You might not have to shoot the pig to appreciate it

The New York Times’ “Style” section can be good for something, apparently. Last Sunday they featured an article, “Slaughterhouse Live,”—pictures here—detailing a new trend across the US: Butchery classes, for foodies and others carnivorously inclined. It seems these classes range from merely standing around and watching the butcher cut up a carcass, to shooting a pig on site (the article mentions “a .22 caliber rifle”), and perhaps being the lucky classmate to chop off the head, which helps to “break the ice,” as a butcher put it.

The article attempts to bring attention to the importance of, say, knowing where your meat is sourced, how it was raised, from feeding to slaughter—in essence, responsible eating. However (and perhaps this is the downside of articles in the “Style” section), it seems to focus more on these classes as a trend for those looking “to justify their flesh-laden dinners” or for “absolution” regarding their meat-eating habits. Killing and butchering your own pig, or seeing it butchered, or paying $10,000 for an eight week butchery course, “adds a new level of connection to…meals.” Connections, such as feeling like you’ve worked for a meal or, as one student recalled, eating meat that “reminded me of being covered all over my arms in this animal’s death.”

"Ethicurean" or not, the article was probably more sensationalist than it needed to be, and definitely not as objective as it could have been (although, let's think about what's needed to appeal to those looking for fashion tips and wedding announcements in the “Style” section). But, it definitely prompted some good discussion in our household. Were butchery classes worth the money? Were they purely performative/spectacle or did they serve a good purpose? We're not against folks who hunt and butcher their own food, we just know that we don't do it ourselves. But, was paying money to shoot an animal in a butchery class, just a little bit, too reminiscent of Hostel?

What's the appeal of this know-your-animal, get-your-elbows-in-its-guts movement? Most likely, it is linked to the backlash against watery cuts of meat sealed in styrofoam trays at the supermarket. As Mark put it, "I don't remember any other kind of meat from my childhood." In sharp contrast, I remember childhood trips to wet markets in Hong Kong where entire pigs, and cows, were hung on hooks and were custom cut to order -- probably the biggest culture shock I had when I moved to the US. The skill of the butcher was evident, as they sliced thin sections of meat with large hangers; no request or cut of meat seemed odd; the meat on the hook was testament to its freshness and there was nothing spectacular about it.

For sure, there are some things that come out of this movement that do seem quite the spectacle. The $10,000 eight-week course the article mentions is truly for those privileged with enough time and money to learn how cut their own meat. Ryan Farr, one of the butchers mentioned in the article, also hosts events like "Meat Locker," at which an entire forequarter of a cow is hung from the rafters of a restaurant, butchered, and ground and cooked into hamburgers while paying guests watch (go here, but the squeamish should be warned of the step-by-step pictures of how to butcher a baby lamb). But, there are also those who seem genuinely inclined to stay out of the limelight and, rather, share their crafts with those merely interested in learning more about a profession and its tools.

And this, I think, is truly where the crux of this article lies. In a meat market that is increasingly industrialized, animals continue to be treated poorly, consumers find themselves presented with lower quality meats from unclear origin, independent farmers are run out of business...and when meat comes in standardized foam "Family Pak" trays, there's less appreciation for your neighborhood butcher.

Here comes in my favorite naked chef, Jamie Oliver, and his campaign to save Britain's pork. Jamie Saves Our Bacon is a program aimed at increasing awareness of pig farmers, the ethics behind animal breeding, and the consumption of British pork. Britain, Jamie claims, has some of the highest animal welfare standards--which means that consumers are easily distracted by the cheaper prices of lower quality, poorly treated pig meat from other EU countries. Buy British pork, know that it's been treated well, and say hello to your butcher while you're at it. He's not pushing for Brits to grab their rifles and shoot their own pigs, just be smarter consumers.

Even in a hoity-toity town like ours, butchery classes don't exist, and Jamie Oliver sure isn't lurking in our grocery aisles to lecture us about purchases. Which is, again, where the importance of your butcher and/or farmer comes in. Talk to the folks at the farmer's market and ask them about their practices. It's not that hard -- if you can see people asking fruit vendors, "Do you use spray," then you can ask about grass fed, grass finished, and free-range meat. Take a tour of a farm if you decide to join a CSA and ask the tough questions. You may not get the answers you want, and it may be hard to find the utopian slaughter you have in mind, but asking questions is a good start. At the grocery store, it's the same thing. Ask your butcher(s) about where their meat is sourced, etc. etc. It will probably brighten their day to have a customer actually care about what they do. They might even give you some good cooking tips or a free sample here and there.