Growing up in the city, I wasn’t in touch with nature. Farming is among one of the few foreign concepts that only exists in textbooks.
Here’s my very first experience of getting an up-close encounter with cattle. Thanks to the Korniak family, I was allowed to be on the other side of the fence and immersed in the cattle world for one afternoon in the heart of the rural Indiana.
Cows are one of the animals that have earned my full respect just by being themselves. They are gentle and full of humanity. I would never forget a true story I heard when I was a child, that a cow literally shed tears right before she was being slaughtered. The butcher’s heart was touched, and the cow’s life was saved.
It took a while for these cows to get used to my presence. Some were cautious, others were intimidated. I quickly learned to be quiet and slow with my movement to make them feel at ease.
At the end of the day, I had come to know them based on their numbers pierced on their ears. No.5 and no. 33 were the most curious one who at times would come up to me and give me a long stare filled with wonder.
These are cows that are healthy, balanced and enjoy being part of this family. Being a vegatarian though, I’m saddened to know they will eventually be sold and reappear in package form in the market. They are what the label says, marbled angus beef.
If these peaceful images have a chance to touch your heart, please let it happen.
no comments