It isn't "way out" in a very rural place. The area used to be all farmland and in the last 20-25 years has become built up. In any case, this place is part of the forest preserve system and so people come out to see how life used to be. I was grooving on a couple of cows and these other visitors came up and started making jokes about this lovely creature being on the menu of McDonald's They started talking about eating it two times a day. I bit my tongue but would you have said something? I guess everyone's entitled to their thoughts but I just thought it was very insensitive. I think I would have said: "Why would you want to eat such a beautiful, peaceful creature?"

I would probably have said something like, "Uh, this is a cow. You mean a steer. And if you saw the way they're slaughtered for your 'two times a day,' you wouldn't be laughing about it. Kid."

In my cooking school, they used to take third years to a local abattoir for a field trip, to inform the students exactly where their lamb[in this case] comes from. There was an incident a few years before I got to the program, so the field trip was discontinued already. Even so, the instructor said he was sure that the trips to that place had converted a small percentage of students to at least part-time vegetarianism, though that wasn't the point.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/2011 12:06PM by Tamukha.

Usually it takes me getting away from a situation to have time to think of an effective response. How frustrating to draw a blank at the time! But every now and then I think on my feet and find just the right thing to say in a given situation.

Well, even though that moment passed, I sometimes find it good to rehearse possibilities for similar future situations.

Let's see... when they began joking about being on McDonald's menu, here are possible responses to imagine having said:


1) Oh, she's such a beautiful creature. I'm glad that won't be her fate! It is so lucky that she is on this preserve and gets to enjoy a good life. And we're lucky to get to enjoy seeing her, aren't we? That's why you came here, right?

2) You're joking about it, but I can tell that you really care about animals. You look like a kind person. It's hard to believe that anyone could be so cruel and heartless as to harm this wonderful creature. What other animals do you like on this preserve?

3) McDonalds! Yuck! What a disgusting thought! (said while shaking your head and walking away)

4) Ohmigosh! What a terrible thought! What could we do to keep that from happening to this beautiful animal?

5) Ewwww! That's not funny.

6) I could never harm an animal.

7) Yes. It's really sad when you think about it.

8) I heard that this cow's name is Melanie.

9) She looks so peaceful. If only people were peaceful like that....

10) ???? (Look quizzically and alarmed at the person without saying a word)


My favorite raw vegan

Trive, that is always what happens. I think up great stuff later. I am pretty opinionated (ya think?) but since they were strangers and it was a beautiful day...I guess I was so blown away by the UDDER (groan) callousness of what they said that I was a bit flummoxed.

Tam, I remember when I first stopped eating meat that someone said most people wouldn't eat it if they had to kill animals themselves, not to mention chop it up. I know someone who stopped eating pork after seeing the movie "Babe." She is an animal lover and could no longer tolerate eating a creature she fell in love with during a film! Yet she didn't extend it to ALL animals. So many people love dogs and cats and yet separate them from other creatures.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/2011 01:33AM by banana who.

The human capacity for rationalizing constantly intrigues me, banana who.

I found some work at a local farm recently also! Its a christmas tree farm, so its a little different. The owner is very nice, and he keeps around a few animals for show, and because he likes them. I really fell in love with one of the male geese that puts its head up in the air and makes a honking sound when he sees the farm owner. A duck he has gets really excited when he sees him and wags its tail like dog. I just laughed so hard! that was just too cute! He loves his animals and they love him.

They have chickens, and here is something interesting. They lay eggs, and I asked about if they harvest their own fresh eggs. There was a kind of silence. He and his wife said something about objecting to taking eggs from their hens. I thought that was kind of odd. Not that they objected to that, but because they buy eggs from commercial producers for their own consumption. And the farm owner loves eating meat, hes even proudly arrogant about it. Yet, he says he would never harvest any of his own animals, their eggs, or even milk if he had cows. I found that curious.

Tamukha
I thought I read something about spent dairy cows being slaughtered and used as food. So, its not just steer that get turned into burgers. I don't know which is worse. The cow had a chance to live for awhile, but only as long as it was 'useful' producing milk. Its not good news for human consumers if it got hormones to increase its milk production all its life.

Mislu,

No, that is correct. Remember, it's not an animal, it's a machine with parts that must be utilized. That's what the training manuals say. Abominable. But generally, the milk cow is slaughtered when it's almost on its last legs, rather than standing happily in a paddock on a farm. I swear that it would be better for people to have to butcher their own animal at least once, and that would be it for them. I think of that passage in the Hardy novel, Jude the Obscure, where the title character, newly married, must kill the family hog. He has never had to do it before, and the trauma of the animal struggling against being bled to death is so great that he flees, and his wife has to finish the job for him. There are people out there who would even volunteer for the task of slaughtering animals, out of morbid entertainment. The kind that should be kept under observation somewhere by clinicians, but I digress . . .

I agree, I think people would think a little differently about slaughter and cleaning of an animal if they had to do it every time they had a steak. I think once would be enough to drive home the reality for most people.

Someone recommended reading 'Supersize me' or something similiar about the fast food industry, and I read part of it about animal slaughter. Its one of the lowest paid occupations, and one of the more dangerous. Not to mention unpleasant. They said something about high suicide rates, alcoholism and drug use for those that actually do the killing.

I helped my mother in law about a year ago preparing this stuffed chicken dishes. That was unpleasant enough. I felt put up to it because I am living here and was expected to help. But my partner says that she was really thinking she was helping me learn how to cook and prepare food. But that was actually just another point that made me want to go raw again just for the sake of ease of eating and clean up. I had to clean up the greasy pans after the meal.

I have a lot of frustrations around this. It seems like my partner should be all for me wanting to go raw and stay raw. But he just loves going to resturants and thinks that I am just being a drag for interfering with this, or being picky. He wanted to go to another place to get some dessert and I suggested getting a melon on the way home. He said something about them being expensive. And I said $5 for the most expensive one, or 99cents on sale for the cheap one? Why is a dessert thats $7 cheaper? He also dislikes the smell of cooking, doesn't like the taste of mammal meat, but still likes fish and seafood. And sweets, breads. I think hes healthier than most, but that way of eating isn't helping me feel alive like when I was all raw.

sometimes if u don't say anything
you will simply echo their vibration back to them
no need to figure out what to say to them
silence says it all

what goesroundcomesround

How about silence coupled with a real dirty look?