Everytime I watch TV or read a blog, people are talking about the problems with our country’s food supply. Farmers and arigcultural types are doing their best to get bigger and better food products quicker to us Americans. Apparently, we don’t care what is in our food, as long as it is big and cheap. Well, not anymore, DAMMIT!
I was over reading The Cleaner Plate Club when I decided, “That is it I am gonna buy myself a cow”. I don’t wanna eat no sick cow meat. But how does one buy a cow? Sure I could go to my neighbors and slyly walk one of their cows to our backyard, but I think someone would notice something was amiss and rat me out. So, I called my dad and asked, “Hey, do you know where I can get a cow?”. Being the funny man he is, he asked, “How much milk are ya’ll drinking over there, anyway?” True, true, we, and I mean the hubs and the kids, drink a lot of milk, but milk prices haven’t gotten to the point that I am willing to milk a cow every morning. Besides, I am confident enough that the hormone free milk I get is good enough. I maybe a city girl, but my grandparents had a small farm and I have visited dairy farms and that ain’t pretty. Have you drank milk straight from the cow? Trust me you want it to go through the process before it hits your table. Although, I do have find childhood memories of chunks in my milk. Ahhhhh, the good ole days.
Why my dad? Well, he lives way out in the country. So far out that they don’t have any neighbors. Well, they have ‘em, but they are hard to see and those are the best neighbors to have. I figured if anyone could tell me where to get me some good meat, it would be my dad. Well, guess what he did he opened the phone book and sent me some numbers. DUH!!! Why couldn’t I have done that? Because since we have gone all fancy with our computers over here, I couldn’t find a phone book to save my life. And my search engine abilities are not great, so putting in “Where to buy beef in LA.?” will get a lot of sites you may not want to visit, especially with small, curious children around. I haven’t made any phone calls, yet, but I will get right on that, as soon as, these people I live with stop asking for food, water and clean clothes.
I would like to mention that my father gave me the business, when I explained why I wanted the info. He was not quite convinced about this sick cow problem. You know, us young folk being all weird and thinking too much. Although, I felt vindicated when I saw the video on the NEWS where a meat packing company, who supplies meat to our public schools, was forklifting and shocking cows to get them into the slaughter house. Yeah, I do care how my burger got here. I would prefer it ran jolly to slaughter because it was too stupid to know what was happening, not because it was too sick to walk.
My next stop was to ask another blogger where she got her meat. Let me just say I am jealous of Chris for many reasons, but moreso for her ability to procure fresh pork and cow. I tell you when you have 7 kids your brain cells must mulitply to keep up with the chaos. Me? I only have 2, so my brain cells are on vacation. She basically told me to ask around my area. Well, when I do I get that puppy look (You know, when people cock their head to one side and go “Aroooo?”) and people start to slowly back away from me. Maybe, I shouldn’t run up to people asking “Where is the beef?” or “Hey, do you know where I can score half a cow?”
Recently, I was complaining to my friend regarding all this. She does what she always does when I go off the deep end, she listened, filed it away and if it becomes relevant, will let me know what she finds. Well, today was my lucky day. Someone has bought a building in the warehouse district and they are planning a freakin’ BUTCHER SHOP!! Maybe, the universe doesn’t hate me. Maybe, just maybe, all I have to do is bitch enough and someone, somewhere will answer my prayers.
I would like to ask what the hell is up with New Orleans not having a butcher shop? I know I can get turkey necks, giblets, pork lips and other various disgusting meats at many of our fine grocery stores, but really do I have to go Whole Foods store and pay an arm and a leg to get me some good meat cut the way I like? Come on, SE Louisiana, we love our meat, let’s show it.
It’s a good idea, I just don’t think we eat enough meat to buy even half a cow.
Keep us posted of what you find out.
You should live in hillbilly central…..try finding some decent cuts of meat around here!
Now crawfish…..THAT is not a problem!
I have been known to walk into the field, find a cow and pull the trigger myself. I prefer not to slaughter it, but I have the skills if necessary.
Years of going hunting with daddy.
We have a fabulous butcher shop in our local small town where they process my freshly killed cow and pig for me.
And the neighbour down the road kills her chickens just for me.
I love my meat.
I had considered buying a cow… but then realized I already have one oversized dum dum called a dog and I would end up with two as I couldn’t raise the thing and then kill it.
If it looks at me, it becomes a pet and therefore is not food.
I’d have never made it in the olden days, I’d have starved to death.
By the way.. I’m digging the banner with the “dog”
Love it
A great place to look is Tylertown, MS. They process beef there from the local farmers. I should know because my parents had a farm there before moving to Folsom. You could ask the processor to let a client know that you are interested in quartering a cow, and they’ll find a farmer that is willing to sell. But I can tell you that it will probably NOT taste or look like the same meat in the grocery stores. I never liked it, but then again I was too young to know how to cook way back in the day.
Gosh, I miss pig lips, don’t get them here….:)
SG