People say to me, “I couldn’t be vegetarian. I love my meat.” (Ironic, the ‘my’.) And if I’m feeling snarky, I say, “Fine. Kill it yourself.”
That would be a courageous approach, wouldn’t it? Do the butchering yourself instead of paying someone at an abattoir to put the meat into lovely blood-free pink packages in the clean grocery store.
This news story gives us an idea of what might happen if everyone did.
In Turkey, at least 1,179 people – dubbed “amateur butchers” by the Turkish media – were treated at hospitals across the country, most suffering cuts to their hands and legs.
Four people were severely injured when they were crushed under the weight of large animals that fell on top of them, it was reported. Another person was hurt when a crane, used to lift an animal, tumbled onto him.
Three people suffered heart attacks and died while trying to restrain animals, private CNN-Turk television reported.
Stories like this leave me with the impression that we’re not really supposed to be eating meat. Doesn’t it seem like a lot of unnecessary effort? You could just have vegetables and Hamulation, and maybe some nice dinner rolls. They’re easy to prepare, and they don’t fight back.
And it’s doubly a shame because Turkish bread is among the nicest.
1 January 2007 at 7:09 am
I haven’t had Turkish bread for a while. I’m hankering for it now. With garlic dip.
wpbdr: A new kind of cracker that is as substantial as paper and can be used as a paper replacement.
1 January 2007 at 7:13 am
I like the word ‘hankering’. You’re supposed to slap your knee when you say it, though.
1 January 2007 at 9:20 am
Well, I was feeling American. I’m getting ready for an onslaught of American rom-com movies tomorrow. We’re making a day of it. I was tempted to say “a’hankerin'” but I remembered that my family has been Australian for 5 generations.
sqrbzwe: Platters served at expensive restaurants that justify the complete lack of substantial food on the plate by decoratively sloshing sauce on the plate, not the food.
1 January 2007 at 10:30 am
Rural American English and rural Australian English have some interesting points of convergence, dontcha reckon?
2 January 2007 at 11:59 am
Rural Australian English. I love it. I started speaking just the same as the farmers for the week-and-a-half I was out there. I didn’t see the sign, I saw the soign.
Did you get my email?
10 January 2007 at 6:42 pm
Evolution has spent a long time making us omnivores. While I might choose for myself not to eat red meat I don’t think I’ll second guess mother nature and say that it is wrong for our species. I must say the hamulation sounds good!