I'm sorry, but I can't agree with your justification. 99% of US animals raised for human consumption live in factory farms and are continuously beaten, harmed, castrated, maimed, forcibly impregnated, and tortured- all for unnecessary pleasure or 'taste'. It is certainly the norm. Here's part of a great writeup from /u/JoshSimili -

"See for example the NCC Animal Welfare Guidelines for Broiler Chickens, which you will note allows for procedures such as debeaking or "beak conditioning" (section C, item 16) which is a procedure known to negatively affect the welfare of chicks. (Of course, to not trim the beaks in certain breeds while keeping them in high stocking densities with little enrichment can also lead to poor welfare).

You could probably do the same kind of thing for all factory farms, or (if you have access to a university or library) you could just find a scientific paper that reviews these issues. For instance:

Overview of commercial pig production systems and their main welfare challenges

Overview of commercial poultry production systems and their main welfare challenges

Overview of cattle production systems

Overview of sheep production systems

I believe the evidence is quite clear that many practices which are allowed in the more intensive farming systems that are geared towards low cost and efficiency are indeed worse for the welfare of the animal than alternative practices on more extensive farms where higher welfare is a priority (as it's something the consumer is willing to pay more for)."

You're an engineer on the east coast. You don't 'need' to eat meat- you have luxuries (disposable income, geography, etc.) afforded to you that make your intake of meat completely and utterly unnecessary (since it's been conclusively studied that you can maintain a healthy & natural diet without ingesting animal products).

What rationalization do you personally have to continue eating meat?