Le Coq
by Ashley Weeks Cart
Emilio has met his maker.
James and our friend Josh did the honors yesterday afternoon. It was a team effort and learning experience. It was done with great respect, which I admire deeply in both James and Josh. Their biggest concern was that the rooster suffer as little as possible. To anyone interested in how they handled the situation and what James learned from the process, just send me an email and I’m sure James would be happy to talk with you about it.
Sunny (nor I) observed the process, although Addison did see Emilio right before, and took a great interest in seeing him after. At that point he was in our fridge, looking exactly like a chicken you’d buy off the shelf of a grocery store. As James showed her the processed chicken, he said:
Emilio lived a really great life with us here on the farm. He got to run around wherever he wanted. And he protected our hens. He got to eat bugs and worms and help turn our compost. He had so much fun living on our farm, but after he hurt you, sweetie, we couldn’t risk that happening again. So now he is going to feed our family, and that is a pretty amazing thing that he gets to do for us. Thank you, Emilio.
I have to admit, I felt pride welling up inside me as I observed this life lesson happening not just for my three-year old, but for myself.
A little piece of him is now in our home, as I asked James to save some of his beautiful tail feathers. As silly as it may sound, this feels like a momentous occasion for life on Cartwheel Farm. Tonight we’ll dine on Coq au Vin, in Emilio’s honor.
