Tuzon 1 Monique Tuzon Ms.

Caruso ENGL 1102 9 April 2013

Comment [BC1]: Be sure you refer to the handout on Moodle for the correct version of MLA.

Memo: I am responding to an article is called, What's So Bad About Horse Meat, Anyway? http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-02-12/whats-so-bad-about-horse-meat-anyway. I chose to respond to this article because as I was reading this, I started to become interested in horsemeat. I questioned myself, why are people so appalled by it? If it were me I would not mind trying horsemeat. I am writing a short speech to try and convince meat eaters that eating horsemeat is ok. I am going to be using many different sources during my speech and state the pros of horsemeat compared to beef. I am also going to include why people are so against it. This speech will be said at a farmers market in America, where people would be buying local meat products. We eat Piglet, but we wont eat Tigger(Change to Eyore?? Why do we have such an aversion to horse meat in the United States? What makes eating a cow different from eating a horse? Horses are used for recreational purposes, while cows are typically raised for us to consume, just like pigs and chickens. Horsemeat is the now not-so-secret ingredient found in processed food products throughout Europe. Recently, the well-known furniture store, Ikea, pulled their meatballs out of the shelf because horsemeat has been found in them. Although traces of horsemeat have not been found in America yet, people are starting to get worried. To go along with the many food taboos, theres no settled explanation for why most
Comment [BC2]: Where will this speech be given?

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Americans are perfectly willing to eat cows, pigs, and chickens but turn their noses up at horse. During this speech I would like to inform you on the benefits of eating horsemeat.(Change to: It is my goal to inform you about the benefits of eating horsemeat.) Eating horsemeat in the US is not as socially acceptable as eating cows or chickens because we value horses just like dogs as a part of our family. Horse meat consumption has been growing rapidly for the last several years in France, and is common in several other cultures including Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. In Japan, you can even get horse sushi. In France, Belgium and Sweden horse meat is more popular today than mutton and lamb. For example in Ireland, Poland, and in Britain they are raising concern about the safety and whether or not the meat will pass health tests. An example of this In the article from, was from an article (deleted) in The NY Times, saying that Chief Executive Alan Reilly of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, saying that the meat was intentionally mislabeled (Castle). With a delicate flavor similar to beef, though many describe its taste as slightly sweeter than other meats, horse meat can be used to replace beef, pork, mutton, and any other meat in virtually any recipe. Heres how horse meat compares nutritionally: lower in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than sirloin steak or pork, no risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease), more than twice as much vitamin B12, almost five times more heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and it has twice as much iron as beef. The difference between horses and cattle is in the value of a young animal. A young horse has much greater value as a working animal then it does as food, a cow or sheep does not. (contradicts delete all together) In the United States we use horses to help with farming. We also
Comment [BC4]: Consider how you might be able to bring in your sources aside from making them examples or outright positioning them as such. Comment [BC3]: Try mixing up your sentence structure in this paragraph. The goal, especially with a speech, is to have sentences that transition seamlessly into one another, and a great way to do that is through varying your sentence structure.

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use horses as a way of making money. Betting on horses is very common with higher societies. Horses are also athletes, we use them for riding and jumping competitions. Horse meat is also cheaper than beef. An example to show that horse meat is more practical is by going to the supermarket and comparing the prices. The quote from BBC America depicts how horsemeat is economically a better choice. The average price for horse meat is 7580 cents while for a pound of beef it is while for beef it is $3.99 (Holligan). Americans have typically turned to horsemeat consumption only in tough times. Horsemeat may be more appealing to Americans today, considering the current economic problems. When beef rations became scarce during World War II, people turned to horse as an alternative. Back in the day a lot of , In the past, butchers in Europe were selling only horse meat. The number went down with time, but you can still find a few of them. So horsemeat is way cheaper Horsemeat is a bargain compared to beef. to buy than beef. Americans have typically turned to horse consumption only in tough times. When beef rations became scarce during World War II, people turned to horse as an alternative. Moved to the middle of the paragraph People consider horses as pets, but they large animals that are high maintance, and are not pets. They are expensive to keep when unhealthy or healthy. The upkeep includes heavy vet bills, grooming, having the hooves trimmed, and purchasing food for them(delete this). Whenever the horse is unhealthy health care is more expensive as you need to spend money on surgeries, special nutrition, and other medications. Horse harvesting is more sensible and a way out for those who cannot keep up with the expenses. This is where we can get our horsemeat from.
Comment [BC9]: This could be an example within the paragraph, but at the end, it causes the paragraph to simply end, without coming to a close. Comment [BC6]: This could be an example within the paragraph, but at the end, it causes the paragraph to simply end, without coming to a close. Comment [BC7]: Informal. Comment [BC5]: Although you seem to be using it as a lead-on for the quote, the act of going to the supermarket doesnt seem to qualify as an example. Be sure you are deliberate in your word choice.

Comment [BC8]: Informal

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(Made into a separate paragraph) Horses are also better for the environment. Cows are major global-warming culprits. They digest food by enteric fermentation. To put it bluntly, they fart and burp more methane than any other mammal on the planet. Methane has a global warming potential 25-times higher than carbon dioxide. Horses do not digest in this way, and neither do pigs or chickens (Bodey). Also, horses are a free-range animals and it is easier to keep them. In France, Belgium and Sweden horse meat is more popular today than mutton and lamb. For example in Ireland, Poland, and in Britain they are raising concern about the safety and whether or not the meat will pass health tests. An example of this In the article from, was from an article (deleted) in The NY Times, saying that Chief Executive Alan Reilly of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, saying that the meat was intentionally mislabeled (Castle). With a delicate flavor similar to beef, though many describe its taste as slightly sweeter than other meats, horse meat can be used to replace beef, pork, mutton, and any other meat in virtually any recipe. Heres how horse meat compares nutritionally: lower in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than sirloin steak or pork, no risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease), more than twice as much vitamin B12, almost five times more heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and it has twice as much iron as beef. (Moved it to the beg.) I want to end this speech by saying;(delete) In conclusion, we are hypocrites when it comes to the type of meat that we eat. Who are we to say no to horses but yes to chicken, pig, lamb, deer, etc. If this is the case then we should be consistent and not scrutinize one animal and not show remorse to another. A horse is just another type of animal that humans can consume. In a few years were going to see horses on our dinner tables soon whether you like it or not. It will soon be a social norm and acceptable to eat.
Comment [BC12]: Monique, It is quite obvious that you have a great deal of research, time, and effort invested in this piece, and you certainly convince your reader to side with you after reading your argument. However, as I mentioned a few times in my comments, you have many different ideas packed into a small space. If you work to unpack and expand them, showing your listeners exactly what you want them to know, then your speech will be much stronger. Also, be sure you work on developing your tone and strengthening your language choices. Since this is a speech, it is quite easy to fall back on an informal tone, but in order to convince your audience, you will need a strong and demanding tone. Im looking forward to seeing how youll strengthen your work for the portfolio! -Ms. C Comment [BC11]: Consider how you might be able to bring in your sources aside from making them examples or outright positioning them as such. Comment [BC10]: You have quite a few ideas packed into this paragraph. Work to unpack them and possibly put them into their own paragraphs so you can expand upon these ideas.

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Work Cited

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Bodey, Andrew. "Why Horsemeat Is Better than Beef." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 9 Apr. 2013. Castle, Stephen, and Douglas Dalby. "Horse Meat in Food Stirs a Furor in the British Isles." NYTimes. N.p., 8 Feb. 2013. Web. 9 Feb. 2013. Gray, Louise. "Horse Meat Is Better for You than Beef Says Vestey." The Telegraph. N.p., 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. Grush, Loren. "Beyond the Taboo: Is Horse Meat Really That Bad to Eat?" Fox News. FOX News Network, 15 Feb. 2013. Web. 8 Apr. 2013. Holligan, Anna. "Horsemeat Scandal: Dutch Uncover Large-scale Meat Fraud." BBC News. BBC, 04 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. Renton, Alex. "How Britain Got a Taste for Horsemeat." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2013. "USDA Promotes the Eating of Horse & Goat Meat." USDA Promotes the Eating of Horse & Goat Meat. N.p., Feb. 1997. Web. 7 Apr. 2013. Wong, Venessa. "What's So Bad About Horse Meat, Anyway?" Bloomburg BusinessWeek. N.p., 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.

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More Research The purpose of my piece is to try to convince meat eaters now to eat horsemeat. I want to inform them of the benefits of eating it and that it is not uncommon to eat horsemeat. I had trouble looking for articles on why horsemeat is good for you. A lot of the articles online were about the scandal with mislabeling it and it did not really help me. I understood what the article was saying, I did not directly respond to it because it was about horsemeat scandal, and I wanted to argue that eating horsemeat is not a big deal. I would like to have maybe interviewed people and what they think about horsemeat and get different perceptions. I said I would mention the pros of eating horsemeat. In order to do this, I would need to research the different benefits, health benefits, environment benefits etc. My audience were meat eaters at a farmers market who are Americans, and my unintended audience is everyone who eats meat, Europeans, Asians, Middle-Easters,etc. All different kinds of cultures. From this piece they might expect a breakdown and comparison with beef and horse but it was really difficult finding a lot of information on pros of horsemeat. Next time, I would try and look at more scholarly books, and look at examples from the past and when they used to eat horse. I would also like to put pictures as well.

Comment [BC13]: This seems as though it was written after you wrote your piece, rather than before.

Pre- Writing

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Why do we have such an aversion to horse meat in the United States? What makes eating a cow different from eating a horse? Horses are used for recreational purposes, while cows are typically raised for us to consume, just like pigs and chickens. Horsemeat is the now not-sosecret ingredient found in processed food products throughout Europe. Recently, the well-known furniture store, Ikea, pulled their meatballs out of the shelf because horsemeat has been found in them. Although traces of horsemeat have not been found in America yet, people are starting to get worried. But as with many food taboos, theres no settled explanation for why most Americans are perfectly willing to eat cows, pigs, and chickens but turn their noses up at horse. In this speech, I am going to argue that eating horse meat OKAY! Eating horsemeat in the US is not as socially acceptable as eating cows or chickens because we value horses just like dogs as a part of our family. Bring up other social norms around the world. We eat lamb chops dont we? And nothing is cuter than a lamb but yet we love our chops. Dogs instead of lamb. Another argument: use horses for different purposes. The difference between horses and cattle is in the value of a young animal. A young horse has much greater value as a working animal then it does as food, a cow or sheep doesn't. The idea of eating dog food might qualify as "disgusting" but that's because it's such low grade food. Horse meat is also cheaper than beef cheaper for consumer or environment. Back in the day a lot of butchers in Europe were selling only horse meat. The number went down with time, but you can still find a few of them. Horse was more appreciated after World War II when there was no abundance of food until the sixties when people could afford to get better meats.

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People consider horses as pets, but they are not pets. They are expensive to keep when healthy and even more expensive to keep when unhealthy... Horse slaughter is sensible and a way out for those who can't afford to keep them.... and that is where we can get our horse meat from. In France, Belgium and Sweden horse meat is more popular today than mutton and lamb. Those who eat it say it tastes (1 par, describe how people around the world say about it) slightly sweeter than beef but is more tender. Heres how horse meat compares nutritionally: 1.Lower in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than sirloin steak or pork. 2.No risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease). 3.Twice as much iron as beef. 4.More than twice as much vitamin B12. 5.Almost five times more heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

I want to end this speech by saying, we are hypocrites. Who are we to say no to horses but yes to chicken, pig, lamb, deer, etc. A horse is just another type of animal that humans can consume. In a few years were going to see horses on our dinner tables soon whether you like it or not. It will soon be a social norm and acceptable to eat.