The more time I spend with the pigs, the more I find their behavior to resemble ‘man’s best friend’. They come when I call, jostle for a position to get scratches behind the ears, follow me around, wag their tails, and take a curious interest in whatever I’m doing with my hands. Our dogs even get jealous when we’re in the paddock. They stretch out, dejected, on the wrong side of the fence or try to paw their way in. If I didn’t already eat a plant based diet before raising these guys, I feel I would have made the transition through this process . I find myself a little taken back at everyone standing around licking their lips. I know it’s controversial, and folks tend to really get up in arms about meat, but the majority of meat eaters also lack this integral connection to the animal. Therefore, their understanding of what it means and what it takes is incomplete. I’m not saying it’s wrong. I’m saying it’s incomplete, disconnected from the true essence of the experience.

~Joy