Ribeye
This is Ribeye. He is an excellent cow. While his pen mates are skittish and disinterested, Ribeye is gentle and eager for attention. He’s kind of a flirt, really. I’ve noticed that Ribeye is particularly fond of being scratched behind the ears and on the underside of his cheeks. Occaisionally I let his rough tongue lick my hand. Until recently, I had no concept of the emotional intelligence of a cow. When he attempted to chew through a water hose, I reprimanded Ribeye like a dog. Surprisingly, he backed away, cocked his head to the side a bit and turned his ears backwards. He was visibly shaken by my loud voice. Seeing the emotion in this cow makes for unstable ground. In April, my roommate (who owns and cares for the cows) will take Ribeye to the slaughter house. She’ll sell some of the meat, but most will come back to our house, along with his hide.
I am a vegetarian, but a loose one. I would say that I am an occasional cheater, but I made the rules so I don’t think that applies. My long-standing logic that I would only eat an animal raised in my back yard is about to be challenged and I am a bit nervous.
Also though…baby:
I am going to adopt Ribeye and put him in Lisa’s room. He’s the cuttest.
ah man, i don’t know if i could do it! he looks sweet.
that baby has a ginko leaf on its head.
i was talking to max (madeline’s) about his class on sheep and he told me about a time when his instructor finalized the neutering of a young male by actually severing some kind of sperm line with his teeth. after slitting open the lil dude’s , well, ball sack.the crazy thing is; the sheep barely freaked out, and within two days was all healed. silent screams i know, but the idea, at least in the mind of a livestock expert, is that these furry cuties were literally bred so they could withstand some musky aussie gnawing their semernefrious tubules or whatever. maybe the reason cows and other liveys look so damn cute and forlorn is that they know they were made to be eaten. if not its because we know it.
Alex– the whole idea of an animal’s pain is a really interesting concept. there are people who have jobs specifically to keep animals calm before they go to slaughter because some people think that if an animal is freaked out right before it dies it will ruin the meat. As far as the sheep thing goes– I would be legions more concerned with the stability of that aussie.
bob;lets endeavor to both learn more about this strange class of people hereafter dubbed slaughter fluffers.
=(I want to play with him again before he goes.