The second half of Mike Gebert’s There Will Be Pork went up a few days ago. In case you missed it on The Stew, VI, its journalistic home on the Reader, or — of course — on Mike’s own site, you can watch it here!
This half of the two-part opus spends a lot of time in the slaughterhouse, so maybe it’s not early-morning viewing for everyone. We found ourself tabbing out every so often just for breakfast conservation.
Highlights:
- a deeply terrifying sort of hollow knife on the wall behind Paul Kahan (02:50)
- Hooks: terrifying.
- The American Association of Meat Processors has a Hall of Fame. And Merlyn J. Eickman was a 1993 inductee. (06:56)
- Eickman’s has high school kids come through on school-led tour groups. So cool. Also terrifying.
- OMG EICKMAN’S SELLS BEAR MEAT AND LION MEAT OMG. (“What purpose does the lion serve?” “Edible product.”) (08:30)
- The camera cuts out for the actual slaughter, and when we come back we’re in black and white. Deep.
- Jason Hammel of Lula Cafe on slaughter: “Life didn’t just end at any one spot. It was ending.”
- Probably the most disturbing part: the pigs, post-scalder. (10:50)
- Also upsetting: A strung-up pig with Mike Sula’s name on it, literally. (12:17)
Sky Full of Bacon 06: There Will Be Pork (pt. 2) from Michael Gebert on Vimeo.
