On May 4th, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg shocked his 847 friends on his private Facebook page with his status update: “I just killed a pig and a goat”.
No, this isn’t a new hobby. The eccentric 27-year-old multi-billionaire has announced that he is currently only eating meat from animals that he has killed himself. In a subsequent email to Fortune magazine, Zuckerberg explains his decision, putting it down as his latest annual challenge. Last year, he challenged himself to learn Mandarin Chinese. The year before, it was to wear a tie every day. Says Zuckerberg: “This year, my personal challenge is around being thankful for the food I have to eat. I think many people forget that a living being has to die for you to eat meat, so my goal revolves around not letting myself forget that and being thankful for what I have. This year I've basically become a vegetarian since the only meat I'm eating is from animals I've killed myself.”
According to Fortune, he got the idea from well-known Silicon Valley chef Jesse Cool, who runs Flea Street Café, a restaurant close to Zuckerberg’s home in California. She introduced him to several farmers who showed him how to best kill his first chicken, pig and goat. After that, the dead creatures go to a butcher in Santa Cruz who cuts them into parts. Zuckerberg and his longtime girlfriend Priscilla, have been cooking what he slaughters, eating what many people would not dare consume. He recently ate a chicken, including the heart and liver, and used the feet to make stock. He posted a photo of the bird on his Facebook page, along with a list of the dishes he made from it.
Zuckerberg’s training moved from sea creatures to land animals. His first kill was a lobster, which he boiled alive. According to him, it was an emotionally difficult kill. However, upon his first bite, it was a completely different situation: "The most interesting thing was how special it felt to eat it after having not eaten any seafood or meat in a while."
Zuckerberg’s new and unusual diet has been met with reactions ranging from curiosity to downright disgust. However, at least one man approves. Says Dan Barber, chef and co-owner of the farm-to-table restaurant Blue Hill in New York City: "I do think it's important for anyone who wants to be conscious of their food and where it comes from," calling it "an incontestably moral act". In addition, vegetarians might also have a bone to pick with his declaration of being “basically a vegetarian” just because he slaughters his own meat. Whatever it is, this seems like a good move by a man of high profile to raise awareness of the origins of our food and sustainable farming. In the words of Michael Pollan (author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma) who tweeted regarding Zuckerberg’s efforts: “Good for him.”
