アジアは北海道のミルクが好きです。(Asia Loves Hokkaido’s Milk.)
Make no mistake about it-I live in cow country. I’m reminded of that not so subtly when I drive into one of the small towns in my county, or am somewhere out in the hills, and I run smack into a cloud of latent fecal matter wafting gently out over the over road.
Personally, I’ve always had a slight distaste for the cow itself. I find them to be dim-witted and lugubrious; slow-moving shit factories that seem to revel in their own mediocrity. Every time I’ve tried to engage one of them all I get back is a blank, anonymous stare; like the lights are out behind the eyes…Granted, after a couple thousand years of domesticity, I’m sure that humans have selected for those docile, feeble-minded traits but it doesn’t make me any more sympathetic.
I do, however, have sympathy for the conditions that dairy and “beef” cows are commonly subjected to. I’m not going to go into any of the factory farming particulars right here, as you can get that information from many sources, but I can say that it’s a real hell hole that most of them live in day to day so that you can enjoy their bodies and the products they produce. If you’re a meat or dairy eater you owe it to yourself to find out what happens to the animals that you consume.
Here in Hokkaido our cows are known for milk. There are other areas in Japan, most notably Kobe, that are known for their production of cow flesh but that’s not our specialty in these northern climes. Especially here in EH where, as I’ve said before, the weather is too shitty to produce anything much of value; except for endless hectacres of grass…and that’s where the cows come in.
Thankfully, as compared to most factory farming operations, the cows here still live out their lives in a pastoral setting. They still actually get to graze in pastures and have probably never eaten a kernal of corn in their lives (as diametrically opposed to their American brethern). During the endless, brutal winter here they are lucky enough to still munch on the long-dried products of the summer grass extravaganza. In these respects, they have it quite good.
Most of the kids that I “teach” are from dairy farming families. I still have yet to tour one of the farms but I’m sure if I enquired I could manage an invitation at some point…I’d mostly be interested in getting some answers to the questions of what happens to the male calfs that are born (as they can’t produce milk), what is the “shelf life” of a dairy cow, and what happens to her after she can’t fufil her quota anymore. In the states, and other industrial production places, the answers to these questions would be 1) killed, 2) a few years, and 3) killed. I can’t imagine that it’s much different here but it could be. Maybe they set the old ones out to pasture to live out their days but I doubt it. From an economic standpoint the farmer would be losing money on a cow that didn’t produce and their profit margins (if there are any) are already razor thin.
The farmers out here join collectives. Large trucks come around to collect their milk and then bring it to a substation. From there it’s taken to a producing plant, where they do whatever it is that is done to milk or other dairy products, and then shipped out to local and other places.
In fact, the town that I am in today actually has a milk and butter producing facility. Some of my student’s fathers work there. As every place in Japan has to be “famous” for something (it’s borders on pathological) this plant has a patent on the butter it produces. When I enquired about what exactly that patent consisted of, I was told that the butter is already partially pre-cut into pats. Well, there you have it. Apparently, you can buy it here too so I’ll get myself down to the store soon and check it out!
But this has been a real digression…The whole reason I started this post was because of a short article in the Japan Times about how Hokkaido milk has been growing in popularity since last year’s melamine-tainted Chinese milk scandal (when will people start to learn that there are no controls in China and it’s dangerous to eat anything coming from there-communists [in name only these days] may control the people but they can’t seem to control what gets into the food supply).
The milk that is getting sent overseas is “long-life” milk (i.e. highly pasteurized) and is produced in Asahikawa and Hidaka, so no EH milk makes out into the distant world but I’m sure that most of it gets consumed in or around this area. At least it stays local and there is something to be said for that. Once the oil shocks start to really hit, say in a few years, people are going to be forced to change their eating habits and are going to have to eat more locally and more seasonally. Are you ready to do that?
