The Value of a Pig
This conversation took place a few days ago while I was at work. Please refer to A Talk with a Vegan for additional context.
One of the things that my dad told me about Cuba is that he would make food like the kind that he had there, but never any food directly from there. Part of this has to do with keeping things clean. The country is or was so, poor that he doesn’t trust anything coming out of Cuba.
So the other day I was at work and one of my coworkers walked in and asked if we want any dark chocolate from Cuba. So of my coworkers said okay and took a piece, others said no, and I asked where in Cuba was it from. The following happens between one of my workers that denied a piece…
Me: “Where in Cuba is it from? ‘Cause I’m not anything from where my dad is from.”
Coworker: “What’s wrong with there?”
Me: “Because there’s so much poverty there at my dad would have to go kill a pig in order to have food for the night.”
Coworker: “A lot of people do that.”
Me: “Yeah, but my dad did that because he couldn’t get anything else. He wou-“
Coworker: “So you’re saying that farmers are poor then.”
Me: “…what? No. I’m saying that he learned in poverty.”
Coworker: “Excuse me, but you don’t know my family.”
Me: “And you DON’T KNOW my family either. I don’t know what the fuck is your problem.”
After this, I thought for sure that she was going to go off on a rant. It was confused the whole time because she’s heard me talking about my family before, where my dad is from, and at one point even MET him. Still, I guess some people just don’t care.
Amateur Photographer. “Famine in Sudan by Tom Stoddart – Iconic Photograph.” Amateur Photographer, TI Media Limited, 20 July 2010.
Peetz, Caitlynn. “America’s Pig Farmer of the Year Traveled Country to Educate,…” Agweek, Agweek and Forum Communications Company, 20 Oct. 2017, 11:25.
