Growing a Farmer - Comment 2

With the desire to seek more detailed methodologies of raising livestock and how Kurt eventually enjoys his fruit, I read the other half of the book during a sunny weekend in company with a cup of Grande latte and some jazz.

The second half book serves as a continuation of the previous one, which shifts the focus from crops to more humane objects – livestock. Kurt talks about the specifics of raising fowl, pigs, and cows. He also confesses his feelings when butchering the animals that are raised by him.

This is an interesting part of the story. When farmers eat the crops they raise, they are happy and satisfied since they achieve self-sufficiency as they are feeding themselves with food collected from their own farms. However, when it comes to livestock, more nuances arise due to the fact that these livestock connects with human to a deeper level, especially pigs. Kurt himself mentions this in the book that he feels pigs are thinking when he looks at them. Kurt spends a long time contemplating whether to kill the pigs or not since he does not to feed himself with the pigs and is capable of thinking more rationally as hunger is no longer a burning factor pushing him to take an immediate action. Although it takes a long time, Kurt eventually decides to butcher the pigs, coming to another level of understanding of the rules and logic of nature, which he seeks to unravel from the very beginning.

At the very end the book, Kurt starts to serve his guests and himself with food strictly from the farm - the cheese, the meal, and the meat. While they are enjoying the feast, they also start to discover the connections they have with the land, the climate, and the nature.

The author also points out that the food only reflects the essence of his own farm, which to himself, means self-sufficiency, despite of the implications that the food could be dull due to lack of diversity. However, he therefore reinterprets his relationships with the nature and regains his identity as the descendant of the land.

In a modern society today, I agree with the author that it’s necessary to discern the relationships that human beings have with nature and the urgency to reach a peaceful mindset, to embrace nature, and to create our own self-sufficient life. However, the sign of a more civilized society is that everyone engages in more specific and sophisticated work, therefore allowing more technological breakthroughs to take place and the society to move forward. This division of functions also means individuals are given the opportunity to taste a broader spectrum of food.

People no longer need to live like Robinson, who raises all the crops and livestock on a barren island, thusly they are liberated to engage in more meaningful activities and to build more holistic experience. I am sure the guests Kurt invited go to other styles of restaurants on the other days. Still, we should celebrate Kurt’s self-sufficiency while keeping in mind that there are myriad of avenues to get there.