Thursday, August 21, 2014

Denver Diners Hoofin' It, PETA and Vegans Scream Foul

by Andra Zeppelin

Last night, some 90 dining enthusiasts trekked to four dining destinations in LoDo as part of the second night of Hoofin' It. The four night culinary tour, brainchild of chef Jensen Cummings, brings together diners, chefs, and ranchers and focuses on one individual hoofed animal each evening. Here's how it works: bison, sheep, cow, and pig are the featured animals. Four restaurants in each of the four neighborhoods/evenings prepare one course each and host the touring group for a taste and discussion. Guests walk from place to place, a rancher is the guest of honor, and the sponsors of the events are: Imbibe Denver, Heroes Like Us, the Mile High Business Alliance, and the Humane Society. That is where the rubber meets the road: PETA freaks out mostly because the Humane Society is a sponsor. Not just PETA but also Vine Sanctuary News, United Poultry Concerns, Go Vegan Radio, SF Weekly, and more. A website called All Creatures held a virtual vigil to the hoofed animals. It all boils down to this: there is no such thing as humane meat, so the Humane Society should not promote, support, or endorse it. PETA views ranching in general as animal slavery and takes offense to the idea that such an event brands itself as respectful of the animal killed and served for dinner.

PETA views ranching in general as animal slavery and takes offense to the idea that such an event brands itself as respectful of the animal killed and served for dinner.
Just as disturbing as the event's concept is its theme: "Respect Your Dinner." The organizers of the event are happily hitching their wagons to the meat industry's newest marketing buzzwords: "humane meat." But as PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk explains, "There is nothing humane about the flesh of animals who have had one or two or perhaps three improvements made in their absolutely singularly rotten lives …."

If anybody is living an "absolutely singularly rotten" life, its Ingrid E. Newkirk.  What a big ol' waste of skin.

No comments: