After reading the article “The Way of All Flesh” written by Ted Conover, I discovered the truth on the process of how a cow will turn into food. Conover gives us a step by step as to what a cow must go through and how it gets evaluated by health inspectors to be USDA approved (with a stamp) or else it will not be allowed to leave the slaughterhouse and delivered. One main factor is that inspectors must be aware that everything is done perfect to prevent food borne illnesses. For example, an inspector can stop the whole line/function if there is an issue that must be called, which for every minute that the line is stopped it costs about “$10,000”. One thing I learnt while reading this article was how much precisions had to be included when cutting open and dissembling a cow; especially when it came to cutting open the cow’s heart. What surprised me was how even if a liver is not able for human consumption it can however be okay for cat consumption which had me at a “woah”. I am not huge on beef and don’t consume it as much but now I will most likely not eat beef again simply especially when I read the dismemberment part and the way he described in detail on how the cow looked.

After reading the article “The Way of All Flesh”, written by Ted Conover, I found it extremely disturbing how the meat processing industry processes and inspects their beef. I believe that the way that the meat processing industry slaughters their cattle is very inhumane. According to the article, it is stated that there is a guy called a knocker that shoots the cattle in the forehead with a gun to kill it. I was surprised to hear this because I was not aware that animals were being slaughtered with weapons in such extreme ways. And as someone who tends to eat beef very often, I am extremely disappointed in the procedures of the meat processing. Furthermore, the meat processing industry should have the proper tools supplied for the inspectors to use when they are inspecting the beef. The inspectors should not be the ones to buy their tools themselves, as that is unprofessional. Overall, I believe that in the future, meat processing industries should not process their beef in these improper ways. Also, they should be completely thorough and supply the inspectors with the proper tools needed for meat inspections. Even after reading this article, I believe that I will continue to eat beef because I have been eating beef for my entire life and enjoy it.  

After reading the article “The Way of All Flesh”, by Ted Conover, I feel that it’s really upsetting and disgusting of what goes on in the meat packing/processing industry and I also feel like its corrupt with how the workers are to be responsible for buying their own work equipment, as the inspector “Herb” think it’s not fair how nothing was given to the workers, so he was nice enough to supply the workers with uniforms and other stuff. I also could just imagine on how the workers feel everyday working in the meat industry and the stuff they have to deal with and go through, but I feel the author switching to vegan in the end of the article was a good choice for him as I could just imagine how traumatizing it can be for someone working in a meat industry for a while and people’s appetites and choices towards food can change really quickly after certain experiences or work related experiences. As for someone who does not eat beef that often, I feel after reading this article I might not want to consider eating beef again in the future as it made me feel grossed out from reading what goes on and how the whole processing works and also as I’ve had a few bad experiences from beef in the past.

Aeshah Ahmed

After reading “The Way of All Flesh”, from Harper’s magazine, I truly became even more disgusted by the processing and inspection of beef. Personally, as a member of the Hindu community and religion, I don’t consume beef because cows are seen as sacred animals to us. So reading this article genuinely made me uncomfortable, but within the food and beverage hospitality industry, I have to comply with learning these methods. As it is part of the basic curriculum, I, of course, like anyone else, obtain information outside of my comfort zone. The meat processing industry as a whole is clearly somewhat corrupt, and this article intricately goes through the detailed process of how beef is processed daily in these meat plants. From the procurement of the cattle off of the rough transportation trucks to the inspections and, of course, the gruesome details of slaughtering these cows. Despite the USDA regulations being put into effect, the cattle are up to health standards for human consumption. Issues lie in the fact that this is a male-dominated industry. In the article, we read about Carolina, who is one of the only women working at the meat plant and is constantly “whistled at” while working, which is unprofessional but not surprising. Overall, this article detailed every aspect of what it’s like from a slaughter worker’s perspective on work on a day-to-day basis. Though I am not a vegetarian, I don’t eat beef because of my dietary restrictions. I don’t see myself eating beef in the future, especially after reading this article.