Jacob Hickey
English 110-H4
Professor Miller
Reconsider the Lobster
In the essay, “Consider the Lobster”, by David Foster Wallace which I read two months ago and am now revisiting, I found I have the same opinion on a majority of the topics covered. I reread my journal entry from that time as well and found to have many of the same questions as I did then. The major question I still have for Wallace is, “Isn’t a lion preying on a small zebra or other animal the same as us eating lobster or any other meat? Isn’t this the way we survive, as humans are omnivorous creatures?” I still remain confused on this subject, as I feel that the food chain is part of the circle of life and lobsters are part of the food chain that allow us to survive as humans.
However, in contemplating food and its impact on people for over two months now in class, I have discovered that the primary reason we eat any food, including lobster, is not necessarily for the lobster itself, it is for the shared experience with people. In my experience, lobster is typically a dish served in the summer at family gatherings and celebrations. This is ironic since we are celebrating together at the expense of the lobster. In rereading this essay again, I am still horrified, in certain ways, with the amount of suffering lobsters go through during the cooking process. In some areas, it is almost hard to read, as it was two months ago. The gory details of the lobster attempting to free itself by banging on the lid make you never want to eat another lobster again.
This essay is very similar to two essays, Jessica Mitford’s, “The Story of Service” and Michael Pollan’s, “The Meal”, we have read since this one. Just as Wallace sheds light on a topic rarely discussed, so too, does Jessica Mitford in “The Story of Service”. Both stories enlighten the reader about a topic often overlooked. The information I learned in “Consider the Lobster” was very illuminating and next summer I will make sure to think twice about ordering a lobster on the menu.
