The symbolism of meat-eating is never neutral. To himself,....

“ The symbolism of meat-eating is never neutral. To himself, the meat-eater seems to be eating life. To the vegetarian, he seems to be eating death. There is a kind of gestalt-shift between the two positions which makes it hard to change, and hard to raise questions on the matter at all without becoming embattled. ”

Mary Midgley

From : Animals and Why They Matter