Can I be a VEGAN??

I’m not against eating meat. I love anything I can throw on the grill and generally take my steaks a little bloody. I’m a total carnivore or at least omni-. Giving up meat is something I’ve never really given serious thought until now. I just watched a video on the horrors of todays farming methods. It’s taken 10 minutes for me to stop the tears enough to write this. It was disgusting, heart breaking. I had an extremely hard time watching it but forced myself to. The cruelty is inhuman, incredibly vicious. I think that eating meat is natural for human beings but I also believe there’s a way to do it using a method that shows respect and compassion. Sure, some wild animals will rip throats out and gnaw on the faces of their prey while they’re still making sounds but that’s different. Beating a calf in the face and stomping on their heads, that’s not animal instinct. That’s…God I don’t KNOW what that is but it made me sick. If I could take a cow out, as painlessly as possible, divide the meat, tan the hide and really be grateful for what I had, that would be ideal. I don’t know if I can stomach meat that was treated the way I saw in that video. There were disturbing clips on poultry farms as well as fishing boats. Somehow the piggies and cows made the biggest impact on me. Is it shitty of me that my heart doesn’t break for fish and chickens? Well actually, I saw horrible things happen to little baby chicks. I swear that only an evil person could do what they did. How could you harm a sweet little chick?? All fluffy and adorable. Farming couldn’t always have been this way. I have always wanted a small farm of my own. Nothing that produced products for the masses but one with a few chickens for eggs, a cow for milk and piggies just because they’re so stinkin’ cute (and smart, so they say). Now I’d like it more than ever just to be able to save a few animals from the nightmare that is your mass production farm. If you’re curious about this video and want to check it out please do so knowing that it’s a gut wrenching piece. I highly recommend that you just take my word for it, it’s awful. If you’re at all sensitive, don’t watch. I feel very disturbed now having seen it. If you STILL want to see it, it’s here 

How do you feel?

Topic #82: What do you want for your last meal?

Oh yeah buddy, now THIS is a blog topic I’m ready for. I’m a huge fan of food. I’m not saying I’m literally huge myself but rather that my love of food is grand, ever-growing and total. Ok so here it goes…

First I want to start with a glass of Montepulciano red wine from the vineyard where my brother-in-law works (Spelt). It’s pure luck that I’m a total wine-o and  have access to the best wine I’ve ever tasted for free as he brings it home by the 5 liter bottle. God bless you Fabio. Then I’d like another glass to go with my cheese and fruit. Both will be in abundance and of a variance that’s staggering. Gorgonzola, brie, blue cheese, swiss, mozzarella (fresh, hard, smoked), fresh parmesan, cream cheese, stracchino, robiola, CHEDDAR (damn I want me some cheddar. Haven’t had it in over two years since they don’t sell it in my area), gouda, smoked gouda, and I’m sure I’m missing something supremely stinky and delicious….damn, this will have to do for il formaggio. The fruit? Cherries, strawberries, apples (green), grapes (every variety), pineapple, lychee, kiwi, watermelon, tangerines, cantaloupe, and cherries (I know, I love them THAT much).

At this point I’d need a serious pause….

Sushi, boatloads. Salmon with just a touch of lemon, garlic, soy sauce, and honey…more wine…Time for some BEEF! A crazy big New York strip, medium rare (I want to see a little blood. Not a lot, just enough to make me feel savage), seasoned simply with salt and pepper but with caramelized onions on top with about half a bottle of A-1 (I just love that stuff). A ridiculous baked potato, what restaurants would call “loaded”: cheese, sour cream, chives, bacon, onion, BUTTERRRRRRRRRR…..I knew this would happen, I’m so stinkin’ hungry. Some steamed carrots, zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower.

You know what? Maybe I want a great big cheese burger instead of a steak. One with cheese, pastrami, onions (I see an onion theme), heaps of mayo, horse-radish, lettuce, tomato on those big pieces of buttered grilled bread instead of a bun. Lord have mercy, yeah, gimme that.

…and a salad. What? I love salad.

Somewhere in there I’ve got to fit in my very own spaghetti and meatballs because it’s just that good. You understand that I’m basically drinking  a whole bottle of blood-red goodness over the course of this dinner, right? If you can even call it “dinner” this is like those meals you hear that kings used to have where they’d have to purge themselves just to keep stuffing their guts.

I’m not big on desserts but I am a sucker for strawberries and chocolate, mmmmmmmmm.

I’ll need a decent glass of limoncello in the end and a coffee so strong it’d wake the dead.

I’m sure I’ll be dreaming of food tonight considering my bedtime is a half hour from now. I’ll want to change this post a dozen times by the time tomorrow’s writing session comes along but I’ll leave it like this. Just know that really, I’d eat anything tasty.

Oh man! I knew it! Not even signed off and I realize I forgot all about my Mexican and Indian food selections.