Behind Every Meal: The Life We Receive

 I have three children. Each of them has a different personality, but one thing they have in common is their deep love for animals.

When they were younger, we often visited zoos. Even when we travel, we still tend to visit local zoos. Recently, however, they prefer interactive experiences — not just watching animals, but feeding them, touching them, even holding them.



Nowadays, many shopping malls have small animal cafés. We recently visited one that had a corner where children could interact with baby chicks.

Even for someone like me, who doesn’t usually join those interactions, the tiny chicks were undeniably adorable. But as I watched them, I couldn’t help but wonder — they grow so quickly. What happens to these dozens of chicks afterward?

I assumed they might be sent to farms for food production. So I asked one of the staff members.

The answer surprised me.

They become food for the owls kept in the same facility.

The staff member seemed uncomfortable sharing that information. But I don’t think it’s something to hide.

If you work with animals, I believe it is natural — even necessary — to explain the chain of life. In fact, understanding that chain is essential.

Behind what we enjoy — delicious food, fun experiences — there are many lives involved. Helping children imagine and understand that reality is, I believe, an important topic.

No matter how much we try to hide uncomfortable truths, we cannot escape reality.

If that is the case, it is far more meaningful to acknowledge it openly and learn from it.

This is my personal view, but I believe that in order to understand the value of life, a certain level of discomfort is necessary.

When we are hit, it hurts. When someone says something harsh, it hurts. Yet those experiences often make us kinder and more thoughtful.

In the same way, understanding how meat reaches our table — how animals are raised and slaughtered — is part of true food education.

I have heard that some say showing slaughterhouses to children may make them stop eating meat. But if we truly think about food education, I believe we must show and explain these realities.

It is not cruelty. It is the unavoidable reality of sustaining life.

When we understand that each meal involves receiving life, we begin to value food more deeply. And perhaps, as we say in the Hattori Way, we may realize that this very moment is something to be grateful for.

So I encourage all of you:

Do not hide inconvenient truths.
Acknowledge them openly.
Use them.
And move forward in life with strength and honesty.

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