Food, Gore, & Ethics

[mishalak]

Before our main feature I'm going to mention that I do feel better as long as I don't try to talk today. Though unless this totally clears up in the next few hours I think it would be a poor idea for me to inflict myself upon my friends at Freehold Thanksgiving.

The following is rated PG for blood and parts of animals that gross many people out. Don't read it right before you're going to sit down and have pot roast if you have a weak stomach.

A Pointless Story (Mostly)
A conversation sort of thing about meat and ethics has got me thinking about my own experience of adding and subtracting things from my diet. Like all kids I had things I didn't like to eat, e.g. Brussels sprouts. And on occasion, because my dad had a number of allergies as a kid, I would complain of an ailment and something my parents would try would be taking something out of usual fare. For example I went a week on rice milk when they suspected I might have a reaction to dairy. My sister is mildly allergic to chocolate so we had carob around the house for her and looking back I think I must be lucky to have not developed any noticeable allergies to food or pollens.

But sometimes I would be put off some foods for other reasons. I liked liver and then stopped eating it for a while when I learned what a liver is and saw some raw. I was totally grossed out one time when eating a piece of beef and I found a vein in it and I was forever nervous about eating pork after I learned of trichinosis.

I was really put off my feed by the first time I had to gut and clean a fish I caught up at Steamboat Reservoir. I got all grossed out by having to reach in with my hands and pull out the internal organs, though scaling it was not so bad. I really hated the whole slimy feeling and for whatever reason I felt horribly unclean reaching inside an animal where all those bodily functions happen. As I recall I could only manage to eat a little fish that day for lunch at my mom's insistence.

Another time my dad shot a deer in our yard with an arrow. Seeing at first I was doing okay but when I saw that mass of intestines and smelled it, that had me running into the trees to get away for a minute. I don't think I was that much help to my dad in the project.

But in the end doing things like this made me much less squeamish. I still get freaked out by bad things happening to eyes, but other than that I'm usually fairly blasé about things like cutting up a whole chicken.

But though it is no big deal I don't joke about it or throw away anything I can use. My feeling is that when a person goes about killing something living or destroying something inanimate it should be for a good reason. And the act should be done with respect for the life or the work that had to go into it. I don't demand it of everyone, since I’m hardly in a position to demand things. But I always try to encourage putting things to good use if possible.

Gah, that reminds me. I've got to figure out a better system to deal with aluminum cans. I don't produce enough, even at parties, to make it worth my while to recycle them. But I feel like I should figure out something to do with them.

Comments

[dragon-smoke.livejournal.com]

This would depend on where you live, but when we lived in our apartment, there was an old couple that were always digging in the apartment complex's dumpsters for cans and bottles, so I would just put ours in a paper sack and leave them beside the dumpster for anyone who wanted them.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Littleton. I'm not sure that we have the army of needy people that would scoop up bags of cans. Maybe if I got into the habbit of taking my 2-4 cans with me when I go to brunch on Sunday I could drop them off somewhere. I don't drink a lot of soda anymore so it really slows down the collection process. Though if I wanted I could get all the cans at my present job. I did that for a while for DASFA (http://www.dasfa.org/)'s benefit. But making $9 dollars here and $15 there for upwards of 5 hours of work just didn't seem worth it after a while.

[thette.livejournal.com]

Beer Can Tower To The Moon!
[You knew it was coming, right?]

[thette.livejournal.com]

...and I think we could add this to your campaign, sort of like Carthage.

[thette.livejournal.com]

...and while I'm spamming your comment page, I could do it properly. (Sorry, sleep deprived; am going to bed right now.)

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I should have though of it. But I didn't because of two barriers to such a project.

First off I don't have room for stuff I do want to keep, such as too many clothes, books, and various collectibles.

Secondly I don't drink beer and a seltzer can tower to the moon just isn't as poetic.

[thette.livejournal.com]

Practicalities. Always these damn practicalities!

[thette.livejournal.com]

I'm a vegetarian, but purely because I can't stand the taste of meat. I try to occasionally, but really can't force much down. This goes for fish and bouillon, as well. It happens that I eat soups with meatily stock in them for parties, but it always, always reduces the amount I eat to a ridiculous trickle.

I've never eaten so much food, or enjoyed it to the extent I do now.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I've never run into that sort of preference before. Good to know. I'll just have to be sure to plan on something meatless when I do a party at Swecon.

Yes I am thinking I'm just about crazy enough to do a TAFF fund raising party at Swecon should I win. After all, best to get an early start and all that. Oh and I'm planning on one here in Denver when we finally have some candidates standing in January or February. I'm thinking a Honey and Mead party would be fun. I do have about 8 different kinds of honey in my cupboard and I should share the bounty.

[thette.livejournal.com]

Swedish fandom is not much into fund raising parties, so you should sweep the floor. Either that, or the whole idea'll fall flat.

Anyway, I'd love to do it, but it's a possibility I might back out. The next Swecon is in late August [prelimininary date, do not redistribute]. KJ is in the concom, so I'm practically planning the wedding (for late September) alone.

[kralice.livejournal.com]

/fascinating/!

I think if you can do it all yourself (hunt, kill, gut, etc.), it probably makes the meal more worthwhile. As a kid, I would always pretend to be a Native American, and to this day sometimes still wish I was, because I admired the way they were able to use every part of the buffalo, or whatever they had hunted. It's very admirable.... which I just said. hah.

I have to agree with thette on the whole, beer can to the moon idea, minus the beer.
or... I don't know about Denver schools, but some elementary schools take aluminum cans and turn them in for money. maybe if there's a nearby school, you could drop them off? I think the King Sooper's up here takes them too, but maybe I'm wrong.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Even going through the process a few times makes one appreciate even store bought meat more. If you would like I'll drag you along on one of my summer fishing trips. <grin> And I'll even be sympathetic and kind if you decide you just can't do that to a fish once you get out there.

I'm going to just have to make some space for a bag full of cans. No more excuses just get rid of the boxes under the table so I can put another bag there for recyclables.

[kralice.livejournal.com]

no offense, but I think I'll pass on that. XP
ever since my favorite fish tank fish died (Mr. Rainbow Gourami.. *sniff!*) and I tried to bury him in my yard and ended up touching him to get him out of the net.. I've never been one for fish.

it would be fun though. I've never been fishing!

*nod* that's good!