When I arrived back from my long road trip over this past week, I did what any self respecting Minnesotan would do. I headed to the State Fair. This time we were able to introduce my mother to the many exciting and amazing aspects of our Great Minnesota Get-Together. From the butterheads to the cow barns, it truly is a feast.
Walking through the poultry barn, I was once again overcome with the beauty of the common, and not-so-common chicken. In nearby cages lazy rabbits slept or looked deeply into the eyes of their admirers. While my mother and I marveled at the sizes and colors of the rooster, one of the kings of the barnyard let out a whopping "Cock-a-doodle-doo!’ Across from us stood two young men, one with a camera in hand ready to photograph the beautiful bird. They both stopped in their tracks, their faces registering someplace between amazement and fear. "They really do that!" one said to the other.
Yes, it’s true. Roosters really say, "cock-a-doodle-do!" This, is of course, one of the great gifts of experiences like the Fair. Those who don’t live on or near a farm, or have never been near these animals, have the opportunity to be close enough to look them in the eye and be awe struck by something others see every day. We have the chance to see where our food comes from, who may grow it, and the link that binds us all together as eaters and growers.
Of course, not all make this connection. But I do. Which is probably why, a trip to the Fair always fills me with more than fatty food on a stick. It fills me with gratitude. Gratitude for those who have given their lives to farming…to keeping seeds, to planting and nurturing all the fields of vegetables and fruits that fuel my body. Gratitude for those who helped birth and raise chickens, cows, and pigs, those who gave them names even though they knew it would make it more difficult to give them up. Gratitude for what links we city-dwellers to those who labor and sacrifice to bring food to our tables.
It’s true. Roosters crow and farmers fuel the heart of this country. May we all do what we can to make sure it is always so and that they are held in the respect and honor that they should be.
"When the farmer comes to town with his wagon broken down, O the farmer is the one who feeds them all. If you’ll only look and see, I think you will agree that the farmer is the one who feeds them all." Pete Seeger