Wolfgang Puck wants food animals to be happy

[Flaxbee]

Here's the story. And I don't care if he's doing it just for publicity - at least the idea of non-cruelty is being introduced into mainstream culture (I hope):

Wolfgang Puck: I Want Animals to Be Happy
That veal calf may end up as wiener schnitzel, but one of our greatest chefs wants it to have a happy life first.
By Wolfgang Puck
Newsweek
May 7, 2007 issue - I've been thinking a lot lately about how it's up to chefs like me to help everyone stay healthy. It's not just about reducing obesity and diabetes, though that's obviously a priority. It's about getting every one of us to eat the right foods. That means buying produce from responsible farmers who grow fruits and vegetables that aren't covered with pesticides or genetically modified. It means getting meat from ranchers who not only shun the use of antibiotics and growth hormones, but also raise their animals humanely in a free-roaming environment.

I'm not going soft, or, heaven forbid, vegan. I'm just trying to be more accountable to myself, my customers and to those who are farming responsibly. And if it means being nicer to animals along the way, well, that's a big bonus. Why shouldn't cows and pigs feel sunlight on their backs, grass under their feet? Fish shouldn't be jammed into tanks too full for them to even think about swimming. They should be able to exercise their muscles and feel a current. Yes, they'll be killed for food—but until then, they should have a nice stay on Earth.

More: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18367502/site/newsweek/

[Elidor]

1. Umm...okay, now I know it for a fact: Puck is in idiot

He wants an animal that is killed very young to be happy? Don't eat baby cows, fool! It's really very simple. As a meat-eater myself, I loathe the very idea of veal and will not eat it under any circumstances. If he wants to think about compassion, he should recognize their right to have a fuller life than veal allows.

"Meat from unweaned calves is highly sought after."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veal

[Flaxbee]

2. yeah, there is that...

some "chefs" insist on using veal. But if you read through it, at least he refuses to use foie gras.

[flvegan]

3. Puck is NOT an idiot.

As nice as it would be that nobody ate animals, it'd be really kick-ass if folks that insisted upon eating them insisted on a more humane alternative.

Veal is only one part of the issue. Saying "don't eat baby cows, fool!" translates easily into "don't eat any cows, fool!" doesn't it? As stated, you being a meat eater, don't you loathe the suffering of any factory farmed animal, and not just veal calves?

Did you know that in the egg industry, baby male chicks are often tossed in large plastic bags, suffocated and thrown in the dumpster?

Sorta 6 of 1, half dozen of another, eh?

[Flaxbee]

4. hi, flvegan

:hi:

I agree with you. While I don't think humans will ever stop eating meat, the VERY LEAST we can do as a "civilized species" is to make sure the animals humans do eat have been treated well during life and slaughtered humanely (as humane as slaughter can be, that is).

[flvegan]

5. Hi, Flaxbee!

Thanks for the post. As a vegan and a big-time activist, I can only wish that folks would CHOOSE to not eat meat. Knowing it's a choice, and knowing that folks will continue to opt to eat animals (in some shape or form), I can only hope that people will choose a more humane alternative to the usual. I think that Puck is making a fine decision, and I applaud him for it.