RAW | 2023

As a meat-eater I have always found it to at least be my duty to watch an animal getting killed for consumption purposes, in person. This early-spring the opportunity finally presented itself and I brought my camera with me. These pigs were home-grown, outside, with a lot of space for them to be real pigs and enjoy every part of that. And they sure did! They were properly taken care off and lived like proper pig-kings. And then came the day of the butcher..

It was before they knew it, even before I knew it almost; fast, smooth and accurate. Dead they were, just like that. Immediately their throats were cut open to drain the blood as fast as possible. This blood was there and then caught in a bucket and got swirled around by hand (with gloves) to refrain it from forming clots. Subsequently the pigs got dragged to a different spot in order to burn the hairs off and rinse them clean. Meat hooks were put through their hoofs and they were, one after another, hoisted up to be able to further dissect them.

I can’t believe the speed and professionalism of this person performing the butchering. It was an utterly incredible happening; so skillful and respectful, I found it an honor to bear witness to. Personal and done by hand, as delicately and efficiently as possible. Superlatives fail short here to describe this aptly, but at least I tried :-)