Having just moved to a new apartment, I've found a small alley of sorts as a short cut to my school. I love this little street. It's fully of all sorts of little shops, brick clay bread ovens, kabob salesman, clothing stores, veggie/fruit stands, and of course butchers. On any given morning on my way to class it's normal to see three or more sheep in various stages of slaughter. Sometimes the butcher is in the process of tying up the lamb and holding it down. One day I was passing just the throat of a ram was being cut, the gurgling sound filling the lane. Often I walk past as one free leg kicks furiously in the final struggle before death. I made the mistake at looking at the eyes of one. I was unnerved to see a look of desperation as if the sheep knew what was coming. Various stages of gutting and skinning are common; most of the sheep is used. The skins are sold. The lungs and intestine are served in many night markets. Stomach is fried up with many dishes you can find in restaurants. The kidneys, livers, hearts, testicles, etc. are skewered and served at kabob stands. It's common to see carts brimming with sheep entrails being pushed out of the alley on their way to sale in restaurants and night markets.
I must admit the first few times I came across these slaughters it was a bit disturbing. I'm far from a animal rights activist. I love meat after all. I've most likely eaten many of those lambs I've seen slaughtered, so it has obviously not disturbed me enough to stop eating around here! Pondering this each time I walk through it occurred to me just how separated this whole process is back home. Meat is purchased in nicely packaged portions in brightly lit supermarkets far removed from the guts and gore of the slaughtering process. Unless you're a farm kid or from a hunting family, you've probably rarely been around animals meeting their maker. After a few weeks, I almost don't notice. I'm actually waiting to see what the record for one walk through will be. So far I think I'm up to 5 in one trip to my school I also like the idea that I can go out on any given morning and have very freshly slaughtered meat.