My Pet Chicken

Rae asked me some time ago if I think I'd be able to eat animals that I'd watched being raised, like chickens. I answered that I think I could. My family back in Barbuda raises land turtles in the back yard, and if you know a bit about turtles, you know they're not the best selection of human companions. So yes, my family raised them to eat them. On my last trip there I even had one, but I couldn't eat it- not because I was opposed to the idea, but because, frankly, I hated it. I have nightmares of that orange meat to this day (OK... it isn't really THAT bad).

Back to chickens now. I've had a fair amount of exposure to chickens and chicken farms, and needless to say, chickens aren't the friendliest. They're almost like zombies with feathers, concerned only with pecking for stuff (even on your toes if they find something there) and laying eggs. For some strange reason, I asked my mother the other day "Wouldn't it just suck to have a pet chicken?" It really would. Chickens are hostile, emotionless little pricks (kinda like some people I know) who don't have the brainpower to develop any real emotion or regard for anyone or anything (once again, kinda like some people I know).

That being said, I don't think anyone loves chicken more than I do- as a food anyway. Give it to me fried, baked, barbecued, curried, stewed, roasted, jerked, steamed, frozen, melted, salted, buttered, shaken or stirred, I want it. Back to something Rae said in her Shrimp Tales post that I agree with it- sometimes it's a lot safer to go with chicken when you eat out, because you know what you'll be getting. I'm like that. In fact, the more options a menu provides, the more likely it is that I'll go for chicken or pork (big up di piggy massive!). Unless poorly prepared, it's unlikely that I'll have a chicken or pork meal that I dislike.

But it all leads me to wonder, is my lack of a relationship with these animals the cause of my eating indiscretion? If I had a chicken chained up in my front yard, would I be willing to eat chickens for dinner? Who knows. I may have to start cooking dogs and cats to find out. But it's funny how sad we may feel to see a dog dead by the roadside, yet we eat dead animals everyday without regret. I saw chickens being killed at my high school farm years ago. They hung the chickens on a line and smacked their heads with a piece of wood. We all laughed at the sight. The ironies of life.

Good, I've gotten that all out. Now let me put my idle mind to rest :-)