Can you translate “いただきます” in English?

I think it means

“Thank you mom for making this meal.

Thank farmers for making these foods.

Thank vegetables, cattle, porks and whatever for giving us your life.

I eat this meal with gratitude and respect.”

I personally think that all animals and plants are equal to human beings. And the nature is much much more greater than us, and we are part of it.

Today I took cultural study class, and found this way of thinking very characteristic of Japan.

And I was shocked that Western European people have a completely different sense of value. They think human is special, and they have a right to eat and control other species. At the same time, they have a responsibility to save this weak animals and plants.

Both ways of thinking are based on religion and environment, and have created their cultures for long time.

However, these different cultures crash each other.

For example, I think many of you know about whale hunting problem. Taiji town in Wakayama prefecture is famous for whale hunting. It is very important revenue for them, and they have hunted whales for more than 400 years. They worship whales and live with them. However, recently some western protesting groups attack them. Now whale hunting is one of the biggest problem in Japan.

For Japanese, living is killing, but for them, living is not directly connected with killing. So, killing whales is not the same as killing pigs, cows, chickens and plants.

How big this rift is!

Now I lose confident of understanding each other, but we should not give up.

I want to try to understand other cultures, and to save and explain my culture.

http://www.nhk.or.jp/special/detail/2011/0522/

http://www.kumano-yorimichi.com/area9/kujiranomatitaiji.html