What's more natural than a live deer

Asbury Park Press, a paper in Southern New Jersey printed a store on Sunday about a deer in Norwood, Ohio that ran into a Whole Foods store and headed straight for the bakery section where warm cookies were in the oven. I don't think a children's book author could have come up with a more creative plot line. The buck ran around the parking lot, as if to consider his game plan. He then charges into the store when the automatic doors open. As he was headed towards the bakery he knocked over cheese and wine, and then he just stands by the ovens as if waiting for the cookies to be done.

Obviously the deer thought Whole Foods was natural enough for him; he wasn't thinking about how he was probably going to be charged an arm and a leg or in his case an antler and an ear for them. I don't think Whole Foods was very happy about this incident, but it is rather ironic. The yuppy giant health food store that feels it is bringing organic food to the masses, of people who can afford the overpriced items, built a store right in that poor deer's home.

The SPCA was called to tranquilize and remove the deer. The store manager commented on how this incident was happening more frequently, because according to him "people" are building homes and taking away the deer's natural habitat. Unless he was more fond of the deer shopping in his store that manager needs to point the finger back at himself. What, other than charging for paper bags, is Whole Foods doing to make sure deer and other wildlife have land?

In what seems to be a completely different world, the battle is on in Grimentz, Switzerland to see who will be this year's reigning queen cow. There is no problem with a lack of land in this town in the Swiss Alps. For hundreds of years they have been putting their herds of cows to pasture on the same land. During this time all of the cows of different herds meet and this tends to bring out some good healthy competition. The cows fight and the reigning cow is crowned queen. After hearing about the deer, this made me feel like there is some good in the world somewhere. You may have to bury yourself in the Swiss Alps, but there are places in this world that have not been tainted by giant food chains and have created a coexsistance between animals and the people who live there.

One of my favorite quotes from Anthony Bourdain is “Understand, when you eat meat, that something did die. You have an obligation to value it - not just the sirloin but also all those wonderful tough little bits.” In America I think we've forgotten the value of meat. In many countries people only eat meat on special occasions, but in America we can get a burger off of the dollar menu. The people who raise those cows in the Swiss Alps love their herds; they watch them to see which ones might have the most fight in them. We don't often know the animals we get milk and cheese from, but we can value that milk and cheese.

It's not often I think about where my chicken comes from, but when I do it doesn't make me want to become a vegetarian; it makes me thankful for what I have to eat, and for the animal that died so I could be alive and healthy. Be thankful for every meal you eat, even if it is a cheeseburger off the McDonald's Dollar Menu. And if you run into any deer while grocery shopping just give him a cookie.

Happy Eating!!!

Emily