While most foodies have been made aware of the inhumane techniques used to keep calves — which are turned into veal — and geese, whose livers are fattened up for foie gras, author Gene Baur exposes even more unappetizing ways our meat and dairy products come to the table in his new book, “Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds about Animals and Food.”
Baur, who will read from his book at the Community Bookstore of Park Slope on Friday, told GO Brooklyn that he would like Brooklynites to do their part to “create kinder plates, by just being mindful of their food choices, choosing to buy foods that aren’t the products of violence and cruelty.”
The author is so dedicated to correcting the ills of factory farming that he created an actual farm in Watkins Glen, NY, also called “Farm Sanctuary,” to care for injured or sick livestock. (The farm is open to the public and plans are in the works for an August “hoedown” with vegan foods, presentations and workshops, said Baur.)
What might be hardest for kind-hearted Brooklyn omnivores (and cheese-lovers!) to swallow, however is that Baur is really exhorting his readers to “primarily eat plants instead of animals” — he had just enjoyed a vegetarian brunch at Williamsburg’s Bliss. But what can non-vegans do to make a better life for the animals that will one day end up on our plates?
“Shop at farmers markets and community supported agriculture programs,” replied Bauer. “Try eating vegan one day a week and be creative. There is a mini revolution going on in New York City, including Brooklyn, in which citizens are thinking about their food choices and feeding a growing demand and interest in plant food.”
Gene Baur will read from “Farm Sanctuary” (Touchstone / Simon & Schuster, $25) at 7:30 pm on May 16 at the Community Bookstore of Park Slope (143 Seventh Ave. at Garfield Place). For more information, call (718) 783-3075 or visit www.cbjupiterbooks.com.
