carnivores
Contemplating the origin of meatballs…
Photo from The Guardian of Mr. Rayner
I just finished reading Jay Rayner’s piece in The Guardian describing his first encounter with the pick and choose (and kill) portion of eating carnivorously and I’m taking it all in. One quote stuck out:
So do they think the consumer should be forced to face up to the realities of meat eating? Christine is clear-eyed about that. “No, I don’t think anybody should be forced to make the connection between animal and carcass, because that might put them off and that wouldn’t be in people’s interest.”
On one hand, I strongly believe that as Americans (and Brits, I guess, since this is an article from The Guardian), we are disconnected from our food. Part of me wants to say that others need to see and learn these processes so we know how valuable life is, even livestock life, and make suitable choices based on this connection. It doesn’t come from a slick package – it comes from a big ol’ mooing methane-maker in a field.
The other part of me is saying that is unfair. As a (predominantly) free will society, I have no right to say anything regarding someone else’s dietary preference. You ain’t gotta know how to kill a cow. You can go and buy it from the supermarket. We both stop judging each other.
But I’m not sure what’s right. Do I really need to know how my food gets to my table? I thought I did, so I started reading about it years ago. But I don’t think it’s right to push this belief on others, or is it? Thoughts?
Ahhh crap.
(The Cheese and Burger Society’s Uncle Sam burger)
You know how, in the middle of being really full of hate and angst about something (foodies), you find something that you actually love? Like, I hate Julia Roberts. And yet, I love Steel Magnolias. Do you smell what I’m stepping in?
So, I was doing my internet duty and choosing my picks for the Webbys, when I came across an entry entitled “The Cheese and Burger Society.” I pish-poshed, thinking it was another burger-aggrandizing site, making something so simple seem like the holy grail, etc. I clicked on the link, and within 45 minutes, I had never craved a burger with such crazed intensity. Each jaw-dropping, food-porny, inventive burger is described by Seinfeld’s Puddy (I do not recognize him in his latest “Rules of Engagement,” but I would like to give major props for “The Tick”) and they provide the recipes! Not to mention the website itself is technically rad.
Damn you Cheese and Burger Society. Damn you.