Would you rather be an Animal, Vegetable, or Miracle?
I would definitely be a vegetable. The obvious choice seems to be miracle, but not everyone agrees on what a miracle is. Some might say a rainbow is a miracle while others think going to sleep for 100 years every night is one. (That’s from the musical Brigadoon.) Being an animal is just too chancy. Sure, you could be someone’s pet or an animal living in the mighty african jungles, but you can also end up as a cow bred for slaughter, eating nothing but grain (a food definitely not meant for cows) and standing in a pool of your own poop. Being a vegetable is definitely the way to go. The worst thing that can happen to you is rotting or being eaten, because (thankfully), you make your own food.
Questions having to do with Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
1.) Where can I find farmer’s markets/local foods where I live?
2.)How can I tell if my food is really organic?
3.)What foods grow during each season and when should I plant tomatoes?
4.)How does the US compare with other countries when it comes to eating local food?
5.) Would you rather be an Animal, Vegetable, or miracle?
What was the best part of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle?
The most intriguing part of this book for me was the daughter Lily’s egg business and the process of “harvesting” turkeys. Actually, it was pretty much anything to do with the livestock on their small farm. I don’t think it s necessarily the cold hard facts of raising poultry that had me interested, it was the authors personification of the animals. On page 329, she refers to her hens as “teen moms of the more stereotypical kind”. She says “‘I’m not ready to be tied down’ was the general mindset. ‘Free Bird’ was the anthem.” This was all because the hens were too silly to sit on their eggs and keep them warm.
Why do I want to know everything about this book?
I chose the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver for two major reasons. One was that the book is written by Barbara Kingsolver and I love her fiction books and she happens to live in Virginia! Also, I wanted to know why my tomato crop failed this year, and I’d heard she writes a ton about tomatoes. (Turns out I planted them too late.) With the family going “locatarian” (a term that may or may not be made up meaning only eating local foods), a lot of gardening had to be done. I love to garden, but unfortunately, I’m very bad at it (hence the failed tomatoes). I had hopes that Animal, Vegetable, Miracles would help me, and I hope my hopes are fulfilled!
