal. Cassandra is a freshman at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and therefor she was required to read “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Safran Foer this past summer along with the rest of her class. “Eating Animals” is a wonderful commentary on the impact that food- especially meat- has on our modern lives. Cassandra is a prime example of this impact, she has grown up eating meat on a very regular basis, and it’s even in her family heritage. Her mother’s family is Puerto Rican, and she says that nearly every dish they serve incorporates meat somehow. Cassandra says that she would definitely not consider herself to be a picky eater. She has always been open to trying new things but she has said that she “gets sick of the same food easily”. Although meat may be the focal point of her every meal Cassandra still enjoys variety in the way that it is cooked/ what it is cooked with. She says that her favorite food is “crab, because you can only get it in the summer”. The seasonal nature of crab forces Cassandra to not become sick of it. Cassandra says that her least favorite foods are orange juice and apple sauce, she feels that both of these have too sweet of a taste. Despite Cassandra’s lack of fear for trying new things she still prefers the meats and rice that she grew up eating to the sweeter taste of fruit. She describes it as a “sickly sweet taste. Growing up, Cassandra never considered vegetarianism. To her it was just never a realistic option and never something that she had even considered to be positive. After reading “Eating Animals” Cassandra was able to see both sides of the argument, the book had profound impact on her views of meat eating and where the meat had to come from. After reading the book Cassandra seriously considered going vegetarian for a while. Eventually, she decided to not because it would be too difficult a thing under the circumstances of her lifestyle. Her family would not understand, and it would be difficult for her to appreciate family gatherings- which often revolve around food- when she could not eat anything that it’s being served. Cassandra’s plight is something that many young college students may find themselves facing. As they step outside the boundaries of their families home- where they just what their mom served them, they must make some genuine decisions about what they are going to eat. Many, like Cassandra, come from meat eating families and are just learning about the possibilities and flexibility of being a vegetarian. Many may make the decision to change their lifestyle. While others, like Cassandra, will decide that for the sake of their background, and their heritage they will continue to eat the way they always have.