Never would it occur to a child that a sheep, a pig, a cow or a chicken was good to eat, while, like Milton's Adam, he would eagerly make a meal off fruits, nuts, thyme, mint, peas and broad beans which penetrate further and stimulate not only the appetite but other vague and deep nostalgias. We are closer to the Vegetable Kingdom than we know; is it not for man alone that mint, thyme, sage, and rosemary exhale crush me and eat me! -- for us that opium poppy, coffee-berry, tea-plant and vine perfect themselves? Their aim is to be absorbed by us, even if it can only be achieved by attaching themselves to roast mutton.
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Objectification reduces sensitivity. Thus cows are called beef or head of cattle, pigs become pork, sheep mutton. The screams are muted.. and living creatures become plastic wrapped packages.
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If anybody said that I should die if I did not take beef-tea or mutton, even under medical advice, I would prefer death
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