Feed: a food systems podcast The meat question
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Feb 5, 2026 A personal journey through slaughterhouse memories and accidental plant-based living. A tour of four possible futures for meat, from high-efficiency systems to no-meat scenarios. A breakdown of how values, species differences, and trade-offs shape what people see in the same data. Reflections on culture, scale, welfare, and making practical family food choices.
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A Thanksgiving Slaughter That Shifted Perspective
- Matthew Kessler describes slaughtering turkeys and chickens on a Nevada farm before Thanksgiving, which changed his relationship to meat.
- The experience didn't end his meat eating but made him more reflective about consuming animals.
Accidental Vegetarian In Hawaii
- Matthew Kessler recounts becoming an accidental vegetarian at 20 while living on a Hawaiian farm and rarely noticing he stopped eating meat.
- The shift was social and practical rather than ethical, driven by new flavors and fitting in with the farm community.
Values Shape How We Read Evidence
- Kessler observes people interpret the same evidence through deeply held values, producing divergent conclusions on meat.
- He explains that moral priorities drive selective attention to facts and harden debates.