The past 3 months have been an interesting journey for me. I’ve had some great discussions with Aarod and am glad to have gotten to know him better. I have felt quite conflicted at times because I am ethically opposed to eating animals but recognize that if people are going to eat meat, this method offers animals a much higher welfare standard. I also feel that Aarod’s project has allowed many people to connect with an animal that they would not normally encounter. Hopefully these people have gained an appreciation for pigs and will consider the impact that their food choices have.
Most fascinating has been the varied reactions to the project. I know of several people that have said they couldn’t eat Kevin & Francis because they were too cute, despite the fact that they consume pork from the supermarket. More confusing still, other meat eaters have actually been opposed to the project. I can understand why Vegans might not appreciate it but if you eat meat, I believe you should be supporting free range, locally grown, organically fed animals. Considering that we live in an EcoVillage, I was surprised to hear that Aarod only received 17 orders for pork. Either there are a lot of people in the village that don’t eat pork or they just have trouble doing it when there is a name and face attached to it.
Finally, I must offer an explanation for the cartoon below. I wrote this about 2 months ago when I was anticipating the likely outcome for Kevin & Francis. I hope that this blog and Bacon Bros. have generated discussion and deep thought about what it means to kill an animal. I know that Aarod cared for Kevin & Francis, so the below cartoon is perhaps not entirely fair. Ultimately though, eating animals is a choice, so if you think the cartoon is provocative, consider how Kevin & Francis would feel.
