January 02, 2008
Having a Cow and Eating It Too
Courtesy of KPN
Meet Melody. She is around 18 months old and soon will be slaughtered for beef consumption. I am not sure if the recipients of her death will be us, but we are slated to receive one-tenth of a cow in a few weeks. KPN has been coordinating this beef purchase for Team Potluck and has blogged about it here. Our group is actually purchasing 3/4th of a cow with another person taking the last quarter. Of this three-quartered purchase, HW and I are receiving about 50 lbs pre-butchered. We expect the final weight in butchered beef to be around 35 lbs.
I have never been a huge red meat eater. In fact, I have not had a beef hamburger since I was 16 years old and don't plan to eat one anytime soon. Since moving to Minnesota, I have resumed eating beef a little at a time. Initially, I ate beef after a decade+ long hiatus when I visited South Korea in 2001 because my hosts would take me out to Korean restaurants and order lots of bbq for me to eat. Culturally, I could not say no to this kind offer. Then, my colleague and surnamed sister Erika in history joked that I would be eating beef after a couple of years living in Minnesota because the same thing happened to her. Ever the prescient historian, I am now a semi-beef eater. In fact, I ate some Korean short ribs last night with some friends.
With this beef purchase, HW and I will have to become creative in how we make use of it. I am thinking of hosting a beef-fest to share the bounty with friends. I also strangely enough really wanted the cow tongue and will make something with it. I recall eating cow tongue as a child and will try to recreate the meal. When I told my dad about the beef purchase, he immediately asked if I was getting the tail bones. I don't have dibs on the ox tail (used for soups) but I did tell him about the tongue. He went on to say how to cook it (basically, boil it).
So, comment if you have some tasty beef recipes for us to try!
Posted by richlee at January 2, 2008 01:52 PMMelody is a boy, actually...like almost all beef cattle. Sort of like the boy named Sue in the Johnny Cash song, except he was human and not subject to being eaten.
Posted by: Peter at January 2, 2008 10:27 PMI disagree with this court ruling. Even though the girl rightfully belongs to her family, it is true nevertheless that her original family traded her in so that they could lessen their burden. What you hand over, you basically give up. What right do they have to take her back again? (The father is also kind of sketchy, what's with his acquitted crime and everything. Doesn't sound like a healthy family to me).
Her foster parents took her in, and provided care and nurturing. Even with their own kids, they still accepted Anna into their family; this proves how much they must've loved her at the time. Loved her enough to fight for her through the bitter end. With her foster parents, her education will not suffer at the very least. English has become her first language, as her foster parents has become her first home. Forcing her to live elsewhere with parents she don't know is even worse for her psychological peace of mind.
Posted by: Juslitome at February 20, 2008 01:06 AMNo offense or anything...but didn't you find seeing your dinner alive before you eat it rather inhumane? Just looking at the picture makes me sad and fearful for her life.
Posted by: Juslitome at February 20, 2008 01:08 AM