I injoyed this book, it was well written and interesting infomation, but it just felt like it was missing something for me. Other then that it was a great read.

While the author does have some valid points in The Mindful Carnivore, the book tended to ramble on at times, repeating itself and telling more of a personal story than information on becoming a mindful carnivore.

The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegitarian's Hunt for Sustenance by Tovar Cerulli examines what it means to be a mindful eater, not just a mindful carnivore. How much damage are you truly avoiding in choosing to be a vegetarian--and how can you be a mindful consumer and have respect for everything you ingest?

Cerulli had been a vegetarian for several years after a childhood of fishing and eating meat. When his doctor suggests he could use more protein in his diet, Cerulli and his soon-to-be wife Cath start investigating ways they can incorporate meat into their diet in a thoughtful and humane way. After much investigation including gardening themselves, they discover that no amount of care in diet prevents harm to animals, insects, and the environment. Even in simple gardening you kill worms when you turn the soil. The conclusion is that care must be taken and respect must be given in every bite you take regardless of the diet you choose to have.

The last half of the book is Cerulli's journey to understand hunting and to find peace with the process of killing a living being and eating it. It's quite a detailed account and I found myself having more reverence for the food I eat. It is a thoughtful account and I appreciate the journey that Cerulli took in his process to understand hunting and to have a reverence for the sacred environment that gave (and still gives) him sustenance. It was hard for me to read the passage where he finally shot his first buck if only because I also have a hard time knowing that something has given it's life for me to survive. I do, however, appreciate Cerulli's conclusion that we live in a cycle that feeds each other, and we (animals and humans) need each other.

If you have read this blog then you know that I have a penchant for books that explore the way we eat and how to be mindful eaters. I think it's vital to our existence and I would strongly encourage a read with this book. You can read more about Tovar Cerulli here on Open Road Media's website, and you can click on "Buy This Book" on that page and it will send you to your favorite e-book retailer.