Having to harvest one’s own food would undoubtedly foster a closer relationship and understanding with the things that they eat. Having to put effort directly into obtaining food, whether it be simply taking the time to prepare it, let alone growing or hunting it, that connection and time invested forces the individual to reevaluate the kind of work that goes into preparing what you eat.
In my own family, there are varying degrees of this, from my grandparents who grow a fair portion of their own produce, to my extended family in
While hunting may be negatively viewed by a good portion of people, in order to consume meat as humans have done since the immemorial, killing is inherently necessary. What is not necessary however, is to perform that act in a fashion as humane as possible. Perhaps this is my own bias, but I see nothing wrong with hunting in a non-subsistence situation, so long as the animal is killed quickly and with as little pain as possible, and the meat is put to good use. That said, the lengths that the author went to in the assigned reading seemed to be slightly unnecessary in its extravagance.
Here are two works that deal with hunting in the
Waterman, Charles F. Hunting in
Print.
Laney, Dawn. Hunting: Opposing Viewpoints.
Hi Brenden, I’m finding similarities in your story in my own life. Growing up, I wasn’t involved with the shooting of the animals on the farm, I know the men who did were as careful as possible to not disturb the herd, as terrified beef makes for tough meat. And what you feed it while growing up makes a difference in the flavor with all the animals. Consequently, our animals were well fed and not disturbed! They got fresh pasture in the spring, summer, and fall, and a warm barn with lots of hay, grain, and potatoes in the winter. Yes, we did pet them and name them, knowing full well what their future was. However, for me it was a type of spiritual experience. I didn’t take it lightly and I treated them kindly for the role they played in sustaining my life. For me, I receive energy from the meat I eat-in fact I feel more alive and happy afterwards. I view raising animals for food as a blessing from a benevolent Father who gave us animals for this purpose. Rinella’s take on hunting for food seemed to me to be out of control; an obsessive need to collect and show off his ability to eat anything that moved. He didn’t strike me as having a connection with the animals like the hunters in Urban Deerslayer were finding. In fact, I think he turned into glutton, viewing the outdoors as his grocery store. Yuck. Where’s the respect for other living creatures in that?
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