Sunday, January 22, 2012

Closing the Circle



















Last weekend, my 14 year old daughter, Ella and I  participated in a two day Paleotechnics workshop on animal processing, put on by the remarkable Tamara Wilder. The first day, we humanely slaughtered, skinned/plucked, and eviscerated a goat, some chickens, rabbits, a duck and a turkey.  The second day, we butchered, made sausage and cooked the meat and organs.

This workshop is one of many in a series from Paleotechnics which focus on the practice of ancient skills including tanning, making tools and hunting instruments, cordage, and sewing buckskin clothing. Although this particular workshop took place in a oddly urban location, most of the workshops take place largely in a rural setting. The photo shows Tamara demonstrating how to keep the fell on the goat while removing its hide.

It's so interesting to hear how most omnivorous people will say that they could never bring themselves to kill an animal, much less prepare it to be eaten. And yet, due to the anonymous convenience of parted out animals in supermarkets, we have successfully rendered eating meat an unconscious act. Never having looked at the live animal in the eyes, thanked it for its life, or participated in the heavy responsibility of slaughter, skinning, evisceration or butchery, we are then able to concentrate our focus solely on the consumption of prime cuts.

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