5 things you should eat before you die?

clipped from blog.ruhlman.com Beauty Itself On a recent trip to Durham I taped an interview with the NPR affiliate WUNC during which I suggested that one of five things you should eat before you die is the meat of a freshly slaughtered animal, preferably having witnessed the slaughter. Verlyn Kinkenborg says something very much the same in "Two Pigs" on the Times editorial page today, but with considerably more eloquence Posted by michael ruhlman | Permalink

I vaguely keep up with the culinary world at large since I am in the food service industry and felt compelled to share the above post clipped from another site I frequent.

There were many comments that ranged from mild to ludicrous but I wanted to weigh in with my own thoughts on that matter and maybe bring up something to think about when you sit down for your next meal. The following was my comment I left there:

Couple of comments...

I have witnessed a few slaughters, both in this country and in others...

It may give you more respect for the process, but not for the animal per se...the animal doesn't care what respect it gets once its dead and whats the point in having respect for an animal because you saw it slaughtered?

What makes it 'noble' to see a slaughter? Or double points?

Come on, what Ruhlman said was "I suggested that one of five things you should eat before you die is the meat of a freshly slaughtered animal, preferably having witnessed the slaughter."

Witnessing the slaughter came second to eating the meat in his statement.

The education, process, and knowledge behind the slaughter is whats beneficial towards appreciating food...isn't that why we shout, wine, and cry over the outrageous facts we find out about processed food and soy product substitutes being mixed in with our 'Big Burger' at the fast food restaurants? Or the additives, preservatives, handling, and/or lack of taste from buying our meat at the grocery store?

Of course you can feel a sense of pride, accomplishment, and/or achievement over catching, killing, and preparing your own food; MEAT or VEGETABLE. Because you have brought it full circle. It should taste better because you have been there for every step of the process, the finished meal was your creation, you do not have any questions about the practices of how it got to your plate...you have replaced the uncertainty of the dish with complete knowledge of what it takes to get it to the table.

This is a basic principle that you have been taught and practiced since childhood (no, not slaughter) when you tell everyone else to back off and let you do or experience it all. Sometimes you regret it, sometimes you love it, sometimes it changes your life whether positively or negatively.

Ever had Iguana? I wish I had left it alive...its better as a pet, or free running lizard.

tyrone