BBQ Blues
Reading and talking about life choices that are ingrained in our character is difficult and delicate, if not destructive. If not worded properly, with the right cadence and tone, the only thing an essay or a discussion will produce is anger, with worst of all, a defiant backlash: how dare you tell me how to live? I’ll do the opposite of what you say, with gusto!
This reaction is common because we want to believe our lives are moral and within the boundaries of human obligation; we are doing the best we can do for our families and society. So when we hear an idea that is opposed to something we know to be true; part of the basic fabric of family dinners, childhood picnics, celebrations, sporting events, and casual summer evenings, it is understandable to become upset and defensive.
But if this idea is true, and we embrace it, we suddenly see the world with new eyes. The previous version of our world crumbles behind us as we rebuild our future with this newfound knowledge as its base. If the proposed idea is false, of course we should reject it, and continue to seek a truth that will make our lives flourish with meaning, wisdom, and beauty.
What happens if the idea is true and we do not accept it? For whatever reason. It’s too radical. My friends or family will shun me. An overwhelming majority of Planet Earth do not believe it and live their lives in opposition to its theory. It’s too hard. I’ll have to rethink everything …
Those reasons may be justified. Being a conformist will be easier. Everyone will like me. I’d be a better citizen by embracing part of my country’s tradition. I wouldn’t be a threat to a thriving industry. I’d be happy and not have to agonize over seemingly mundane, everyday decisions.
But what if a seed of doubt creeps into your daily activity? You begin to question the food on your plate; its origin, production, effect on the body. Will you follow this path further and ask questions, or ignore the idea and continue eating as you’ve always done? It’s a fork-in-the-road moment, at the end of your fork.
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The W.C. Handy Blues & BBQ Festival has been a Henderson, KY tradition for 25 years, drawing big-name, talented, blues musicians from all over the country. Situated in Audubon Mill Park overlooking the Ohio River, it’s an early summer event allowing the city to show its pride and serve up some of its famous food.
Barbecue, as everyone knows, is usually pig. It can also be beef (cow), mutton (sheep), or really any animal flesh doused with a rich, tomato-y sauce, or not. There are competitions all across the South and Midwest to discover and award the best version of this dish. What sort of person would question the legitimacy and provenance of a pork product?
We all see 18-wheelers hauling animals down the interstate everywhere. In the early 90s, I looked over as I was driving my gray Pontiac Grand Am and caught the eye of a pig penned in a trailer headed for parts unknown. Immediately I recognized a beast with a soul. He/she was staring at me through one of the many holes on the side of the tractor-trailer. Of course, the animal was headed for its death.
I immediately made the connection between this beast and the sausage Domino’s Pizza I had eaten earlier in the week. In order for me to enjoy a certain flavor and texture of food, a whole ecosystem was at work raising, transporting, and killing massive numbers of animals. For those who think this is natural, and the way the world’s food must be created, I have nothing to say; no amount of logic will change your mind.
For those receptive to the idea, I would equate the transportation of living, breathing, feeling beings in cramped trucks to slavery and the Holocaust. It’s not much more of a leap to draw parallels to the oppression of women, minorities, and the weakest members of society. After all, who will hear their voices (or cries) as the oppressor is hauling ass down the metaphorical highway doing 80 mph?
For those who say it’s God’s will to consume animal flesh, I would say you’re misreading the text. Dominion and death are not synonymous. And besides, are you really so in love with the Old Testament? Would Christ participate in the supreme ugliness and brutality that is modern factory farming?
Walking through the Handy Blues festival and hearing the joyful noise from guitars tinged with melancholy, I recognize an attempt at overcoming oppression and brutality with beauty. The sounds of uplifting music are in stark contrast to the moans, whimpers, screams — and silence, which is part of the recipe to produce pork.
Regarding health, and do you need meat in your diet. For the last 25 years, my BP has been normal without meds; my waist size has stayed the same without sit-ups or dieting. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that a diet heavy in animal products will wreak havoc on your body. Maybe that’s the way it should be, as human beings continue to wreak havoc on animals’ souls.
A cool wind blows off the Ohio as the headlining performer emits a powerful chord progression from the Handy stage. Lyrics of injustice being overcome at the last moment is punctuated with harmonica, bass, and drums. As the guitarist plays his triumphant solo, the smell of barbecue is still lingering in the air after a long day of festivity. How perfect for this music and food to be connected. The animals finally have a voice, and it’s the blues.
