The lambs have started to gather in great big gangs. They look like children plotting mischief in a break-time playground. I wonder if they have best friends, stories and secrets too?It can’t be much fun being a lamb, especially if you have the bad luck to be born with balls. A brief idyll, surrounded by sunshine, daisies and mates: then, for the lucky ones, a lifetime of sex, but slaughter for the less fortunate. The more I think about it, the more correlations I can see between lambs and lads. A generation of young male sheep end up at the abattoir every year; in 'less enlightened' times, generations of young men were wiped out on the battlefield, too.
Each time I see a young lamb, I think: “I can’t possibly eat that.” But I still do. I’m not really a very good carnivore because I have contradictory ethics. I had a brief flirtation with vegetarianism as a teenager: I did it for Morrissey but I rapidly relapsed into the ways of the bacon butty. I don’t think he would’ve approved of my foxhunting anyway.
I just don’t like the thought of eating animals when they're still children. Rather than kids in the yard, I’ll try to view them as hoodies gathering at a shopping centre on a Saturday afternoon. If I can persuade myself that they’re actually dull-eyed, attitude-and-acne-ridden thugs, I’ll have less of a problem with it.
12 comments:
Yikes ! The last paragraph seems to suggest you are considering turning to cannibalism.. I hope this is not the case - after all, David Cameron has been trying to spread the message that we should 'hug-a-hoodie'...
On the Morrissey front, I am more tempted to agree with him on the 'hang the DJ' front than on 'meat is murder'. That said, for years 'This charming man' was 'my song', since I thought he was singing 'a jumped up country boy, who never knew his place..' and I was rather upset when I found out he was really singing 'pantry boy..'..
The Silence of the Lambs ...now where did I out those fava beans??
eminem, my brother works in the farming industry, selling supplies to farmers [the sort of thing used by the good vet in the 'sex' link].
Useful to know how important it is to get a good supply of vitamins. And I love the way they refer to it-'work'.
Slightly more alarming with the number of hoodies around is that women might decide on the 'alpha male' concept. You know, pick one guy in the village who has to do the deed when women decide it is time to 'settle down'.
Although since on of 'Wifey's links seems to feature an 'alpha mummy' this worrying development appears to have already established the trend in London. And if there's one thing that 'Wifey' has taught us - what happens in London today is going to be in Northumberland the day after tomorrow...
I know just how you feel - did you happen to watch any of the 'kill it, cook it, eat it' series? It gave pause for thought but only a pause in my case! I would love to stand by my principles and be veggie but I love a juicy steak and a lamb roast (and a bacon buttie) - I draw the line at eating horse or rabbit! (or dog should I ever find myself in Korea!)
We've only got to look out of the window and see prospective dinners grazing and skipping by. I think for the most part they have good lives - they are well fed and tended and their environment is superb.
I can of course only speak about what I see around me - I know there are farmers far less scrupulous than ours and whose practices are to be abhored.
Can't really see how we can live this deeply in the countryside and then start complaining about its 'industry' (I would not hesitate to shout though, if those animals were treated less compasionately.) Neither should we be too sentimental or anthropomorphic. They deserve respect and we should give it.
....and aren't bacon butties what makes every vegetarian waver?
Synchronicity.
This was mentioned in an earlier post, but now I am starting to really experience it, courtesy of this blog.
First it was the follow-up about oil seed rape in the Guardian. Today I went over to Bath to smooth my karma / make my mood calmer. After a nice lunch and mosey around I went to Hedgemead park to read the paper.
Young families and couples were relaxing and a group of blokes were playing keepy-uppies. Then a lady hoved into view walking her pooch.
A classic Bath babe, with a beret and sleeveless jacket. This wasn't fully buttoned up, and visible was the tell-tale sign of a script 'j'.
Yes ! The first spring sighting of the lesser spotted 'joules' girl in the wild [well, more of a garden, really] which I would have missed had it not been for the prescient post by Mutterings&Meanderings.
I have realised that the key to figuring out 'Life's Big Secret' may well be revealed to readers of this blog, so I am waiting with bated breath for the next instalment.
Miss it, and Miss Out..
Ziggi, I couldn't watch that programme - not my idea of entertainment.
Mountainear, I am a country girl and not a complete wuss - I can gut a fish and remove the breasts from a still warm pheasant ... I'm not complaining about farmers, I'm just moaning about myself really!
Anon, if you come up to our stables, you'll see at least one Joules top a day, more in summer. I have a fetching 'damson' sweatshirt and am eyeing many more things in the catalogue ...
Oh, and thanks for your kind words. I'm not sure what I'm going to write about next ... possibly spiders ...
eminem - spiders..Hmmm.. maybe money spiders, and possible suggestions for lottery numbers ?
As for 'joules' clothing, do you know where it originates from ? Could it be the last bastion of textile manufacturing in this green and pleasant land ?
Walkies !
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/default.stm
[the 'big picture'..]
Cor, pumas in Wales!
Dunno where Joules stuff is made - one would hope it's here given the price of the stuff ... I would've also thought they would've sent me lots of nice free goods for all this publicity I've given them ... they even went on nourishing obscurity courtesy of moi!!! :)
You will have to wait unril tomorrow for the spiders...
I have only one hoodie and I love it.
I could feel bad about eating meat but I don't. We have the teeth to bite it, we have the enzymes to digest it. Therefore humans are meant to eat meat.
I don't feel bad about seeing cute little lambs as I don't like the taste, equally the same goes for cute little calves as I don't eat a lot of beef as I only like it as mince.
Pigs I do feel bad about as they're cute a very intelligent but also absolutely delicious. I like pig in most of its forms as meat.
Chickens are not so cute but rather lovely creatures but unfortunately they are a staple in my diet. Ducks I feel the same about but only ever eat them when I vist my parents as inevitably my dad will 'force' me to eat homemade duck and pancakes as he's been without for ages as mum finds it too fatty.
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