Should be obvious, right? We raise chickens, rabbits, and ducks. We’ve processed members of each of those groups (and Muscovy really does taste like beef!). People with whom we’re acquainted know this…and yet, countless times, they can’t – or don’t – seem to grasp why we won’t eat a chicken sandwich from some popular fast food place, or partake of catered BBQ. For the record: the aforementioned “people” doesn’t include our friends who “get it”.
Here’s what it boils down to: we don’t eat cruelty meat. This means we only eat meat which we know has been ethically sourced – humanely raised and slaughtered. Most local meat fits the bill: grass-fed, locally processed. Our rules preclude eating CAFO meat, so no meat from the grocery store or warehouse clubs. That meat is cheap for a reason. No cruelty eggs, either – before we had chickens and ducks of our own, we purchased free range eggs from farmers in the area. Unwashed, orange-yolked, and delicious.
We take food very seriously. In situations where it’s clear that the people we’re explaining our food philosophy to just don’t get it and who are procuring food that we’re expected to eat, we just say we need a vegetarian meal. Of course, that usually means a green salad to them. A green salad without protein like salmon, nuts, or tofu isn’t going to keep a person full for long. In short, we don’t like eating meals provided by “conventional” eaters because there’s usually a failure to take our food stance into consideration and the meal, frankly, ends up being unsuitable for us to eat.
Even more offensive, some people have seen fit to mock our food philosophy. This is worse than ignorance, and we just don’t bother associating with people don’t have enough respect not to poke fun at our values. If you don’t care about the way the cow that became the beef in your burger was treated, then you probably don’t care about many other important issues like genetically modified organisms (GMOs)…and you probably eat pink slime, too. We don’t evangelize about food to the unreceptive.
For us, there’s no “cheating” – sneaking a fast food taco, for example – because even if no one sees it, we know. We want premium fuel for our bodies, not adulterated “food-like” substances. The saying “garbage in, garbage out” makes a lot of sense. Why willingly fuel your high-performance machine with junk? Make eating well a priority, and eat locally where possible. Your tastebuds and body will thank you…as will your local farmer.
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