Huge animal-lovers that are huge foodies, and that are not vegetarians, probably identify themselves in one or more of the following three categories: either they are the definition of an oxymoron, or are walking hypocrites, or are maybe just in general conflicted individuals. As a member and charitable supporter of various animal causes, I like to think of myself as the latter, and maybe a bit of the former (but not one of the middle group, of course not!)… though that being said, it’s hard to deny that a bit of ye olde hypocrisy starts to creep into my mind at this time of year. And what time of year is it that I refer to? We’re talking of course about Thanksgiving, a time of notorious excess and unbounded (animal) eating.
Thanksgiving has become a time of considerable rationalization for me. I love turkey, and my dad makes an excellent one – cooked all day in a low-temperature wood-fired smoker, so that the bird comes out caramel in color on the outside, and richly meaty and flavorful on the inside. I’d love to pass it up, but one whiff of that smoky goodness just sets my mouth to watering. And I just can’t say no, especially since pairing this tasty turkey with a traditional stuffing and some cranberry sauce is a perfect classic that hits me on every foodie level of my being.
But then I think back to all those images of the pre-slaughter happily alive turkeys, and even the strange traditional of the presidential pardon of one of these turkeys (so that it subsequently gets sent to a petting zoo to live out its normal biological lifetime), and it’s hard to rationalize killing one of these majestic creatures to feed my greedy gullet. Ben Franklin considered the turkey as more worthy for the symbol for the USA than the bald eagle. Turkeys in the wild are fierce and not to be trifled with. Is it fair show them the axe in order to feed the family at the Thanksgiving table?
Well I guess in order to answer that question, you have to think first about where the turkeys come from. Most Thanksgiving turkeys were probably purchased at the local supermarket. On the whole these birds were probably factory-farmed and inhumanely treated, with heavy genetically-engineered breasts and short, caged lifespans. Of course an animal-lover like myself cannot overlook the factory treatment of these poor birds… but still, despite the facts that I know in my mind, and embracing hypocrisy, I ate. And ate. And then the next day, I ate some more.
And really, these supermarket turkeys are much cheaper than they realistically should be. From looking at prices this Thanksgiving, many turkeys were in the $1.29 per pound range (and even cheaper in some cases). And do you think that these cheap prices have an added downside in that they provide such huge birds and tons of meat, so that they encourage excess eating? Probably so. (Much like the fact that we can all drive wherever we want because gas is so cheap.) Of course I considered all of this with a full belly, pants unbuckled, snoozing lightly post my holiday meal.
So next year, I’m going to try to get a free-range, sustainably-raised, local farm turkey. They cost 3-4 times as much (perhaps even more) than the bird my parents provided this year, but at the very least, the cruelty-free treatment of the bird during its lifetime – and subsequently the smaller size bird that I will purchase given the non-factory environment and higher cost – will benefit my conflicted mind and my over-stretched belly.
All that being said… maybe the better idea would be to finally consider vegetarianism. It would mean sacrificing the Thanksgiving turkey (and of course, all those other meaty indulgences throughout the rest of the year… woo unto me come barbecue season!)… but perhaps I would have a calmer mind and feel like a better person for finally embracing a 100% love of *all* animals. There’s a new book called “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Safran Foer that apparently discusses just this embrace of vegetarianism – though I have to admit I haven’t read it yet, I’m just not ready to make the leap. I know if I read the book it will be the final step, and it’s not one I’m ready to make yet, ’cause it’s a big one.
