Look folks, we all have things we chose to eat and things we choose not to eat. I know that I am becoming more and more picky about knowing where my food comes from, both the animal and vegetable substances I consume. However, for me it is a question of how it was raised/farmed, where it was raised/farmed, how it was processed, what additives, perservatives or transfats have been added. I try to watch what I eat for a variety of health, environmental and ethical reasons. However, what may bother me may not bother you. I'm happy to eat beef tongue and chicken gizzards while others find that gross. I have a few semi-vegetarian friends who eat fish but not mammals or birds. They have their reasons and I'm not going to get in an arguement suggesting that somehow diet is an all or nothing thing. If I'm out at a friend or family member's house for dinner I'm not going to interrogate l the host about where their chicken came from or turn my nose up at it even though it might not meet the requirements for what I serve at home. My daughter is more strict with herself. She won't eat any meat unless I raised it and as a result most people think she is a vegetarian. She doesn't want to get into long debates and discussions every time her dietary decisions come up so it is easier for her to simply say "I'm a vegetarian" than get into an argument about factory farming.
Raising and butchering my own chickens and turkeys (and this year ducks) is sometimes a pain in the rear and the dispatching part always hard for me but I do it because I'm trying to accomplish something that is important to me and as a whole, it makes me happy to be responsible for the entire process from tiny chick to Sunday dinner. However, I don't know if I could do that with a pig or a lamb or a goat without getting too attached and truly turning them into a pet so I'm not going to attack anyone who feels that way about their chickens.
I am very glad that people around the country are looking for ways to take back control of their food supply, whether it be through a few backyard egg chickens, an annual flock of meat birds or even a little vegetable garden. There are so many health, environmental, ethical and geopolitical reasons to take a step or two away from what is available on the typical grocry store shelves. Hats off to all of you.
