Weird Christmas present (don't look if you are vegetarian)

[smudgley]

My friend at work brought a couple of pigs & some baby lambs a while ago to rear for meat. The lambs were all abandoned by their moms or their moms died or were poorly, she worked really hard to bottle feed them & rear them. I helped her feed them a few times, they were really cute. They had the best life ever & were really happy.
Well she asked me yesterday if I would like some lamb for my christmas present this year. :shock: I said I would but only if she told me it was from asda. ;) So today I got a huge leg of lamb & loads of lamb chops. They look beautiful, but it seems a bit weird. :? I'm telling myself they had a good life & were treated better than most. ;)

(hope noone is offended by this)

[Mags]

Awww... I couldn't do that:mad:

[alexgirl73]

not offended, but just couldn't eat it lol!

[smudgley]

That's exactly what I said Mags.:shock:
The whole time she's had them, I've said I could never do that. I don't have a problem with her doing it, but I said I wouldn't be able to rear them, then eat the meat. But then when it was offered I said yes (I did have to think about it)& as she says, we know exactly how they have been reared & they did have a better life than any lambs on a farm. :cool:

[dandysmom]

Maybe I'm weird or coldhearted ( I hope not!), but to me there is a difference between food animals and companion animals. My grandma kept chickens, and I liked them, even when they pecked me badly when gathering eggs, but had no qualms about eating grandma's stewed chicken and dumplings......

)hope this doesn't sound too cold...)

[Moli]

I could not do it either...

[smudgley]

I keep chickens & I would never eat them. Just couldn't do it, they are my little friends. Does that make me sound a bit mad? :oops:

[Moli]

I keep chickens & I would never eat them. Just couldn't do it, they are my little friends. Does that make me sound a bit mad? :oops:
Not at all Smudgley, you treat them as pets....I have just found 4 chickens a new home, the owners did not want them and were going to wring their necks, so one of my pals now have them...they are so tame too..:)

[Kazz]

See I think I could. I've never done it, but it would not I do not think worry me raising meat to eat. As your friend said "You know how they are raised and fed and treated" what better life.
So I'd have said yes and could I have pork too :)

Karen

[smudgley]

I did have a sausage of hers when she came to a BBQ of mine & brought some sausages. :oops:

[Grete]

Awww Smudgely hehe, I think everyone is different in how they view food animals. I personally couldn't do it (I'm a complete wuss when it comes to meat and can't eat anything on the bone or that resembles what it once was) but I think knowing that something was raised with love and gentleness is a good thing. Everything in life has a purpose, even us :)

[Fran]

Don't think I could eat it if I had had a part in hand rearing it!! I couldn't strive hard to preserve life to then eat it after it had been purposely killed :? Could probably eat it if I hadn't had anything to do with it previously :?

[Soupie]

I'd much rather know where my meat came from to be honest and how it had been reared than picking up any old thing from a supermarket ;)

I only buy meat from the butcher who buys from local british farmers - great satisfaction knowing the food I eat has been humanely reared.

[random]

I can eat meat, I love it, but I could never eat anything i'd 'met' when it was alive.

I went to France a couple of years ago and we were choosing our lobsters from the tank and I couldn't do it! :lol: :roll:

[EmmaG]

I could eat the meat if I reared it, however I know what I am like and I would get attached to the animal and it would never go to slaughter. Glad I don't own a farm really!!! lol

I don't think people are cold hearted who rear their animals in a proper way and then eat them, far better than to have lived a good life than not.

I also try to eat meat that has a good background (free range, organic etc)

[borderdawn]

I have no problem with it,cin fact Id definately prefer it! I like to know where my food is coming from and knowing it was reared and treated well while it was alive is fine by me. Where my friend keeps her Horse, they have Sheep, I have a half one each year. The kids fuss them, they are friendly and tame, treated superbly, and come slaughter, treated the correct way and bought back butchered for sale. I see nothing wrong with it at all. When we have shot Deer, same applies, I know where its come from, it hasnt been pumped full of chemicals, its led a natural life, free from steroids and growth hormones, just naturally led its life untill killed, and killed better than in a slaughter house too!

[samwise]

Not offended at all!
You know for a fact that the life they had was good and that they were killed humanely (Cant spell that :oops:)
I eat meat and buy from local sources that I know look after and care for thier animals well.

PS It helps that I work in a vet surgery and I hear from the vets which farmer or butcher etc is best!

[dandysmom]

Whenever possible I buy organic, and preferably from local area farmers; but would have no problems with eating that lamb, Smudgley. They were raised lovingly, not pumped full of chemicals, were free range and I am certain, killed humanely. God only knows how the meat at the supermarket was raised/treated/slaughtered!