Who thought milking a goat could be such an eye opening
experience?! Seriously, we drink milk since we are kids, we eat cheese every
day, and dairy in general has such a strong presence in our diets. Yet, when we
are in front of the animal that produces the raw material for it, we panic. Let
me get that clear, some of us panicked, some of us were excited, but almost
everyone felt very uncomfortable. Why is that?! I certainly do not panic in
front of a slice of cheese!
The reason is because we are so far disconnected from nature
that we fail to recognize that the milk and cheese we consume, come from
another living being. Sure, everybody knows that milk comes from a cow, but how
many of the people on this earth has ever had the luck of seeing, or milking,
the animal that provides the good? Not many, and it was certainly a first for
me.
Our current ways teach us, is that food is a
mere commodity, it teaches us that we should not worry of the steps that
brought the cheese on our tables, it doesn’t teaches us the ways the animal has
been treated, and it certainly doesn’t teaches us how that slice of
cheese is made (Bacteria). Why?! Because the consumer does not want to see what
goes on behind the scenes. The consumer does not want to see how the animal is
treated (and especially the producer doesn’t either). The consumer only knows
one fact: that slice of American cheese sounds good on my burger. We are disconnected
from what we put in our stomachs, and yet we know every specifics of the latest
Apple products.
What we need is going back to the basics. What we need is to
be better connected to the daily consumptions in our lives. We need to see the
extraordinary in the ordinary.
I agree; it is utterly fascinating to see that people are disgusted by cheese when they see the entire process. It really makes me wonder if more people would eat less meat if they know the process behind making the meat.
ReplyDeleteHands-on experience has really helped me start to form an increased awareness of where food really comes from.
OH Goats! I would have to agree with all of the above. I even had milked a goat before and still I was thinking "now how do get out of touching the udder..?" It is interesting that when one goes to the store few make the conntection of the foods there back to where they came from. Maybe that is not only because so few of us are in the process but also because most food is made in factories that have little to no connection back to the natural foods.
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