Butchering a pig…

Warning, don’t look any further if you don’t want to see a pig butchered and dressed.
This was a very normal occurrence when I was a child in Borneo. There were no grocery stores and if you ate animal you saw them butchered and prepared. I have to say that I think this probably healthier overall for everyone. I’m not arguing for or against eating meat…though I do eat it myself. I am, however, suggesting that seeing that something died so that you could eat it is probably a much better way of understanding just what is involved, especially if you helped raise that animal, than buying anonymous meat products at a grocery.
Later, as a teen, I’d work on a cattle ranch for summer and that was pretty much the same when it came to a relationship with animals destined for slaughter. We were grateful for their meat, and for the money they brought.
You’ll note in these images the progression of skills. There’s an older man, though he’s probably much younger than I am today, in charge. A younger man, a teen, doing a lot of the work. And then there are children of all ages watching and participating to one degree or another. It’s serious business and everyone seems to recognize that. Yes, there’ll be feasting, but first there’s work, and death.
Every bit of the pig will be used for something in the long run. The intestines that are pulled out won’t be discarded, they’ll be cleaned and used. I’m sure the pig was not happy about it’s outcome, but none of it will be wasted. No comfort to the pig perhaps, but some to those doing the killing and preparation.