Kill it, Cook it, Eat it.

Have you seen it? It's a UK doco.

About how meat comes to our table. How animals are breed for food. Pigs, cows, sheep, chooks, & how they are raised, slaughtered & used.  Can the novices kill & then cook & eat the meat of an animal they have watched run around.
Trully interesting, though quite gruesome in points. It is reality. & everyone should know how their meat comes to be on their table.

I couldnt do it. I do love meat, but I couldnt actually kill any animal.

What do you think about you being a part of the slaughter of an animal to become your food? Could you do it? Could you eat it after you saw it playing in the field?

I cant eat anything I've seen running around.

I know it's hypocritical of me.
Whats your opinion?

I do like my meat but if I had to kill it then no chance would i be able to eat it

My opinion is much like yours Tracy!

I was brought up around farms so had no illusions as to where the animals (and the chooks on one farm) ended up. They were all well treated - even the chickens weren't intensively farmed - but no-one got sentimental about them (gave them names or anything).

But I couldn't actually kill an animal, and never have been able to - not even in some regrettable cases "to put it out of its misery". And I've never to my knowledge eaten an animal that I have seen running around and am not sure that I could either.

The meat I eat has to be anonymous I'm afraid!

I'm vegetarian, so it doesn't apply to me.

But when I did eat meat, I couldn't have killed an animal to eat unless I was literally starving!

My OH's mum slaughters her chooks for food when they stop laying.   She doesn't understand my girls will just live out their lives roaming the yard when they stop producing eggs.
My sister recently got 2 cows, a pig & a rooster & hens. She has a farmlet. All are for food. I made them name the pig so it will never be food now. (His name is "Wilbur". Not my choise but he's a pet now.)
The cows... I cant change their fate so I told her not to even send me a pic if they are going to eat them.      

I'm with you Lynda... I cant eat it if it's not anonymous!

When we lived in Wales there was a field behind our house which was used for beef calves. Every year we made friends with them, gave them names, got them to follow us around the field & come when called! And every year they moved on, and we knew their fate. It was heartbreaking!

If it was kill it or starve I would probably be able to do it but just for everyday use when I could pop round to the market ... nope.

I don't eat meat. If I was considering it though, I don't think I'd eat the meat if I couldn't face the reality of what happened to the animals.

On my course last year, we often used to go up to the farm to help out. On a couple of occasions, we'd help with the lambs, separating them for auction. Two girls from the group refused point-blank to take part in it, as the animals would be slaughtered.

I asked them if they ate lamb at home, to which they replied, "Yes."

Respect - 0. I understand not liking that side of it and turning a blind eye. When you're on an animal course like that, though, you put up or get out, as far as I'm concerned.

If they were going to be eating one of those particular lambs, I would understand it a little more. But they weren't. They labelled it as cruel, despite the fact that they ate lamb/mutton on a regular basis.

That's hypocritical.
With my Hospitality and Catering course we visited an Abattoir.
It was a terrible shocking experience. I almost threw up 5 times and almost passed out as well.
I'm unfortunately a carnivore at heart so can't be put off meat.

If they are slaughtered humanly I have no problem. Though it is unpleasant under any circumstance. It is a reallity.

Caryll wrote:When we lived in Wales there was a field behind our house which was used for beef calves. Every year we made friends with them, gave them names, got them to follow us around the field & come when called! And every year they moved on, and we knew their fate. It was heartbreaking!

Caryll, chances are that if they were raised from calves then at the end of the year they wouldn't be slaughtered, but sold as fattening stock and spend a nice cosy winter in half-covered yards in deep litter being fed nourishing food, then spend an idyllic summer out at pasture. That's what happened to the beef calves I knew of in the '50s anyway. A nice, if short, life.

Shisa wrote:That's hypocritical.
With my Hospitality and Catering course we visited an Abattoir.
It was a terrible shocking experience. I almost threw up 5 times and almost passed out as well.
I'm unfortunately a carnivore at heart so can't be put off meat.

Me? Or the girls I was talking about?

I think it's entirely about personal choice, whether or not you choose to eat meat. Although I don't, I would never have a go at somebody for eating it. Humans are naturally omnivorous, so eating meat is just a part of our nature. Due to the way we've adapted our surroundings to suit us, we now have the choice between a herbivorous and omnivorous diet - no shame in either choice.

I can't stand it when people take it too far and attempt to force their own eating habits down other people's throats (pun intended!). Goes both ways, of course.

Not sure I'd do too well, visiting an Abattoir! I'm fairly good when it comes to natural death/predation, but there are limits!

I think Theresa meant the girls on the course!

I know - at first, I got a bit confused! Until I read through my post and realised what I'd said, and then that she was responding to that part. I'd forgotten that I'd mentioned the girls on my course.

In my family & friends... some are vegetarian,  some are vegan.  I happen to enjoy my meat.  I have no problem with any choise anyone makes.... we have dishes for all at get togethers.

But I do think its important if you choose to eat meat that you understand the reality of whats on your plate.

We all respect everyones choices in what they choose to consume.

I'm an ex-veggie. My reason for ending my vegeterianism is hypocritical to the extreme but makes sense to me. (aka, if you eat any meat you are still consuming milk/eggs/dairy so still killing cattle etc. Vegan or nothing, i can't be vegan or i would starve as i dont like veggies much. I lived on quorn, which isn't vegan) I am countrywise, i play with all the bull calves and then see them go to the lorry.

Yes, it does make sense. I couldn't be a vegan.

I do eat eggs, but only organic free range, and I do like dairy products. It's a hard thing to choose.