I have mixed feelings about eating meat. For a very long time I wouldn’t eat beef, or lamb. I still don’t eat lamb or veal. Avoiding red meat wasn’t hard, I did it as a kid. I wish I could say it was about the animals, but at the time it wasn’t. I just didn’t like steak and hamburger, and it would make me gag. Something about the gristle and fatty bits would make me retch. So, I wasn’t a fan of most meat.
The only meat I would eat consistently was turkey or chicken. We raised birds, but we didn’t usually butcher and eat our chickens. I think my mom got attached and it would’ve been like eating a pet, better to get the ones we didn’t know from the store.
But I didn’t have any ethical concerns at that age. I could easily divorce the product from the animal, especially because I didn’t do much, if any, of the cooking. Now, I can eat hamburger without retching, and so I now occasionally eat beef. I still don’t eat it everyday. But now that I am older I also hear and learn more about how the animals used for slaughter are treated.
So, now I have ethical concerns, especially with chicken. The idea of living your whole life in a small box. That is actually what inspired the Alice In Chains song “Man in the Box.” It is kind of horrific. Nowadays, I still eat mostly poultry, occasional beef. But rarely pork. But it is hard, I have to cook the chicken, and I can see what it used to be. I applaud those that can not eat meat.
I don’t eat it everyday, I like a lot of vegetarian style meals, but sometimes it is less expensive to have chicken and rice if I am feeling less than adventurous. I always say a sort of internal prayer to the meat like “I’m sorry, and I’m thankful that you gave up your life so I can eat. I hope you didn’t suffer too much.”
At least I get the eggs from my mom’s chickens which are spoiled rotten. They eat better and have more enrichment than some people. And, they die peacefully of old age when their time comes. I do think the eggs taste better for it. There isn’t any fear, there is a richer flavor, and the yolk is more orange than yellow suggesting they are getting a better diet.
If I didn’t live in the middle of town I would have chickens in a heart beat, bantams, just because they are smaller. I don’t know if I could butcher and eat them. I am a bit soft hearted like my mom. Maybe if civilization comes crashing down and I have to live like the old days I could find the inner strength to do that to survive. But, until then I will just do the best I can and be grateful for the food I do have. I try not to waste any food, because I know it can be hard to come by, and I know the animal made the ultimate sacrifice. I don’t want it to be in vain.
Daily writing prompt
What are your feelings about eating meat?
