Christmas animals

There was a time when I was disgusted by the idea of Christmas. It mainly had to do with the cooking of precious animals, such as rabbit, deer, duck, and while I am at it there is no real excuse for calling chickens, cows, pigs and lambs not precious. I remember attending a Christmas dinner, where I almost fainted ascending the stairs. The smell of numerous animals filled the space, there were clouds hanging in a room that was transformed in a cloakroom for the occasion. When I entered the living room the smell and shape of clouds seemed to match. Many people were sitting on couches, stools, or standing next to the Christmas tree. The clouds disappeared, and gradually I got used to the smell.

I kept telling myself it all was meant well. The people who killed those animals were not here. The people who bought them had no idea how the animals were killed. Shall I continue, without compromising myself, since I am not the strict vegetarian that I used to be anymore? Am I allowed to mock people who buy pigs and eat them, only because I never do? I am pretty sure that a lot of them don’t like me asking questions about poultry and its whereabouts at a time like this.

I have convinced myself that it is rude to question any kind of food that is offered at the dinner table, when someone invites you as a guest. Maybe it is just me, but there is a tendency not to ask people if they mind eating meat, and if they do ask, it is often followed by the somewhat hilarious “And what about fish?”.

Even at Christmas.