Prayer Before Eating

I thank the Earth Mother for the food before me.

I thank the men and women who toiled in field, farm, and kitchen to bring this meal to me.

I thank the plants and animals who had to die so that I could live.

(Inspired and partly borrowed from Isaac Bonewits.)

I firmly believe that modern Druidism, despite what my Celtic ancestors may or may not have believed, is an earth-centered religion. Given the food crisis some countries are facing and the environmental impact our agricultural industry has on Mama Earth, I feel that, at the very least, I can offer a prayer of thanks. As a vegetarian, I have to recognized that some animals were harmed in the production of my salad or wheat cereal in the form of the destruction of a habitat, perhaps even pesticides, or a tractor wheel... I have to thank the plants that I am taking into me.

Do you pray before eating? Why or why not? What do you say?