If you’ve ever worked or lived on a farm you probably don’t need to read this. If you haven’t, you probably should. I’ll even let you borrow mine.
“
Dear Melissa Rebholz,
Congratulations! We enjoyed meeting you and we’re delighted to tell you that you have made it to the next level of casting for Chopped.
Ok. So I am reading Eating Animals right now by Jonathan Safran Foer. I do not need to be reading this book. I have read MUCH about factory farms. I have seen Death on a Factory Farm (http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/deathfactoryfarm/index.html). I spent 4 years in high school/college as a vegetarian. I feel like the choir getting preached to reading the book.
I’m not sure why I bought it. Maybe it’s because since I read this article.. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/health/04meat.html in the beginning of October I realized I had to say no to meat, a lot. I need constant reassurance that I should not be eating this meat.
But the carnitas at Taco Tuesday are soooo tasty. And pepperoni is the ulimate topping for any crappy pizza (in Riverhead) and the burgers with bacon are the best thing on the menu Thursday nights at Diggers.
I have been eating origin-less meat for quite some time. Favorite street vendors anyone?
It has been SUPER DUPER hard not to get that burger on Thursdays. And while the crab cake po’boy is good, it ain’t a bacon cheeseburger. I’m not scared of contracting e.coli and dying (although I suppose it’s possible) I am more horrified by the abuse animals on factory farms endure.
The most prolific page in Eating Animals for me so far has been one in which Safran Foer talks about “Discomfort Food”. He outlines how it’s completely socially acceptable for someone to request a vegetarian option at a public dinner, on an airline, at a wedding, what have you… BUT it’s frowned upon or socially more awkward to just request a humanely raised meat option. It’s much much easier to say “I’m vegetarian” than to say “I don’t want to eat your weird meat” to a host. Do I have to start pretending to be vegetarian? Do I have to actually become vegetarian again?
I love meat. I love bacon and belly and short ribs and livers and wings and I don’t think I could give that up. But over the past year it’s become more of a luxury for me.
I have been really lucky to have the opportunity to raise 2 pigs this year and see what awesomely amazingly smart and super friendly and responsive and social and giving animals they are. And if I think that they were born in a farrowing crate and that makes me not want to eat them, that’s MY prerogative. I’m not better than you in anyway. I’m not being pretentious or enlightened or vegetarian.. If I don’t want to eat the “weird meat” at your house I don’t have to. And that’s all I have to say about that.
chicken thighs + salt.
No, these corn stalks are not $5.50, they are CLEARLY $6.00.
[video]
Slaughterhouse Live - You Be the Butcher - NYTimes.com -
HA! I am saving $10,000 dollars by learning to butcher at a jail slaughterhouse. Now if I could only get back that $20,000 dollars I wasted on “fashion school”.