So my girlfriend and I have a strong interest in raising our own food. We have both worked on farms in the past and she works on a farm right now. As part of our agricultural adventures, we decided to try and raise rabbits for meat. This is a picture of our second litter, which consists of 9 kits (rabbit babies)! We had a little trouble getting things going at first and finally about a month ago one of our does had a smaller litter of 4 kits. We are really excited about our new arrivals. Since we have shared a lot of our litter’s progress on social media and at work, we have gotten questions about whether we are going to eat the babies. My answer is always “Yep, that is the plan.” I try to be as matter-of-fact as possible, to let people know that I do not have any qualms with this idea. People always seem to cringe when I answer this way or ask how I could possibly do that with the cute little bunnies. I, of course, start to feel guilty at first, realizing that we are now outside of present social norms. But then I remember that I am doing this not because it’s trendy or that I want the attention for it, I am doing it because I truly believe it is right. We are so disconnected from our food in our society, and I can’t think of a more morally upright position than raising and killing my own meat, even if it is cute and cuddly. I know this sounds very black and white, and in many ways it is, but honestly I am tired of the reactions I get from people who have no compunction about eating a chicken that was raised in a one square foot box by Tyson and yet have an “icky” feeling about me raising these adorable little guys only to turn around and eat them. I have even found myself having to explain myself to my own family. They are mostly wondering if, when the time comes, I will be able to do it (which is a valid question), but I just feel like sometimes I am under scrutiny when it should be the current system that should be put under the microscope.
dankeshun 