good set of responses to a hot button topic. in a nutshell, I agree with Cary's argument. Don't try to justify anything to your friends, if they can't accept you then they're probably not your friend

I've noticed a strong correlation between extreme vegetarians and a commitment to urban living. I think the discomfort with killing animals for food comes from our moving away from an agrarian society. I've grown up eating chickens that I have cared for and I have consumed wild fish I caught a few hours earlier. I know, at the bottom of my soul, that that bit of red squishy stuff in the plastic tray was once a living breathing animal.

While the writer may not extend the "circle of us" to animals, I will argue there are two circles we should consider making part of our lives. the first circle is based on animal intelligence. For example, I would never eat anything as smart as my dog which leaves out pigs and goats. Cows are far dumber than a dog and chickens could have a battle of wits with corn and lose. as a result I eat dumb things.

however, just because something is dumb doesn't mean it doesn't suffer (a notable exclusion being chickens). suffering brings us to the second circle. Try to choose food sources where the animals don't suffer any more than necessary. Seek out kosher or halal meats. look for local slaughterhouses. Listen to the animals when they are in holding pens. See if they have food and water while they wait. the food does taste better but it will increase your food budget. I go to Blood farms in Groton Massachusetts whenever my budget allows.

ethical choices come up in every part of our lives. You can't justify them to everybody, sometimes you can't even justify them to yourselves but you do the best you can and let that be enough to let you sleep at night.

all choices in food are expensive. The cost of the current food system are well known. But the current idolatry of local food (and other local services such a small bookstores) ignore that local services cost significantly more than the big-box variety. today, I can get fresh fruit at a reasonable price all year round courtesy factory agriculture. I can get a smaller range of fresh fruit at a higher price for a few weeks courtesy local agriculture. Whether it is worth it or not depends on your values and appreciation of food. We buy local when we can afford it and factory the rest of the time.

the same economic juggling act exists with other types of local businesses. The primary difference between local and big-box outlets the the big box model gives you a greater range of goods and services to choose from and the local model implies more travel to niche market stores. The increased travel for local merchants is most apparent when you do not want to do business with a local merchant and need to travel to another town.

A practical example of this is the bookstore. I tend to go to Barnes & Noble's because I'm more likely to find what I want. I am not harassed by obsequious staff and can even sit in a chair and read the entire book if I should so desire. I find so much value in the selection and relative anonymity that I have not even been to a local bookstore in the past five years.

Another attribute applied to local goods and services is the term "community". My local town meeting is community. My library is community. A commercial establishment is not community and we should never be fooled into thinking so.

like many things, simple guidelines like "local is better" are not always true. You need to look at each situation on a case-by-case basis and determine what makes the best economic sense in your personal situation.