Eggs Benedict and the glass ceiling (prose)

Setting: Lennons hotel Brisbane,

Early 2020…

The waiter takes my order

As a single diner

I have chosen a smaller table

Beside the only other smaller table

With two guys seated a shoulders width over

I begin to tune in to their conversation

Certainly can’t tune it out

They are very loud spoken

The different accent plays on my ear

American

Canadian?

Maybe neither

It doesn’t matter

One is built like he lifts a gym every morning

The other is lean, clean and has a slightly boring balding beige vibe

Nothing against balding

It’s how you wear it

I’m just describing

The mans aesthetic

Hat on backwards leans in

Elbows rocking the table

“So tell me about these chickens”

Beige guy suddenly turns into a rainbow

Ignited by his passion

Chickens!

He knows all about them

My granola arrives

As I listen to these two guys

For the next twenty minutes

Discussing everything

About poultry

In the middle of this city restaurant

As they run through the procedure of collecting eggs

Cleaning pens

Phone photos displayed of beige guys hen house

And all manner of chicken names flow around me

(He has names for all his ladies)

Meanwhile my brain is conjuring up what I now know about chooks

Thanks to too many Vegan documentaries and books

(You can’t un see once you’ve seen em – I curse my curious brain because actually…I used to love eggs and found backyard hens a delight)

The chicken industry is female biased

Every day millions of chickens are hatched

Little fluff balls

Clustering around artificial lights

Their mothers are nowhere in sight

This is their first love

The artificial light

After a period of 6-8 weeks

Sex is determined

The male chicks

Who have no purpose

Are usually terminated

Meat grinders

Gassing

Fantastic!

The thought is putting me off my breaky

I’m pulled out of my morbid reverie by excited laughter

“They are all such characters – with these personalities, like humans, once you get to know them – they are the sweetest things – so curious”

says beige guy …

“Wow that’s so cool my daughter loves animals – I was thinking of getting her a bunny”

Not in Queensland mate their illegal

But I don’t say it

I don’t say anything

It’s none of my business

I’m just describing a scene

They order the Eggs Benedict

And I think about that glass ceiling

Eggs

Dairy

Females

They love us when it comes to breeding

*

16 thoughts on “Eggs Benedict and the glass ceiling (prose)

    • Chooks are great for kids Elle – they are such beautiful kind little things – well apart from roosters – I have been chased by a few of them. Please don’t take my poem as a judgement on how anyone should live. I never thought about the deeper things of motherhood and animals and breeding and feminist principles etc before I read books on the subject.
      When we moved out of town the first thing I wanted was backyard chooks and they are beautiful creatures particularly for kids. Don’t feel bad about it – enjoy them. I wish I could unthink and unsee and unread but I can’t. So I go on – this wasn’t written to make anyone feel bad – it was written to unravel something I was thinking about following this little breakfast session – like most of my poetry it is a lesson for me not a lecture for others. ❤️

    • Rosaliene I never realised either. Just never thought about it.
      In wholesale egg production they don’t feed what doesn’t lay eggs. Roosters are sometimes used in the meat industry but not always as they tend to produce a different quality meat.
      Either way it is terribly female biased.

      In the same way male calves in the dairy industry are mostly killed young (veal) they are useless because they do not produce milk and the economics do not support feeding animals that serve no purpose.

      Either way calves are taken away from their mothers straight away – as a mother myself and knowing what wonderful loving mothers cows are …just couldn’t do it anymore.

  1. So well written, it was nice to “over hear” the chickens have personalities ❤️ I only found out last year rabbits were illegal as pets in Qld, I like how you told us you thought it but didn’t say 😊

  2. Maybe a little offtrack but I really want to say these things after reading your poem and the experience you shared. Yes it is everyone’s individual choice whether they eat chicken or not but it really devastates me to think about how these animals are treated. So many of them being produced using artificial methods and which meat is not even good for our health. I also do love having chicken and I still do but I have no choice right to cut it off entirely. I hope to do it one day. I just felt like saying all these things to you. Anyways thanks for sharing this lovely post.

    Best wishes from The Strong Traveller and have a great day.

    Do have a look at my blog whenever you find the time. There are some travel and lifestyle content which you may find interesting. Your thoughts will surely be very valuable. Stay connected. 😊

    • Hi – Thankyou for your thoughts and I’m so glad that you feel strongly about these dear animals. I hope you do make the switch eventually because plants taste awesome and there is so much variety that you will never miss meat – but you will do it in your own time. It begins with awareness and that the reason I share information. I will certainly check your blog out and stay in touch 💜😊

    • All life is sacred and if we began at the so called bottom in the insect kingdom and worked our way up through the food chain with the greatest of care…all life would be honoured. At the moment there is no depth, no breadth and it all disappears to easily. Money – we think we can’t do without it yet at the end of life we reach for hands and hearts of our loved ones – not more cash. This virus takes even that away – the lonely deaths due to risk of infection are so sad. Stay safe.

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