do you think about the cow when cutting and carving?

[greg gomersall]

Now-Now we shouldn't be bashing PETA. In fact anyone involved in the livestock sector in any way (including leatherworkers) should be card carrying members. Serious. Don't it stand for People Enjoying Tastey Animals. Greg

[gunfighter48]

People Eating Tasty Animals

[Pip]

I work on an urban farm over here and I find it terrifying that children don't know what they are eating... I am also a member of the bushcraft fraternity and can almost feed myself without intensive farming for short periods (without Wal-marts help!!!). I have asked the question when standing in front of our turkey pen and having introduced our animals, where does your turkey christmas dinner come from, I got three answers 1) my mum,2) Asda (wal-mart) and 3) bernard matthews. The same group were flabbergasted when I told them you can eat duck and turkey eggs (the didn,t believe they layed eggs). We don't have enough room for cattle, but our sheep produce fine fleeces (and finer meat) great horns (between 2-5) but children don't understand that lamb is young sheep. I was told by an 8 year old its grown in a factory in blue tubs and they put sellophane on it to keep it fresh.

I have the view that (unfortunately is not shared by the government) that if an animal is killed for food I should use any peice for something, this country does not support that belief and doesn't allow animal products to be removed after slaughter (horn, sinew, bone etc). Its rediculous.

Ooops better get off my soap box.

I do think about the cow/animal in answer to your original question and hope it had a good quality of life before it was slaughtered and its death wasn't too painful, after all bad animal practises don't just effect the animal but its worth in produce.

[Cora]

I also hope that the animals had a good quality of life before they hit the butchers knife. It makes for far less blemishing on the hide. Not to mention what is nicer than a tender steak.

I also have talked to people about where their food comes from and I am shocked when I get some of the responses from them like it comes from the grocery store and this is coming from adults not children.

Cora

[Kevin King]

Ok, this is all getting a bit too deep for me...i was just kinda thinking that when i am working on a project, i am thinking that this piece of leather was once walking around in the rain. Though, we would be kinda screwed without the cow. We get alot from them.

[Romey]

Everytime i think about a cow i think ... Sigh.....mortgage

[pepin1948]

My folks used to raise ostriches. People would say "how can you kill something you've raised" and Mom would say "it's not a pet, it's meat" or something to that effect. Ostriches are NOT nice birds, the adult male tried to kill my mom once. Every time she looked at him she wanted to see him on her dinner plate. BTW, ostrich is very yummy.

As to the cow, I really don't think about it when I tool it. I look at the piece and think to myself: "what does this piece of leather want on it?" I guess THAT'S weird....

[Kevin King]

"what does this piece of leather want on it?"

spoken like a true artist.

[Skipknives]

Q: how can you tell the difference between steer and horse meat when you go to a restaurant.

A:when you swallow, as it gets half way down, yell "WHOA" if it stops,,,you know if it once wore a saddle

[Cora]

Or you can still se the whip marks from where the jockey was hitting it!

Cora