纽约时报 吃肉的日子到此结束(2)（在线收听）

Despite this grisly reality — and the widely reported effects of the factory-farm industry on America's lands,

尽管现实已经如此可怕——尽管疫情来袭之前，

communities, animals and human health long before this pandemic hit —

有关工业化养殖行业对美国土地、社区、动物及人类健康的危害早已被广泛报道了许久——

only around half of Americans say they are trying to reduce their meat consumption.

依然只有一半左右的美国人表示自己正在努力降低肉类消费。

Meat is embedded in our culture and personal histories in ways that matter too much,

感恩节的火鸡，棒球比赛现场的热狗，无论是哪种形态，

from the Thanksgiving turkey to the ballpark frank.

肉都早已深植于我们的文化以及我们个人的过往生活，我们对其早已无法割舍。

Meat comes with uniquely wonderful smells and tastes, with satisfactions that can almost feel like home itself.

肉有着独特的芳香和味道，能带来几乎可以和家相媲美的满足感。

And what, if not the feeling of home, is essential?

除了家的感觉，又有什么算得上缺之不可的东西呢？

And yet, an increasing number of people sense the inevitability of impending change.

尽管如此，感觉到改变食肉这一习惯的潮流已经无可避免的人已经越来越多。

Animal agriculture is now recognized as a leading cause of global warming.

如今，畜牧业已经被认为是全球变暖的罪魁祸首之一。

According to The Economist, a quarter of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 say they are vegetarians or vegans,

《经济学人》的报道显示，25~34岁的美国人中有四分之一的人称自己是素食主义者或纯素食主义者，

which is perhaps one reason sales of plant-based "meats" have skyrocketed,

或许，植物“肉”销量的飙升就有这方面的原因，

with Impossible and Beyond Burgers available everywhere from Whole Foods to White Castle.

全食超市，白色城堡等各大品牌才会相继推出“不可思议汉堡”，“超越汉堡”等植物肉汉堡。

Our hand has been reaching for the doorknob for the last few years.

过去几年，我们一直在试图将手伸向植物肉这一大门。

Covid-19 has kicked open the door.

新冠肺炎却直接将其踹开了。

At the very least it has forced us to look.

最起码，它强行撑开了我们的眼睛。

When it comes to a subject as inconvenient as meat,

谈及肉这样棘手的话题时，

it is tempting to pretend unambiguous science is advocacy,

我们就会情不自禁地假装泾渭分明的科学才是我们应该提倡的东西，

to find solace in exceptions that could never be scaled and to speak about our world as if it were theoretical.

就会情不自禁地设法用无法延伸的特例自我安慰，用纸上谈兵的方式谈论现实世界。

Some of the most thoughtful people I know find ways not to give the problems of animal agriculture any thought,

我认识的部分有识之士都在设法回避畜牧业产生的问题，

just as I find ways to avoid thinking about climate change and income inequality, not to mention the paradoxes in my own eating life.

就像我努力回避气候变化、收入不平等问题——我自己的饮食生活中的悖论问题就更不用说了——一样。

One of the unexpected side effects of these months of sheltering in place is that it's hard not to think about the things that are essential to who we are.

究竟什么才是我们真正无法割舍的东西？我们已经很难不去想这一问题。连月以来的隔离带来了诸多意料之外的结果，对这一问题的思考便是其中之一。

We cannot protect our environment while continuing to eat meat regularly.

继续保持定期吃肉的习惯，我们就无法保护我们的环境。

This is not a refutable perspective, but a banal truism.

这一观点不仅不是什么可以推翻的观点，还是一个不言自明，再普通不过的真理。