What should children know about our food ?

[SHOOTALL]

The topic on slaughter house abuse was locked up and I don't care to re open it. But it made me think , what should our children see and know about food processing ? All my children saw deer killed and dressed . They saw other birds and critters killed and dressed . They ate the cows we raised.
 The libs fill their heads with bambi and such. I know some people who can't cut up chickens to cook. I see it as a problem if kids are turnned off to food raising and butchering .
What are your thoughts ?
Please keep this civil and so children won't be offended.

[powderman]

SHOOTALL. I agree, kids should know where their food comes from. All of ours were raised around livestock and processing of wild game. Killing was done quickly and humanely. They came to realize that we kill for food, not just to kill. A dil thought deer hunting was cruel. By the next deer  season she took her place at the table with a knife while we cut up venison for steaks, roasts, and stew meat. She decided that bambi wa pretty darned good eating.
Every kid in America should raise a vegetable, even just one tomato plant or a stalk of corn. Anything to learn how crops grow and make it to the table. Theres nothing like REAL tomatoes and it gives  kids a satisfaction of saying, try one of mine. There may come a day that if you don't raise it or grow it, you might go hungry. Kids need to learn these things. POWDERMAN. 

[mcwoodduck]

My friends Kid thought Bacon and Steak were something the pig or cow made, like Milk or Butter, rather then the mussle of the animal.  Some how we explained that we were Omnivors nad explained Omni, Herbavores and Carnavores.  We simply explained that we were on the top of the food chain and we could eat either meat or vegtables and that we figured out if you cook the meat or vegtables we can get more nutrients from it.
As to a sloughter house the subject never came up but was ready with a simple that is where the amimals get turned from amimal into food.  Butchers, and cooks take the large sections of the animals and break them down into usable parts.  bacon, steaks, roasts and what is left becomes sausage and hotdogs and other yummy things.  The parts that are not so good become dog and cat food, but everything in the animal is used.

[blind ear]

All three of my kids grew up hunting and fishing. One daughter loves to fish and my son hunts and fishes every chance he gets. All three are good cooks and cook game and fish as often as they get it. They are familiar with killing and prepareing "food". My grand dughter has killed a deer and eaten the finished product. She saw the animal dressed and had no qualms about eating it, she likes deer meat as all of my family does.

When my children grew up I did not let them grow 4H show animals because it seemed that project too often turned into a pet raising that turned kids against eating the finished animal. My secound daughter that doesn't hunt or fish, had a friend that raised a show lamb. The friend would not eat lamb after that. I had grilled lamb often before that and had her family as guests. They all stopped eating lamb.

I think kids should know what food is and where it comes from and how. Care and civility should be maintained in learning these life lessons. It is up to parents and hunters to accomplish this and keep reality at the forefront of living.

ear

[351 power]

northamerican kids need to see what it's like in other countries where there are starving kids. then they need to realize food is a blessing not a given. then you could maybe start to educate them

[wreckhog]

I tell kids that everything is yummy. This includes baby animals, people, pets, chemicals, plastic, etc. I find that this covers all the bases. They need to understand that in the right circumstances, anything and everything is food. Seriously.

[mcwoodduck]

I tell kids that everything is yummy. This includes baby animals, people, pets, chemicals, plastic, etc. I find that this covers all the bases. They need to understand that in the right circumstances, anything and everything is food. Seriously.

Remind me NOT to go over Donner Pass with you.
" Hey Wreckhog, stop knawing on my arm, we can stop at the 7-11 two miles up the road! I't just a short traffic stop."   

[blind ear]

I love the term "real tomatoes" and feel sorry for those that don't understand it. ear

[powderman]

northamerican kids need to see what it's like in other countries where there are starving kids. then they need to realize food is a blessing not a given. then you could maybe start to educate them

Exactly. Americans are wasteful, we throw more good food in the garbage than millions of folks have to eat. Americans have more and appreciate it less than any nation on earth.  Raising your own gives one a better appreciation for the work involved in getting it to the table. I believe it helps cut down on the waste too. POWDERMAN. 

[blind ear]

Heard from my daughter a few times today about a problem. She text me tonight and said she cooked deer steak, turnip greens, field peas and bisquets and gravy. She said she always feels better after an hour or so in front of the stove. ear

[ratdog]

some of the people in my family will not eat anything that  does not come from the store it cracks me up.like brown eggs are better for you organic.

[Conan The Librarian]

I'm amazed by what passes for food today. All these prepared products with forty chemicals in each one. It seems like a nice convenience option for an occasional meal but I see a lot of people who live on it.

[slim rem 7]

 its a parents job as stewards over the family to teach all the realities of life..knowledge of meat eating ,sex education ,war,and GOD are all things best taught by responcible parents..imo..
 if parents don t teach children ,they will learn it somewhere else..best they get these things from one who loves them..slim

[Old Fart]

Like it or not, people have a choice as to what they believe when it comes to food.
Most of us are pretty much up front with our family about this stuff.
Even some of our women folk who don't care to see it, still know where it comes from.
I never really seen the reason to hide reality from people, don't need to rub thier nose in it either.

[wreckhog]

99% of people don't even want to know what is in Chicken McNuggets.

[SHOOTALL]

My point is if a child sees where and what his food comes from it will never be a big deal . Well unless they can't get it.

[SHOOTALL]

99% of people don't even want to know what is in Chicken McNuggets.

There is only one thing on a chicken that looks like a McNugget IMHO. And I will pass .

[Spirithawk]

I simply always told my kids," This is food. Eat it or go hungry!" They ate with no problem.

[SHOOTALL]

I told mine and showed them where it came from. Hey we named our first two cows steak and burger ! 

[powderman]

I simply always told my kids," This is food. Eat it or go hungry!" They ate with no problem.

Same here. I grew up with 2 kids whose Mother would cook 2 seperate meals when the kids didn't like what they were having for supper, one for the adults, another for the kids. YEP, they turned out just like you imagined. POWDERMAN. 

[Conan The Librarian]

We showed them what real food is and where it comes from. Gardening and hunting were a factor. then we discussed the factory foods and fast foods and why they exist, and their pros and cons. They had enough info to make up their minds and they generally choose good foods on their own.  Neither one of them likes fast foods much. They do like some of the factory foods as convenience items.

[powderman]

I told mine and showed them where it came from. Hey we named our first two cows steak and burger ! 

HEH. I had a turkey named drumstick,  an old hen named dumpling, a cow named t bone, and a hog named hambone. POWDERMAN. 

[SHOOTALL]

 

[Buckskin]

My kids are learning from a very young age where food comes from.  All of them starting at age 2 or 3 have seen a deer being gutted, pigs being butchered, animals being hunted and shot and processed.  My 2 1/2  yo daughter helped me clean bluegills this last winter and asks to help anytime I go fishing.

I remember taking a couple of my nieces fishing when they were younger.  After catching a bunch of gills I asked the older one (9) if she wanted to help clean them.  She said sure, and got grossed out when I started cutting and said " I thought we were going to wash them"...  City Kids...

[Spirithawk]

My kids pretty well knew where food comes from. I've been a life long hunter and fisherman and we also raised and grew food. The only exception was that I had my youngest daughter convinced that brown cows give chocolate milk. She only questioned me once asking," Well then what do black ones give?" I just grinned and told her, " Coffee!" My daughter has a true photographic memory and to this day she'll suddenly give me a dirty look, shake her head, and mutter chocolate milk! 

[Old Fart]

This thread has just reminded me of the first time my son and his buddy got the cleaning detail at a bird hunt.
I'm laughing my rearend off just thinking about it. His buddy was a city boy. I thought he was gonna blow chunks a couple times.

[SHOOTALL]

Buckskin good thing ya'll weren't "dressing" birds 

[blind ear]

Aw man. Hog killin. Hot cracklins straight out of the cast iron pot. MMMMMMM good. 

Canning garden stuff was fun too.

Boy but did I hate to have to haul off the buckets of chicken cleanins though.

ear