At both goat roasts, I've toasted the goats before releasing the masses to eat. And both times, I've delivered an average (at best) speech, worthy of nothing more than a head nod and stray "hear hear". Clearly, I'm no orator.
If I were smart, I would have incorporated some Wendell B. quotes. Nothing like a little agricultural activism literature to get a bunch of college kids jacked up, right? Add some alcohol and a spit-full of meat, and we could have a serious goat roast on our hands.
There's always next year to look forward to, though, so I've been digging around for some relevant passages. Mr. Berry's "The Pleasures of Eating" seems particularly appropriate. Aside from the all-encompassing phrase "Eating is an agricultural act," Berry suggests seven ways to better understand and appreciate our food. The first sentence of each point is listed in bold below.
1. Participate in food production to the extent that you can.
Turning over two overgrown backyards to a not-entirely-legal goatscaping experiment on a leap of faith seems pretty close to "the extent that you can." Check.
2. Prepare your own food.
Check.
3. Learn the origins of the food you buy, and buy the food that is produced closest to your home.
The total distance from fire pit to Ms. Charlie's barn is 12.2 miles. Check.
4. Whenever possible, deal directly with a local farmer, gardener, or orchardist.
Check.
5. Learn, in self-defense, as much as you can of the economy and technology of industrial food production.
Backyards beat industrial-scale feed lots any day of the week. Check.
6. Learn what is involved in the best farming and gardening.
That's why you're on my bookshelf, Wendell. Check.
7. Learn as much as you can, by direct observation and experience if possible, of the life histories of the food species.
When your goats' favorite hangout is the back porch, it's difficult not to learn the ins and outs of Capra aegarus hircus. Check.
Posts
