Sitatunga Dispatches: Boro 1 Happenings

As I was driving home on my scooter Saturday afternoon, I saw a group of men doing something in the government cattle kraal near my house. Naturally I stopped to investigate and saw that they were slaughtering two cows. I thought this was wonderful. I think, too often, modern, health conscious consumers don't take into consideration how an animal dies. Just as cows should be raised on small farms and fed a ruminant-friendly diet, so should they be slaughtered on the farm to minimize stress and save on transport costs.

These neighbors of mine had selected one cow and one bull to slaughter. They cut the carcass on its own skin and that worked quite well to keep the meat clean and sand-free. Then they loaded the meat onto a very clean tarp in the back of a pick-up truck. The man who owned the cows and the butchery the meat was going to proposed marriage to me when I told him I was teaching English here in Maun. He thought I was making big bucks and wanted in on this and apparently wasn't afraid to tell me so. I asked him what he could offer me in return and he said, "babies," and I told him that just wasn't good enough.

Please don't think these photos are gory. These two cows lived happy lives in Boro 1. They weree completely free range and roamd the bush munching on acacia trees, sage brush, tall grass and even the occasional vegetable patch. Too often Americans are disconnected from our food. We know what lamb, beef, and poultry look like wrapped in saran wrap at the grocery store but don't want to know how a cow becomes a sirloin steak.

I believe in what my friend Dan calls, "happy meat," and even though these photos may not be pretty, they are just that.