How is Veal any different from any other meat we eat? Because it's a 'baby cow' - well for FYI it was born to be slaughtered and eaten. I'm sorry but these days farming isn't how it used to be, it's more about supply and demand.
Never tried veal. I am told that the conditions for rearing veal cattle are much better these days and more humane. I will reserve judgement until such a time as I have more info and I have tried the meat. I agree that it should be no different to baby lamb but alegedly the methods of rearing veal were a bit suss until more recently so perhaps that is where people's objections to veal lay.
"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most fools do" Benjamin Franklin "Some cause happiness wherever they go - others whenever they go" Oscar Wilde
Fair point, we know that lambs are running around fields from a young age, not so much with calves.
I haven't had the opportunity to try it to be honest, but I have no objections to doing so. I don't eat lamb as I don't like it, that's the only reason and that would probably be the same for veal.
Love venison.
*It is not necessary to understand things in order to argue about them. -- Pierre De Beaumarchais
I have to admit I've not tried 'pink' veal yet - as a family we used to eat it in the 70's, but that was 'white veal' and mum refused to buy it once the facts about the way veal calves were raised were publicised. I don't see any problem with eating young meat - I enjoy eating older meat and love leather goods, so it would seem hypocritical to be squeamish about eating male calves who would be slaughtered anyway. Mind you, I can't bring myself to eat rabbit... but that could be because one of my brother's old workmates used to call it dead babies...
Oh dear I fear most of you are missing the point! Can you really compare the life of a lamb or sheep who are allowed to roam around in their natural habitat to that of a veal calf! Stuck in a a crate with nowhere to move and limited light. Fed on a restriced diet designed to keep the meat a specific colour. If you think that this is either acceptable or similiar to other animal producion, then consider being locked in a room 4 feet by 2 feet for 35 weeks fed on a diet that is inappropriate for your needs and then being slaughtered. Nice! NOT...!This in barbaric and inhumane.
Hi, My names Laura and i have decided to post this on here only because i think it is foul that you think it is ok to eat an innocent animal, for example on one of the f word shows i wistnessed a little rabbit having its neck broken and being gutted on national tv!! this is sick and wrong, in my opinion no one should eat meat and i no thats an impossible wish but to kill a defensless animal being chased out of its own home on tv is just plain wrong! Its no different to giving £3 a month to animals who are being badly treated this is the same thing, just because a "star" or "celebrity" is killing them to make food doesn't make it right!
Another point i am going to make is that fact that Mr gordon ramsey thinks its ok so show cute little calfs very happy and content in there home and then tell us that in 2 months time that they are going to be slaughtered to i think the words were "have gorgeous meat" WHO CARES! wouldnt you rather the animal live a long and happy life then to be put on your plate as a bloody slab of meat!? Personally i think that is barbaric and a horrible thing to do and if you think its right then i hope everytime you look at that "gorgeous" piece of meat your eating you think of the life you just took away for no reason and the look on that animals face before it was wrongfully killed!
For the life of the two calfs to be spared among the millions of cows that will not be i have made a petition so STOP this uncessesary slaughtering (If you agree with me please sign your name and help these animals with no voice to speak up for them if they still have a chance):
My take on it was Gordon is trying to show how humanely they can be treated and also show how other farmers are following suit. I don't think even he is advocating the shoddy treatment of calves as has been done historically.
Most people who won't eat veal do so because it's a cute calf and not because of how they are farmed. It is the same with venison.
*It is not necessary to understand things in order to argue about them. -- Pierre De Beaumarchais
Oh Dear. It isn't "sick" or "wrong" it is a fact of life. The programme issues warnings prior to each section of the show. If you don't like to see these things then you can switch off, watching is not compulsory. Laura AKA Looberry, you obviously do care about how the animals are treat or you wouldn't have posted. I respect your choice not to eat meat but there are two sides to every coin. I eat meat but also respect those who don't, I am not trying to convert anybody or deamonise others who have an opposing view, that would be wrong. I eat meat and am also interested in how animals are treat prior to slaughter, ie how they are raised and kept. I am interested in what happens during and afterwards ie; how they are killed and how they are prepared and cooked which is why I personally like the way Gordon R is presenting this. I have no qualms about eating meat, I love it and my body has naturally evolved as a carnivore so no I don't have any visions of the animal when I am eating it but I do appreciate what I am eating. It wasn't killed for no reason, it was bred for a purpose and it fulfilled that purpose, this is real life, this is why these animals are still here being bred and taken care of, without meat eaters most of the livestock would be surplus to requirements and probably would cease to exist as they would be seen as pests eating crops and taking up land space. Gordon R is one of a growing number of chefs in a position, through his "celebrity" to raise awareness and to educate and impart different views to both the general public and the farming community sometimes as a devil's advocate and sometimes by just thinking outside the box, he stimulates debates such as this which is good for everyone, meat eaters, non-meat eaters, breeders, livestockmen/women, the farming community, supermarket buyers etc, we all have different views but a common interest. Life, like a diamond has many different facets and each facet will have a different view and reflection of the world around it, it is coloured by what enters, (like information and education and experience) and it reflects that back. Just because you think something is right does not mean that it is, just because I think something is right does not mean it is, it is just a different reflection of life's experiences and a personal view. Rant over, sorry for the length of the post
"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most fools do" Benjamin Franklin "Some cause happiness wherever they go - others whenever they go" Oscar Wilde
Well said. Luckily, my vegetarian friends do not impose their views on meat eaters just as I don't impose my views upon them.
Harmonious living is all about respecting other peoples' choices (when things are legal and above board I mean). Debate is healthy and good but don't enter into debate if you aren't prepared to at least listen to an alternative viewpoint.
*It is not necessary to understand things in order to argue about them. -- Pierre De Beaumarchais
Originally posted by looberry: Hi, My names Laura and i have decided to post this on here only because i think it is foul that you think it is ok to eat an innocent animal, for example on one of the f word shows i wistnessed a little rabbit having its neck broken and being gutted on national tv!! this is sick and wrong, in my opinion no one should eat meat and i no thats an impossible wish but to kill a defensless animal being chased out of its own home on tv is just plain wrong! Its no different to giving £3 a month to animals who are being badly treated this is the same thing, just because a "star" or "celebrity" is killing them to make food doesn't make it right!
Another point i am going to make is that fact that Mr gordon ramsey thinks its ok so show cute little calfs very happy and content in there home and then tell us that in 2 months time that they are going to be slaughtered to i think the words were "have gorgeous meat" WHO CARES! wouldnt you rather the animal live a long and happy life then to be put on your plate as a bloody slab of meat!? Personally i think that is barbaric and a horrible thing to do and if you think its right then i hope everytime you look at that "gorgeous" piece of meat your eating you think of the life you just took away for no reason and the look on that animals face before it was wrongfully killed!
For the life of the two calfs to be spared among the millions of cows that will not be i have made a petition so STOP this uncessesary slaughtering (If you agree with me please sign your name and help these animals with no voice to speak up for them if they still have a chance):
Laura h
Presumably you abstain from milk, butter and cheese? Or to put it another way what do you think happens to male calves born on a dairy farm? Off to the nearest animal refuge centre? Nah. More likely shot shortly after birth, carcasses burnt or given away to the local hunting hounds, their skins sold for a pittance.
I dunno why you watch the facts of animal husbandry as shown on Ramsey's programme. It only upsets your pink and fluffy cutey Disney animal mindset that probably regards Bambi as a snuff movie. Why put yourself through the pain? If you watched the Coren and Perkins programme about Restoration dining last night I imagine you are jibbering on a psychiatric ward by now. Something like eighty different animals were killed and eaten in its making.
I posted a commentie thing before and i kinda wanna appologise for how strongly opinionated i was, it was straight after watching the show and i was upset...and so i appologise and i have also read some comments back and i agree i shouldn't have pushed my views onto other meat eaters, Yet i still do stick to what i think
Nice post Laura and very mature of you, (I understand you are only about 18 not an old wrinkly like me ). Hope you didn't think we were being too critical and have not been deterred from joining in in the future. We do understand strong feelings and appreciate differing views. Well done you for at least posting.
"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most fools do" Benjamin Franklin "Some cause happiness wherever they go - others whenever they go" Oscar Wilde
The point is this, if these calves are not reared to be rose veal they are shot at birth or transported to Europe to be reared as white veal. If you drink milk or eat cheese and yoghurt you should consider this, attempts have been made to reduce the amount of dairy bull calves born but these is an expensive and hit and miss technique. Therefore I am in favour of this attempt to popularise this type of meat!
Hi, My grandad is a retired dairy farmer and i work on a farm and have very strong links with the industry. If people dont eat meat because they dont like it, fair do's, but i dont understand where people get their ideas from. Such as Looberry. Have you ever lived the life of a farmer, put the work in for little money? What is wrong with eating meat? Do all the vegetarians want a world without cattle, sheep and pigs? Because if we arent going to eat them, well who is going wo spend money on them, put them up in shelter and look after them 24/7 for no gain? No-one is. And i just get annoyed about the animal rights twaddle. Its nearly an insult to the farmer. A farmer loves his animals, and very ver few farm animals in the UK are mistreated of abused. Know why? Because most of the meat here in the UK, British meat that is, is of fantastic quality. And if an animal is mistreated, it dont produce. I am all for eating veal, its pointless killing the calf and burning it when it can be put to use!! Thats not a waste of a life is it??
I adore all animals but I also love eating meat. My arguement is not the eating or keeping animals for our consumption it is the WAY they are kept. I have never eaten veal for the reasons mentioned before but I dare say if I knew the cute little calf had led a carefree albeit short life in the field I may well give it a try. I was intrigued at the episode where Gordon introduced ostrich and this seems a good all-round meat to produce - they seem to have a happy life and offer quality meat as well as enormous eggs and wonderful feathers! It's all about respect - the world has got greedy and that's why there are so many problems (I could easily go off on another tangent here! In saying all that I could not watch an animal being slaughtered - I would be the one wanting to save it,cuddle it and give it a blanket with it's name on - lol Love it Respect it Eat it.
I am a farmer so I was brought up with the fact that the lambs and cattle on our farm were there to sell for food so I am maybe less emotional than most people about the kill it cook it and eat it idea. Looberry said:- "Personally i think that is barbaric and a horrible thing to do and if you think its right then i hope everytime you look at that "gorgeous" piece of meat your eating you think of the life you just took away for no reason and the look on that animals face before it was wrongfully killed!" I know that she later apologised for posting this but not for believing it. The thing to realize is that farming is a business, dairy farmers produce milk, it just so happens that to produce milk the cow needs to have a calf every year. If it is a heifer friesian (milk type) calf then she will be kept to milk, any other calves are basically a bi-product of the industry. A few years ago bull calves were worth absolutley nothing so they were shot at birth and disposed of as waste. Surely giving the animal a short, happy life is better than 24 hours? Well done Janet and the F Word for promoting quality british food and trying to remove the stigma of veal production.
Originally posted by David7269: Oh dear I fear most of you are missing the point! Can you really compare the life of a lamb or sheep who are allowed to roam around in their natural habitat to that of a veal calf! Stuck in a a crate with nowhere to move and limited light. Fed on a restriced diet designed to keep the meat a specific colour. If you think that this is either acceptable or similiar to other animal producion, then consider being locked in a room 4 feet by 2 feet for 35 weeks fed on a diet that is inappropriate for your needs and then being slaughtered. Nice! NOT...!This in barbaric and inhumane.
I just wanted to say that calf crates have been illegal in the UK for several years so this point is totally irrevelant for British Meat. A basic guide for calf housing in Britain is that the calf has to be able to turn right around in its pen and be able to interact with other calves, our calves at home are kept in pairs in 8 foot by 8 foot pens, giving them more than enough room for there first few weeks, they are then moved into a bigger group in a big yard where they stay until ready for market at around 14-16 months old. This is the system adopted by virtually all beef producers in Britain. As janet has shown UK veal is very similar, at the end of the day a clean healthy and happy animal will do better all round than a coninental crate reared calf.
). Hope you didn't think we were being too critical and have not been deterred from joining in in the future. We do understand strong feelings and appreciate differing views. Well done you for at least posting. 
