Confessions of a Bunny-hugger

Confessions of a Bunny-Hugger

From the urban dictionary

Bunny-Hugger: Someone who likes animals, a person who cares about the environment and endangered species, a person who eats alot of tofu.

So, I guess I am a bunny-hugger, but not *literally* I remember we got a rabbit for Easter one year, and when my little sister and I tried to hold and hug it, it scratched the crap out of our arms.

I like pets, we have alot of them. I guess you would call me a "crunchy granola" kind of girl, I don't really wear make-up, I like to wear long skirts, I enjoy folk music.

For about half of my life I was a vegetarian of some sort. It was part choice and part compulsion. But this all ended a couple of years ago. I was pregnant and anemic...I woke up one morning to the smell of Eldon cooking bacon...mmmm....bacon....Well, I ate meat that morning and haven't turned back.

Here's my confession: I eat meat. And I like it.

However, I do try to make good choices. For my family, my health, the environment.

After MadCow, and the whole Ecoli-spinach deal, well, I like to know where my food comes from.

When we lived in SLC we usually had a big garden, but it was against city codes to keep hens for eggs, or keep any "farm" animals...So when we moved we had big plans for growing our own meat....Great ideas! Well, one Sunday evening we got a phone call from the postmaster of our tiny town...Our chicks were in, and they were making alot of noise...Before, chicken was so easy, all wrapped in celophane, already cut into boneless-skinless portions. Now, we had 30 little fuzzy chicks...that we were going to...GULP...eat. Kill, the eat. I was re-thinking my bunny-hugging days.

I wasn't sure I could do this: teach these birds to drink, bath them, feed and water them, name them, listen to their clucking, watch them scratch and preen.

But, after 10 or so weeks, Eldon and I harvested our chickens. It wasn't really that hard. It was messy, and a huge ammount of work (mostly for Eldon) but it just felt right. That was what we had raised these birds for.

It was a beautiful thing, actually. My birds had been happy, they had access to sunshine, and fresh air.

And really, sitting down with my family, to a meal of chicken & dumplings, knowing all of the hard work we had put into this meal, well it brought me alot of satisfaction.

I had provided for my family.

And really, home-grown food tastes so good...our chicken has a totally different taste and texture than mass produced chicken does. The broth is so dark and rich, full of collagen.

Well, there's my confession...I eat meat. And I like it.