Chicken and Egg - Janice Cole [58]
A member of an online chicken group I belong to once remarked that if she couldn’t bring herself to slaughter and eat one of the chickens she raised, then perhaps she shouldn’t be eating any meat at all. I pondered her views for quite some time. It was not a choice I could make. Becoming a vegetarian is not right for me. It would be fine if I felt strongly about it, but it would be a decision that would probably affect only me, not, I suspect, the animals that are raised for food.
Food is the medium I work in. Writers use words, artists use paint, and I use food as a way to express myself. The importance of food has always been about taste and then appearance for me. The life of the food source wasn’t as important before I got chickens. If a recipe didn’t work out, I tossed the meat into the garbage can as easily as an artist crumples a piece of sketch paper. After getting my own backyard flock, things began to change. I no longer tasted just the chicken on my plate or that piece of beef. I began to visualize the animal behind it, the being that gave its life. It became harder to toss my failures into the garbage. But also, more important, what I produced had to be the best it could be. When I was a chef, I would transform three dozen egg yolks into a hollandaise without blinking. But the chickens showed me what it took to create that many eggs—over a month of work by one hen. After their arrival, the life force behind the food became what was important to me; that’s what created our pleasures.
Raising chickens has given me a new appreciation for the importance of honoring the bird as a whole, and treating the meat and eggs with the attention they deserve. I try to purchase from farmers who raise their meat by natural means on pasture, and prepare the meat carefully, with little waste. And I eat with consciousness, with my eyes wide open.
SO WHY DO CHICKENS WALK SO FUNNY?
Even if you don’t have chickens, you know what I’m talking about. That silly bobbing head thing. The head moves back and forth as if there’s a string connecting it to the chicken’s feet. An endearing trait, yes, but why all the extra motion?
It turns out we’re only seeing part of the picture. Our eyes deceive us as to what’s actually going on. A chicken thrusts its head forward as it walks, but its head doesn’t bob backward. The backward illusion is created because after the head is thrust forward, the chicken’s body follows and walks past the head, while the head remains almost stationary.
Scientists believe that by holding their heads steady while their bodies move, chickens and other birds are better able to observe motion. When the head is held steady, the chickens can see subtle movements in the landscape, such as insects to eat or predators to be aware of. It also allows the birds to judge distances more effectively. A chicken on a treadmill will not use the head-thrust motion because it’s not moving relative to its surroundings. Fascinating.
The reason other animals don’t do this? Their necks are too short. Most birds, even those such as doves or chickadees that appear to have no neck, have relatively long and flexible necks, enabling the birds to use this technique.
Cinnamon Breakfast Popovers
These huge popovers are like giant cinnamon doughnuts. Actually, they’re even better because they’re baked, not fried. Crisp on the outside, airy and tender on the inside, they’re served hot from the oven, dripping with melted butter and cinnamon sugar.
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To make the popovers: Whisk the flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl