The turkeys eat first at Ching Farm
Thanksgiving at Ching Farm fosters a sense of celebration each year,
but on this farm the tables are turned - instead of humans consuming
animals, the animals are the guests of honor.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Ching Farm's Thanksgiving
for the Animals. The animals on the farm feast on all the Thanksgiving
trimmings thanks to a community of volunteers, sponsors, friends and
family who appreciate the individuality and emotional capacity of farm
animals.
This year's Thanksgiving for the Animals, November 11, is made
possible by a generous donation from Wild Oats Market. With the donated
food, the farm's volunteers will gather in the morning to prepare an
elaborate feast for the animals. They will make seasonal favorites such
as stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pies, as well as fruit salad
and vegetables. By noon, they will begin serving food - starting with
the farm's 10 turkeys, of course! The feasting continues all afternoon
with every animal receiving a full plate of food... and seconds if
desired.
Although the event is festive and light-hearted, there is a serious
underlying message. The Chings want to raise awareness of the cruel and
unnecessary methods of factory turkey farming. Faith Ching says that
somewhere around 70 million turkeys are consumed by Americans each
holiday season. Turkeys raised for slaughter in the US are typically
crowded by the thousands into huge warehouses where each gets less than
three square feet of space. Overcrowding drives the birds to excessive
pecking and fighting. To reduce injuries, the factory farmers cut off
the ends of their beaks and toes. These painful mutilations are
performed without anesthesia and can be fatal.
Farmed turkeys have been bred to grow twice as fast and twice as
large as their ancestors. Although this rapid growth poses a serious
threat to the animals' health and welfare, the turkey industry
continues pushing to grow bigger birds. Overweight turkeys have
difficulty supporting their unwieldy bodies because their skeletons
haven't grown at the same pace. The birds must awkwardly bow their legs
to support excessively large torsos.
Ching introduces me to Petunia, a rescued factory turkey who now has
a happy life on the farm. Standing alongside the normal turkeys,
Petunia looks horribly disproportioned.
Petunia is an extra special turkey and on this day, to commemorate
her presence on the farm, she is served before any of the other animals
on a special turkey-sized table set just for her. After the ceremonial
serving of Petunia, all the other animals - every pig, llama, chicken,
donkey, emu, horse and duck - get their meals. The goats don't like
waiting in turn, so their holiday fare is tossed to the group like a
glorious vegetable shower.
I sponsor two senior pot-bellied pigs at the sanctuary, Boris and
Buddy, and last Thanksgiving the Chings asked me to serve their
holiday meal. I piled the plate with vegan stuffing, rolls, fruit salad
and a hefty slice of vegan pumpkin pie, and set off to serve my hog
beneficiaries. I must say, the dish resembled the holiday meal I serve
my own family. As I entered their retirement shed, the two 150-lb. pigs
grunted at me - being nearly blind, they are a bit leery of visitors -
but when they smelled plates overflowing with food, trust immediately
ensued. In true swine fashion, they gobbled down their meal in record
time, so I headed back to prepare seconds. When I returned to the shed
with another offering, the two laden pigs were basking in the sun.
The animal feast is just one event the Chings put on for the
Thanks-giving holiday. They also have a vegan Thanksgiving feast for
humans. "The stuffing and pies we make for the humans are the same
recipes we use for the animals," says Faith.
Whether feeding the animals or feeding yourself, the Chings offer
wonderful ways to celebrate the animals and look forward to another
fruitful year. The humans can meet for Vegan Thanksgiving, an annual
fundraiser, on November 12 at the Sugar House Garden Center, 1602 E.
2100 South. The event is catered and seating is limited, so it's best
to arrive when the doors open at 4 p.m. Dinner begins at 5 p.m. There
will also be a silent auction to raise additional funds for the farm.
For more information or to donate to Ching Farm, visit their Web site www.chingsanctuary.org.
| 
