Food Choice and Social Norms.

In my family we were raised to hunt and harvest wild game to eat. In society now this is a lost art, one that is not as widely practiced as it once was, because of this not many people are accustomed to eating wild game meat. One of my family’s favorites is wild venson. We serve it at the holiday gathering in the fall. There is always a new girlfriend or fussy Aunt who is incredulous at the idea of eating a wild animal but for us it is nothing shocking or new. For some people the idea of eating anything that isn’t bought from the local grocery store is beyond understanding. For that most people have a hard time understanding hunting for anything other than sport, but there is a rather larger number of people who still actively hunt to bring home meat. To some people our customs may seem different from the normal but in the rural north east united states this is a common family tradition. Some people in society are curious and are willing to step out of their comfort zone and give it a try but there are some who look at us a certain way for what we do but that’s okay.

My family has enforced us to be ethical and law abiding hunters. We follow all the strict laws and regulations that come with the responsibility of the sport. Hunting allows many destructive species, such as white tail deer from over populations that leads to crop loss and destruction on farmland. Some people have argued that wild game is contaminated or not healthy but if they truly understood where the meat that comes from in the grocery store they would reconsider. The meat that is mass produced and stock full of hormones to make it mature faster for slaughter are in no way more healthy then the wild venson that grazes on berries, nuts and forest greens. It seems just because it is different and mainstream society doesn’t understand people who hunt are considered less advanced then those who shop at the grocery store. One forgets all the skill and natural beauty that goes into the hunt as well as the personal relationship with the meat. There is no web of people or industry that the meat passes through it is clean of all outside persons.

One thought on “Food Choice and Social Norms.

  1. Megan,
    Great choice of topic for this lesson. I do think it is odd that people will not eat caught food. I have a similar problem sometimes when I give away my chicken’s eggs. People ask why some of the eggs are cream colored or different sizes. I have even had a woman turn me away because “the grocery store eggs don’t come from chickens’ behinds.” I do think it is important that people do not forget where our food comes from. Great post.
    Here is a link to mine – : http://sites.psu.edu/geog30/2016/03/06/lesson-6-k-powell/

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