This essay analyzes the role and power of edible meat in the Swedish translations of Pow! by Mo Yan and The Vegetarian by Han Kang. The focus is on the main characters and their relation to meat-eating, their choices of eating or not eating meat, and the way meat influences their lives. Through the characters' habits of eating the analysis also explores their animality to further investigate power-dynamics. The result shows that both main characters in the novels suffer under the influence that meat has over them. They both decide to stop eating meat in order to regain control over their lives, by changing their eating habits they are able to become different from what they used to be. In Pow! Xiaotong is able to learn how to better control his animalistic desire. In The Vegetarian Yeong-hye's attempts to reform life and gain freedom are never enough, and she ends up trying to starve herself to death as a last way out.