Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Here comes Peter Cottontail...


The sun's finally shining in Lawrence on a regular basis (welcome, spring!), and our chefs Ken and Brian are busy plotting a fresh menu. After the doldrums of winter, we're all excited by thoughts of lighter fare such as greens, crisp asparagus, and other ingredients brought on by April showers...

Including rabbit.

Yes, cute 'n' fluffy widdle bunny rabbits. In the past, when we've served rabbit dishes, we sourced our bunny meat from Rare Hare Barn in Leon, Kansas. Check out their Web site, and you'll see pictures of ridiculously darling rabbits you can purchase. To eat.

The adorable-versus-delicious dichotomy can be a hard concept to reconcile. Today's New York Times posted an article, "Don't Tell the Kids," about the trend of bunny-raising and eating (which is, unfortunately, a process that involves killing.) The article provides an interesting discussion on the ethics of eating snuggly animals, and on the relationship of bunny-eating to the Slow Foods movement. One line in particular stuck out:

"In an age when diners scoop marrow from roasted beef shins and dissect the feet of pigs raised by people they’ve met, rabbit certainly seems like the right meat at the right time."

It does seem like the right time in food history to rekindle a love for rabbit fare. With folks raising backyard chickens, urban-gardening, and local-food shopping, the relationship between man and meal is perhaps getting more honest. People are beginning to be able to eat steak and think about cows at the same time. A bunny can live a sweet, happy life, be loved and petted... and still be a link in the food chain.


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