Being a butcher as a career

Different career choices have always fascinated me. I fell into my career by following my passion for computers, but I sometimes wonder about other career choices.

Recently, I came across a fantastic video series about a butcher that runs his own slaughter house. It is a great watch and I’ve embedded it below.

While watching it, several things came to mind:

1) Respect - The butcher has great respect for the animals that are going to slaughter. He impresses upon the viewer how important it is to treat the animals humanely. He also discusses why he thinks this is important. Past the normal circle of life stuff, he goes a little deeper and it is an interesting perspective.

2) Physical - The job is demanding. Hundreds of pounds of meat come from somewhere and it comes from large animals. While there is specific equipment such as the machine that removes hair from a pig, they still have to get the large pig into the machine. It isn’t a job for those that cannot handle themselves.

3) Intelligence - One would think, “What is there to killing and cutting up an animal.” According to the video there is a ton you need to know and a method for troubleshooting.

4) Necessity - The butcher spends a fair amount of time discussing the hows and whys of slaughter and meat cutting, but he also reinforces that it is a necessity given our diets. I have never been a vegetarian or a vegan, but I am an omnivore. The fact we need someone to be the butcher isn’t something you think about often.

There are no schools per se for being a butcher. It is learned as a trade and the craft is passed from generation to generation. This still holds true in the largest meat packing plants even though the tasks are often broken up.

Part 1:

Part 2:

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