Yet another reason why PETA ain't so crazy.

Speaking of crazy, the French are probably the only people who can make Britney Spears look normal. Sorry Brit! You know I love you, but you are pretty wacko. Yes, and that's why we love you.

Back to why PETA isn't so nuts. I heard from a chef friend of mine about the Ortolan. It's a small garden bird that the French love to feed, drown in alcohol and then, eat whole. This bird can be found near wineries in France, but DOESN'T destroy wine crops. It's diet consists of beetles, insects, and nuts. It's nests' are low to the ground so it never really has a chance to escape while it tends to it's eggs.

Above is a video of Jeremy Clarkson from the BBC eating Ortolan. He's the host of Top Gear and Lord only knows why he's attempting to explain food. Anyway, they all eat this bird under a white napkin, which I think represents their shame. It's a total disgrace. With so many things to eat, especially in Europe, why pick on this defenseless creature. Are people so gluttonous that they need to eat EVERY living creature?! I understand we're the higher species. I get that. However when you have to eat your meal under a napkin in shame, I believe that's your conscious speaking directly to you. Where's the appeal in that really? It's just a stupid thing that a chef/cook came up with to grab people's attention and it worked. Now, highly pretentious, ignorant, affluent French people and/or tourists eat these poor Ortolan just so their other mind numbingly pretentious friends go, "ohhh and ahhh."

I say, "Ughh and Ewww."

Even though I eat meat, it's stories like this that have me think twice. I've increased my consciousness and awareness of blatant, unnecessary cruelty in the food industry. Why do people come up with this stuff? Just for the sake of a unique dining experience that carries that coveted "wow" factor. I know it's harder to be creative with things that are abundant on this planet, but as a chef, it's kind of your job. Chefs who think, " I'll get obscure ingredients and come up with a bizarre ritual to prepare them. There's no such thing as animal cruelty. I'm THE bigger animal. I eat all animals that are smaller than me. In fact, some may consider me to be a culinary genius for finding new animals to eat in weird ways." Wrong-o bub. Frankly, it's all crap and they're ignoramuses. They just are.

It's stories like this that allow me to pay $10 stinking dollars for an organic, hormone free chicken. Moreover, it's why I refuse to eat veal or foie gras. Period. In fact there's a website :http://www.nofoiegras.org that does a great job with education on that particular subject matter. I strongly encourage all people to learn about what they put in their bodies. Especially be educated on what goes in your child's bodies. On I side note, I will totally be a crazy "Martha Stewart" mom and make my own organic baby food. The horrific ways we are over producing and inhumanely processing food(not just meat) in this country scares me. No way would I start a baby's life with manufactured crap.

UGHHH. No more. I'm gonna eat my vegan mushroom burger now and think, "serenity now." It's not that serious, but I am sympathetic to the Ortolan. And I'm one more step to ending the sick love affair I have with meat. Why must you taste so good?