Crock-Pots and cattle…what’s in your kitchen?
Is it safe to cook in a Crock-Pot? Is your house equipped with fire ladders? Have you replaced the smoke alarm battery? Props to This Is Us for bringing fire safety to the forefront in their Super Bowl special, but it’s a fictional TV show. And while it’s incredibly well-written, This Is Us occurred 20 years ago.
Are animals safe on farms? Is it O.K. to eat meat or consume milk after seeing horrific movies about how farmers treat cattle? Have you considered your food ethics? Just as This Is Us has created hysteria around slow cookers, “documentaries” have created hysteria around meat and milk. Written and staged by animal rights activists, the documentaries have great emotional appeal to those who haven’t set foot on a farm or ranch.
It’s a lot more sexy to show the terror of fire or abuse than it is the every day, mundane activities. A slow cooker is a rather boring, yet a basic kitchen tool. Caring for animals at 6 a.m. is a non-event to the 98.5% of the population who has never had hay chaff stuck in their hair, yet a basic tenet of animal care. Similar to focusing on the horrific aftermath of the fire instead of considering the faulty switch that would logically put the slow cooker in the trash, perceived abuse on farms gets the attention.
A mom friend thanked me for providing ” insight into an unknown world” after I posted a picture of my daughter saying good-bye to her first 4-H cow, Ving. The dairy cow will no longer breed, so she is being sold for beef – the secondary purpose of the animals when they can’t provide us with milk. When purchased by a 9 year-old, this calf was dressed up as a princess (often eating her hair bows), played tug-of-war, and gave my daughter a lot of lessons in perseverance as her first 4-H project.
However, Ving was also dehorned – for the safety of my daughter and the other cattle – horns are brutal weapons that can kill. The calf grew up and was artificially inseminated, producing a beautiful heifer that I watched my daughter show with pride – in spite of being kicked, drug on a halter, and various other frustrating things animals do. Ving also produced a really ugly heifer, which is part of the genetics game. She was milked by a machine throughout her life until she miscarried her third calf. As a result, she had some major reproductive issues – which we tried to help with reproductive hormones (the same used in women). We failed in getting her bred back, so my daughter understands that her animal’s purpose is now to provide meat.
Perception is everything. Any of those statements taken out of context or video taped would make paint us as animal abusers. It is true that some farming and ranching practices practices are ugly, but if you take the time to find out WHY we do them, you will get the REAL STORY. Your meat and milk are still safe – and more importantly, raised by the same families that put meat in your grandparent’s freezer and milk in the refrigerator. It is an honor and privilege to care for animals today, just as it was then. I know, because I have done so my entire life.
Yes, it is still safe to cook in a slow cooker, but InstaPots are perceived to be much cooler. Meat and milk are still essential cornerstones fueling your family (not to mention tasty), but making Meatless Mondays a social claim is perceived to be more hip.
Are we really so unaware the difference between fiction and good television that we can’t recognize reality? Crock-Pot’s stock fell immediately after This Is Us aired, people are dumping slower cookers in the trash, and a kitchen essential is being removed from wedding registries – because of one scene from a fictional show.
I, for one, refuse to allow sensationalism in my kitchen. How about you?
