1.09.2011

You are what you eat

It's been a great, quiet little weekend: highly productive with some Texas snow as an added bonus (despite wearing shorts last week).   

sidenote: I've seen more snow this past year in Dallas than ever before in my life, what up, weather?

Anyway, after finishing up some lesson plans for my TEFL course this afternoon, I hit my green tea hard while the snow fell outside, and began browsing sites I've bookmarked re: anything/everything SoKo.  Checked in on the blogs I stalk, read way too much into the NoKo/SoKo tensions, and learned about the farming industry's recent foot-in mouth crisis, followed by bird flu scares...

....then.  Then, by reading further, I ruined my perfect, quiet little weekend.  I don't even want to type it.  I read exactly how the government dealt/is dealing with these diseases on the farms:  kill 'em all.  Latest reports put it at 1,000,000 animals killed, possibly up to 90% of them buried alive, since November.

BURIED ALIVE.  How's that for humane culling?

Naturally, I found myself at the KARA site (Korea Animal Rights Advocates), for more information.  I have yet to stop crying (cue the song: Teardrops on My...Keyboard).

I've been working on being a vegetarian for almost 2 years now as a protest against inhumane factory farming conditions.  I fell off the wagon a few times in the beginning, usually socially, or at Old Man Pops' when he slaved over a meal (hey, relapse is a part of recovery).  It's pretty much second nature now, and I stick to fish when I do crave meat, though that's a work in progress...I'll eventually aim high toward veganism (dairy = inhumane, too), but one step at a time, folks.

Anyway, I digress.  I was obviously already aware of the horrors of factory farming before visiting KARA's site.  What I was NOT aware of are the horrors of dog farming (or really, aware of dog farming in general).  It's a full on Michael Vick party.  I can't make myself type what actually happens, but apparently dog meat tastes better when the dog dies with rushing adrenaline.

So.

It was a great, quiet little weekend...before I went all "activist" on myself.  Stepping away now from the computer and bad websites in order to snuggle with Mikey and promise him I'll never eat him.

- crybaby cupkate

5 comments:

A Preppy Girl said...

Don't do that to yourself! Stay away from the bad websites. But everytime I see those ASPCA commercials, I run to Winston and cuddle him against his will and tell him I dont know how anyone let him go.

nancy underwood said...

Oh, WOW ... Kate ... there is totally a divine reason you are moving there! These people need you! Wow, just ... WOW.

Kate said...

yes! brace yourself, SoKo. i'm teaching English. my lesson plans will consist solely of animal rights rhetoric. the streets will soon be inundated by students saying "i will not eat my dog," and "i will save farm animals."

Alex said...

Eating dog really isn't that common and it's a fairly taboo subject here. It's a more generational thing. As that generation moves on, the younger generation is less likely to enjoy the meat. I think most of students have pets and dogs are the overwhelming favorite. Little dogs, mostly.

Kate said...

That is definitely comforting to know, and you're right, I did read on KARA that most Koreans do not want to be associated with the tradition.

Now about those cows and pigs....