A few years ago, our family purchased our first four wriggling, curly tailed, newly weaned pigs. As stewards of a two-and-a-half-acre property in southern Wisconsin, we liked the idea of turning weeds into bacon.
We live on the fringe a large city, so most people who visit us have never met a pig face-to-snout. When they realize that these creatures we call by name will become food in a matter of months, their reactions range from curiosity to horror. How can you scratch those cuties behind the ears, oversee their deaths, and then pull pieces of their bodies from the freezer to eat on an ordinary weeknight? How can you make sense of that?
It’s a question that deserves an answer. Most folks who eat meat tuck these questions out of mind. But ignorance is not the only option.
In a short article that just came out this week, I share what I learned from farmers and butchers who are finding beautiful ways to weave justice into the interactions between animals and humans.
It’s a unique read. Not your usual take on justice. Not your usual take on meat, either. But it’s about something that touches all of our lives.
Check out the article at Comment.
P.S. I’ve been quiet on this Substack for the last few months as I took some time to rest over the holidays. I have plans brewing for a new series to start in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned. And stay well. I appreciate you.