One ideal is the debonair worldling that we would all like to be, ordering our filet mignon without regard to the world grain supply and grapes without regard to exploited grape pickers. Well, we have a problem. In the past, you saw the poor. Today, the poor are no longer before our eyes. I realize, of course, that there are poor people in the United States and Canada, but generally speaking, the only chance we have to see really poor people is on the television or if we travel.
People are innately selfish, especially where food is involved.
If you're hungry, you take what's available. While we were evolving, food was not always available, so we evolved the desire to eat while it was there. It's difficult to be rational about food. However, we have no right today to be ill informed. Another thing this book tries to do is to make people feel reverence.