here meat is still handicraft. visiting people, pigs and chickens with a confident camera.
food connects us humans.
it unites us at the table. food is an important part of every culture and we can understand a lot from this. are there more vegetables on the table? cereals? or is meat the main thing? how is it prepared? what spices and herbs are used? which traditions exist around meals, rituals and celebrations?
when I was a kid, we had a roast every sunday. there were six of us at the table and each got one piece. Plus there were potatoes and vegetables from our own garden.
my father had a big garden and its harvest was either served on the table immediately or put into the freezer. that means, we were always well supplied. meat was something special, not an everyday's issue, and schnitzels were counted. today we have everything in abundance. meat has become cheap and cheaper.
all food is available beyond seasons.
i'm sure whatever we're longing for will grow, strawberries at christmas, apricots in february, tomatoes all over the year. This availability demands its tribute; chemicals and transports halfway around the world. Oppressed animals treated and rationalised like general cargo. the meat industry has become a large and cruel industry. people in wealthy countries have moved away from the animals they eat. Locally and emotionally. on the shelves of supermarkets, everything is portioned, packed under foil, no reference to the animal any more.
what place was the pig in the sty? was it ever in a pasture? what does freewheel mean? did chickens see the sun? can argentinean cattle be grazing on a vast prairie?
but remember: we are what we eat. nutrients get into our bodies and become part of us. we live with them, we can grow through them and we respond to them.
food makes an impact!
who knows, maybe meat´s history has an influence on us and the origin of our food makes an impact! would it make a difference, if we ate only meat or only vegetables. how would mindsets differ? which one would be happier or less satisfied? how will humanity feed itself sustainably and consciously as we grow in number?
for me it's absolutely important to know exactly what I'm eating. Our lives are full of possibilities and i prefer deliberate choices. where does my meat come from, how did the animal live and die? was all this species-appropriate? I want us to get back to the base. our roots. to regain consciousness about what we do and what we eat. an appreciation of the earth, to all animals all plants and to people who feed us.
surely there are only a few people left in the first world, who are able to slaughter their animals themselves, but at least we should search specific opportunities to watch out sorrowly, the slaughter, the split up.
would be a good start, right?
Info
„Kunst in Sendling“ – eine tierische Ausstellung von Sabine Mader und Ulrike Schmid in München-Sendling
Comments