Obviously, this struck us as quite odd as Americans but if you stop to think about it, maybe it isn’t so weird. As scores of articles and best-selling books have told us over the last few years, Americans don’t eat well!
Our method of raising animals on steroids, unnatural foods (grain for cattle, animal protein for chickens), and in massive lifestock pens makes for sick and unhealthy animals which we then eat.
Consider instead that Kenyan lifestock is often much more free range; remember M’s story about commuter goats? This means they get exercise, can choose their diet, and are not exposed to sick animals with regularity. Yes, it means they sometimes choose to eat trash but remember that there are fewer processed foods here. The trash they’re eating is mostly raw food scraps.
Kenyan animals are often left to breed “as nature intended” (sometimes in the middle of the road) so you don’t get in-breeding to create super cuts of beef or chickens with breasts so large that they can’t stand.
When you buy meat, it’s usually from an animal close to home. Lack of refrigeration and the prohibitive cost of transport means that most meat is local although this is starting to change as chain grocery stores are opening rapidly.
So, when you think about it that way, Kenyan animals may be as healthy if not healthier than American meat. I’m not advocating that we let cows loose in the middle of New York City but it does give us pause when we see something that appears to be “backward” that upon reflection may actually be “forward-thinking”.
Hi E -
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm convinced! Although that method doesn't make for a very scenic roadside, does it? (But having a few cows around might be good for New Yorkers.)
Vis a vis Max's post yesterday, it made me think of when I had to learn to drive a stick shift when we lived in England. The opposite side of the road switch wasn't as bad as I had feared, since the steering wheel was still in the same place relative to the center line - that made the turns less confusing to me.
But we lived in the country, with hedgerows along the roads. Very scenic, and very narrow - we often had to plunge the car practically into the ditch to avoid an oncoming vehicle. We drove a little Maxi, and after Max was born, we joked that I was a "Maxi mum". Like me, the British love puns.
Glad you have the option now of driving if you need to.
love you!
McMomm
Hi sweet girl,
ReplyDeleteI think that if I stop to really think about food on the hoof or claw that I would become vegetarian. The process of field to table is really unappealing, even for vegetables, so this is an ... interesting posting. You know my thinking: don't put anything with a face on my plate please. 'Nuff said.
Love you lots,
Mom/L
nice post e! i agree, sometimes we think that just because we have the most advanced technology, that automatically means it's better. but really, that advanced technology just means we have the capacity to create an ammonia based meat filler to mix in with ground beef to kill the e-coli that only exists because we raise meat on industrial farms. yum!
ReplyDeleteANYway, that's the nice thing about traveling, it really changes your perspective about what is "normal"
love you!