Fuddland

Anyone of a sensitive disposition, look away now. Seriously, I’m going to talk about buying live chickens and watching them being killed, and there is a video. You have been warned.

You can, of course, go to the enormous supermarket and buy chicken, all pre-packed and looking not-very-much like an actual chicken, but then it’s all chopped up into tiny chopstick-friendly pieces — no good for a roast.

Or you can pick up a whole frozen chicken — but this is literally a whole chicken: head, feet, insides. And, because it isn’t wrapped in anything, it’s guaranteed to have already been manhandled by dozens of other people all searching for the best of the icy brood, some with somewhat relaxed attitudes to hygiene [see previous entry].

So if you’re after some fresh chicken meat prepared just how you want it, then there’s really only one option here: take a trip to the market to buy a live one and have it slaughtered and plucked before your very eyes. Just don’t expect the most humane treatment of the animals, you’ll doubtless be upset, or even outraged. The cages are cramped and dirty, containing some very poorly-looking birds. You choose the best ones you can see, and the seller takes them out to be weighed. To keep them from fidgeting on the scales, he breaks both their wings at the shoulder. You agree on the price and he carries the tray to the back of the shop, but you can still see what’s going on through an opening. Folding back the head, he takes a large pair of scissors and snips at the neck, then leaves to drain before plucking begins a few minutes later. He’ll remove whatever bits you don’t want, but you need to be quick if you want to stop him getting carried away with the cleaver and ending up with those tiny pieces that you could have just bought from the supermarket. We weren’t quick enough, but we’ll know for next time [if we can face going back].

Video footage of the above events follows. Please don’t watch it if you’re squeamish.

#1

felicity | 2006 / 09 / 07 – 05:20

really not gonna watch that - but did see something similar on a travel program recently. at least you can say that it was a fresh chicken….

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