For me, it began with veal.
I was 14 and for reasons I cannot recall, I watched a documentary on the family's 19” black and white about the raising of veal.
A baby cow, eyes filled with innocence and awareness, was placed into a pen just barely large enough to contain its body. And, there he would stay... for four months. Then it all ended, little more than a baby. In the baby cow's short life he would never experience grass, community, a mother, or kindness.
I was honestly pretty shocked. I had no idea that’s how it worked. I vowed to cease from eating red meat. It was a vow I kept (with a few drunken exceptions). It seemed clear to me that these cows had emotional complexity, curiosity, and potential for affection, not unlike our beloved family dog. In that year, as a pimple-faced heavy metal bass player, I chose to become an advocate for these voiceless friends. My style of advocacy is a soft touch. I am not prone to preaching. I do my thing and answer the questions of those who wish to know why.
This is the spirit that Kelly and I envision for Rivendell. It is not a place where visitors will be preached to. Rivendell is a place where the animals that many eat can simply be met. Where you have a chance to hang out with them in the curious and playful state that is our shared nature. It had been said that change can occur via carrot, or via stick. Here’s to carrots, enjoyed by people and goats… Long live carrots.
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