The other day, while watching TV – my favorite pastime these days – I saw a commercial that’s been nagging at me. It opens with a stunning view of a lush green valley with snow-capped mountains in the distant background. In the foreground, a large herd of healthy black Angus cattle graze in a verdant green pasture and drink from a pristine stream of rushing water – a perfect vista suitable for the opening of a western romance movie.
Jarringly, the commercial immediately cuts from that scene to intimate, close-up shots of luscious, tender cuts of beef—deep red meat with streaks of marbled fat. The medium-rare, juicy steak oozes flavorful juices, making me hungry. The ribeye pictured is grilled to perfection, making it impossible for meat lovers to ignore. And by the way, the voice-over notes that the meat is aged for 21 days to reach perfection. The purpose of this clever commercial is to sell high-quality beef by mail order. As if describing how children are raised, the announcer adds that these prized animals are responsibly raised without the use of hormones or antibiotics. They are nurtured by their natural birth mothers and cared for by attentive cowboys who attend to their needs. The commercial’s jarring final words are, One bite will say it all!
I wondered what it was about this commercial that made it so thought-provoking. Then it suddenly clicked! Usually, successful food ads only show their final products – a tasty, juicy hamburger, crispy pieces of fried chicken, or sizzling grilled shrimp that make our mouths water. Typically, we don’t see where these delicious foods actually come from. We don’t see the cattle, pigs, lambs, or chickens living their earlier lives, blissfully unaware of their final destiny of ending up on our plates!
Time will tell how successful this unusual beef commercial will be for the company. Will meat eaters care about the life their filet mignon had before it was marinated and placed on their outdoor grills? This thought-provoking commercial might actually encourage more people to become vegetarians. It’s that powerful. A friend of mine became a vegetarian while working in her yard. A cow approached her fence, looking at her with a heavy gaze. That single close encounter ended her days of eating meat.
So, are cows intelligent? Do they think about their futures? I’m not sure. I didn’t know cats were very intelligent until we got one. When she wants to play, our cat brings her toy wand to Hubby, no matter where he is. When she needs help, she comes to me, meowing and frantically whining to communicate her need. Usually, it’s the office door that Hubby has closed to keep her off his computer keyboard while he’s working.
The cat slipped out of our house one night while Hubby was opening the front door and bending down to pick up his latest Amazon delivery. He didn’t see her dart out like a lightning bolt. Unbeknownst to us, she tried to get back inside by tearing at our patio screen door sometime during the night, but failed, and we didn’t realize she was missing until the next morning. Normally, she birddogs Hubby as soon as he gets up and begins whining. She didn’t, and was nowhere to be found. While Hubby scratched his head and searched the front yard, I went outside to the backyard and immediately heard her meow loudly. She was hiding behind a patio settee in the fetal position. After that scary incident, Hubby bought an Apple AirTag for her collar so we can locate her with our iPhone.
Packs of coyotes regularly roam our neighborhood looking for food, and they are definitely meat eaters.
So if cats show some level of intelligence, what about cows? It has been proven that they can recognize people. A family member who owns a dairy swears that if he wears a different hat around his cows, they become agitated. Have you ever heard the sound of cows and calves being separated? The mournful mooing of mother and child breaks one’s heart. According to reports, it usually takes 7 to 14 days for the animals to overcome this separation anxiety. Cows also experience fear and have been known to try to escape from perceived threats. Brain exams show that they share many features with humans. Do these animals understand their fate? Probably not, but then again, do we understand ours?
I read that domestic cattle wouldn’t survive if humans weren’t around to raise them. I guess that’s somewhat comforting. However, upon reflection, not many of them survive when humans are around! Maybe the real question is: Should we eat meat? That’s a personal choice for all. I happen to like it. I just read an article saying many doctors are recommending a new high-protein, carnivore diet for babies—a throwback to the days before processed baby foods. Let the infants gnaw on a soup bone!
If you decide to eat beef, what are the best cattle breeds for meat? Wagyu/Kobe is considered the top choice. It has a rich, buttery flavor and a tender, almost buttery-like texture. Yes, I bought some, and it is expensive. Butter is cheaper. Maybe you should just eat butter!
With meat officially defined as the flesh of animals, which types of meat are dangerous to eat? – Raw shark, polar bear liver, jellyfish, and puffer fish are all extremely poisonous. That doesn’t bother me. How many people eat those things anyway?
Then there’s poultry. Humans eat a lot of chicken. Do chickens have feelings? Are they smart? Apparently, they have some understanding of what’s happening. They can learn which button to peck to get grain and use different kinds of clucks for various situations. I’ve personally heard a hen’s distinctive cluck after laying an egg – the chicken – not me!
The pescatarian diet is an option for some people. It includes plants and fish. A family member is a pescatarian because there are many more fish in the world than there are meat products. Obviously, she hasn’t been to ranches in Texas and California. Cows! Cows! Everywhere. What about sushi? Sushi is made from specific types of saltwater fish, which are flash-frozen to kill any parasites that may be present. Eating sushi has never worried me, as the Japanese seem to thrive on it.
What about plants? Do they have feelings? No, because they don’t have a brain. I know some people who don’t seem to have a brain but still show feelings. Plants definitely experience stress. It’s supposedly transmitted through chemical signals. Potatoes? Don’t they have eyes? Doesn’t corn have ears? Meat provides us with essential protein, but so do soybeans, such as tofu. Beans, nuts, and seeds do too. But you can’t grill those. What’s the fun in that? Part of the appeal of meat is cooking it. There are many ways to do so. Except for liver, meat smells good when being cooked. (Now I am not talking about polar bear liver, as that’s not a good choice.)
Close your eyes and imagine the smell of bacon cooking, a steak on the grill, a turkey roasting in the oven, and on I rave. Of course, there are many ways to cook vegetables—boil, steam, fry, sauté, and other methods that don’t immediately come to mind. Yes, they can be seasoned with various spices and herbs. Mashed potatoes and candied sweet potatoes are my favorites. Nothing beats the taste of freshly picked garden vegetables, but aside from onions, most don’t smell particularly good while cooking. Close your eyes and imagine the aroma of cooking Brussels sprouts.
Some religions have specific views on which types of meats are permitted for eating. Religions that ban pork include Judaism, Islam, and certain Christian groups like Seventh-day Adventists, considering it unclean. Hindus avoid beef because of the cow’s sacred status, and Buddhists often avoid beef since they are primarily vegetarian. Some Taoists believe that eating animals that serve humans is disrespectful. Believe it or not, some cultures don’t eat chicken for humanitarian reasons. Some of these cultures eat eggs, while others do not. And then there was my dad! He didn’t like chicken, but he loved eggs!
With certain restrictions, no religion forbids eating lamb. Then I started to wonder. Did Little Bo Peep really lose her sheep, or did they face a darker fate? It was never confirmed that they all returned home! HMMM? Then there’s how meat enhances the presentation of the meal. Consider our holidays and how the main meat dish typically associated with them is usually displayed. I’m not saying vegetables aren’t attractive, but are they as mouthwatering? Finally, do cows, chickens, pigs, and fish eat meat? No, they don’t eat meat. They eat plants. So, technically, if I eat those animals, am I really just eating vegetarians?
As I write this savory post, I’m enjoying the mouth-watering aroma of a beef roast cooking in the oven. I don’t get the same anticipatory pleasure when baking a potato. So after all this pondering, I’m not going to let that TV commercial make me feel guilty! I’m going to get that juicy roast out of my oven and make some gravy from the drippings! – Okay, I’ll have some vegetables too!
Any thoughts about that beef TV commercial? What about the diversity of our eating habits: Meat eaters, vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, and others? Readers love to hear your comments and opinions!
PS: If you like edge of your seat murder mysteries and political thrillers, check out Hubby’s new website: https://jimmyrayconnerbooks.com
3 Comments
I think I saw that same commercial and it made me consider my decision to eat meat, it just seemed suddenly so barbaric; especially when you read about the inhumane ways some are raised. Similar is my reaction to eating octopus after reading Remarkably Bright Creatures, I just can’t do that anymore. I love when hubby goes hunting on his brother’s property and brings home venison. I know it’s corn fed and humanely culled. I know those animals have lived free; just don’t show me pictures before processing or shoot one when I’m around. I can hardly stomach chicken anymore, especially when I look at the size of those chicken breasts. What the heck kind of monster chickens developed those! Not so sure about those farm raised fish either – being from a small fishing community and accustomed to getting my fish from the local fishermen. Even that has changed with the cessation of our fishing industry. Hubby remembers eating fried grasshopper as a crispy crunchy treat while on a Boy Scout trip out west. As long as he bugs are cooked, fine. I do love to eat snails. But I will rule out Tofu along with octopus!
Good story Roberta! I stopped eating meat after watching Netflix’s “What the Health” for three years back in the early 2010’s. Then came grass-fed, grass finished and pasture raised chicken. I was back to eating meat again. Filet mignon MR with baked potato and veggies – nothing better!
I guess the pristine setting is to contrast this beef from cattle raised in confined conditions and fed growth hormones. Food practices in different cultures and religions is interesting. As you mention, Hindus do not eat sacred cows. More strict Hindus do not eat meat. Even more strict Hindus do not eat root vegetables because you have to kill the plant to harvest the root. Some people eat grubs. Some cooked and some raw. I think I would prefer cooked. In Cambodia, crickets are eaten. Our guide suggested not eating them because our systems may be able to digest the organisms that come with the crickets. I’m still not ready to be a vegetarian.