Thoughts on meat

First of all the July produce tally. Drumroll please...65 pounds of fruits and veggies from my yard! This does not include anything from the community garden plot. We harvested peaches, oranges, tomatoes, artichokes, some beautiful potatoes, peppers, and various lettuces and herbs. Oh, and one lemon. I needed it to make salsa and although it wasn't quite ripe, it did the job. Actually, I stopped weighing on July 20 because we left on vacation. The great friends who took care of our yard got to eat whatever ripened between then and now. I am excited to start weighing again because August will include so much from our community garden plot. Now about meat. In July I did something I had never done before. I helped butcher animals to eat. My parents raise Muscovy ducks, and they are highly prized for their lean, high quality meat. My husband did do about 80% of the actual work, but I feel I helped significantly. Don't worry, I won't go into any details and gross anyone out. What surprised me about the whole process was how interesting I found it all. It gave me an appreciation of the animal, of the beauty of anatomy, both inside and out, of the function and relationship of every part of the animal. I really think that every person who eats meat should at least witness, if not participate in, the preparation of some animal for human food. I think the experience gives a sense of humility and gratitude for the animals themselves and the people who work as butchers. I think people would waste less and even consume less meat if we more clearly understood the entire process. While searching online for tips and procedures for our big day, (you can learn anything from the internet) I came across this discussion about how people felt about killing their own animals for food. I especially like post #17. What are your thoughts about knowing your meat?