Feeding Chickens Chicken

Recently we have been cooking quite a lot of chicken. Partly because I have mentioned my dislike of fish and beans which leaves chicken and a variety of animal intestines, and partly because it is easy to buy in bulk and prepare for the children. This chicken we boil, bake, or braai throughout the day in our kitchen, while we sit around the oven for warmth and conversations. The ladies that I work with daily are quite talkative, but I typically have very little to contribute to the conversation because it is mostly in Sepedi, the main language of this region of Limpopo. Being used to being the most talkative in a group, I now find myself sitting back, listening, and observing more than usual. As I try to magically absorb the language I am constantly pushing my ears to listen and my mind to comprehend, and amidst all this listening I hear the rustling of chickens and their young scouring the dried ground for some food. They may find some bits of edible food here and there, but the aroma of cooking chicken coming from our kitchen draws them near. If chickens could drool, I imagine these would be as they peck outside our door begging for food. In the evening, we oblige them by washing the cooking pots and dumping the remains outside. It’s like Christmas morning for those little chicks. But in my newfound state of observation, I realize that we are feeding chickens chicken… Each day we taunt them with the smell of their friends slowly simmering in a pot, eat them in front of the hungry chicks, and then feed the uneaten remains to them.

I know the chickens couldn’t care less about what is being fed to them. All they know is the constant struggle to satisfy their aching stomachs and those of their children, and when they come across sustenance, they eat rapidly, thankful for the blessing of food. Their struggles remind me of what I have for which I should be thankful. The holiday celebrated in America known as Thanksgiving is very suiting- each year we celebrate the blessings of our lives by preparing enormous amounts of delicious food. What better way could we express how lucky we are than preparing a smorgasbord of food, which sustains us from day to day? In the book Kaffir Boy, Mark Methabane vividly describing his childhood during apartheid when he remembers only being able to afford cow’s blood which his mother simmered into a soup to try to make more bearable- but it kept them alive. For him and many, there is no sweet potato casserole or stuffing on Thanksgiving Day, but the food which they do have is a blessing. Those without do not have the luxury to be picky-eaters, something that I myself am guilty of in the United States. However, never again will I turn down perfectly edible food without thinking of the struggles of the people across the world that would be thankful for such a well-prepared meal.

Why are these chickens forced to eat their own kind in the first place? Partly because their environment has forced them into these starving situations and partly because those who have the power to change their situation do not. As the one in power, I could purchase feed for the chickens and fatten them into happy, healthy birds, but instead I am so concerned with feeding myself breakfast, lunch, and dinner to notice their strife or care about how well they are fed. I mean, after all these are chickens we are talking about right? I, being a homosapien with a significantly larger body and brain than a chicken (not to mention a more developed thinking process), certainly deserve to be better fed than these low lying chickens! But what happens when we start to apply this logic to our fellow people on this planet? We certainly have a history of doing so- Europe with its colonization of Africa, the settlers of the United States with their treatment of Native Americans, the enslavement and mistreatment of all those of a varying race, stature, or class such as the Africans, the Jews, the Japanese, the homeless, and even the system of apartheid well known to those here in South Africa. All are examples of people determining by some seemingly sound logic that they are better than others and therefore deserve to live a better life. We have been treating each other like these chickens.

I’ll admit, this is not always done intentionally. By being overly self-concerned often times we do not notice how others are affected by how we live our lives. As I concentrate on feeding myself and the children who come to this Information Centre after school, I overlook the lowly chickens that are starving themselves into cannibalism by my oversight. When you go grocery shopping, what typically drives your decision on which fruits and vegetables you purchase? It’s usually cost, right? The cost affects you directly, so it is natural to guide your decisions based on that. But looking further down the road, what is the end result of buying the cheaper fruits and vegetables besides padding your wallet? By purchasing food with more bang for the buck from a major company, the local small business farmers are suffering. By helping yourself, you are hurting others regardless of your intentions.

Here in South Africa people are very familiar with how selfish actions of one person in power can affect others, even in post-apartheid times. Like most countries they have had their own struggles with corruption within the government which results in actions that benefit a few, but may not be best for the majority. Currently in South Africa, people are speaking out through strikes to let their government know what they want and need, forcing the government to resolve issues that they previously may not have noticed. But what about those who don’t have the voice to speak out about the injustices with which they are living? It’s up to us to open our eyes and ears, and to observe what is going on around us. To hear the cries of the hungry or read the abuse present in another’s eyes.

As I opened my eyes and ears and concentrated on observing everything around me, I was surprised and astonished by what I found. Unknowingly, I was feeding chickens chicken, contributing to their own cannibalism. While that is rather insignificant, it makes me wonder, what other injustices do I witness and maybe even contribute to on a daily basis that I simply overlook?

~Heather Anne Nelson

For more blog posts from other South African YAGM's like this go here : http://elcamud.blogspot.com