The Duck Pluck

Not sure if you remember the ducklings I wrote about a few months ago.... The sous chef at the ranch bought three to raise and eventually eat.  There's been a bear in the area lately, and they were starting to fly.   She didn't want them to get lost or eaten by a non-human mammal.  So today was slaughter day back behind the staff bunkhouse.

I knew I would be a little traumatized.  As an American omnivore, I'm used to pre-cut, de-veined, no-blood-visible, surely-this-never-had-a-head-attached, prepackaged and cellophane wrapped meat.  For a few years now I've been wanting to watch something like this - to understand my food choices, especially those involving other animals, in a more personal way.  Today was that day.

For ducks, they had a very good life.  Living at a ranch, lots of personal attention, plenty of food and space to run around and develop healthy bones and muscles.

I wore blue war paint and watched with 2 coworkers as three of our coworkers chopped off their heads with a machete.  Painless.  And evidently meat tastes better when the animal is bled right away (aka don't just wring the necks.)

Then I was sent to the kitchen for a large, duck-sized pot and to boil some water.  Post rigor mortis they become more difficult to pluck, so dunking the body into hot water makes them pluckable again.

I helped pluck part of the black duck, Thornton.  Plucked some from the belly and some from the wings and made a nice bare spot.  Tried to have dinner, but I lost my appetite.  Especially for chicken and sausage pizza.  I'd washed my hands 5 times but still ended up going into the kitchen to wear a latex glove while I ate because I couldn't shake the feeling that they were dirty and covered in down and blood.

This is good.  And exactly what I had hoped it might be like.  Maybe I won't be eating meat for a while, but I doubt it will be forever.  I watched 3 ducks have their heads macheted off and helped pluck one named Dunston, bless his heart.  I feel like a more balanced omnivore already.