Run, Betsy

Jonathan Foer's book is hard to read.

Here's a story. It begins a chapter where he discusses the acts involved in transforming a living animal into a processed animal.

"Paradise Locker Meats used to be located somewhat closer to Smithville Lake, in northwestern Missouri. The original plant burned down in 2002 when a fire broke out as a result of a ham smoking gone awry. In the new facility is a painting of the old plant, with the image of a cow running from the back. This is a depiction of an actual event.

Four years before the fire, in the summer of '98, a cow escaped the slaughterhouse. She ran for miles -- which, if the story had ended there would have been remarkable enough to justify its telling. But this was some cow. She managed to cross roads, trample or otherwise disregard fences, and elude the farmers who were searching for her.

And when she came to Smithville's shore, she didn't test the water, think twice, or look back. She attempted to swim to safety -- the second leg of her triathlon -- wherever that might be. At the very least, she seemed to know what she was swimming from. Mario Fantasma -- the owner of Paradise Locker Meats -- received a phone call from a friend who saw the cow take the dive. The getaway finally ended when Mario caught up with her on the other side of the lake. Boom, boom, curtain. Whether this is a comedy or a tragedy depends on who you think the hero is."

________¹ From Jonathan Safran Foer's book, Eating Animals. Page 151.
Photo of Smithville Lake in Missouri from US Army Corps of Engineers Lake Photo Album