Why I bought a cow and you should too

So. I live in the centre of Copenhagen, in a loft apartment on the 4th floor. And I own a cow. Like, a real, breathing cow that you can pet, kill and eat. Don’t worry. It doesn’t live in Copenhagen with me.

I was raised in the country and I have been used to meat being something, that gets delivered as half animals, every 6 months and butchered on the kitchen table by my parents. Growing up we had 3 chest-freezers and my parents would NEVER buy a packet of meat from the supermarket. Everything was organic, local and fresh. Not because it was trendy, but because that was just the way it was. And let’s just dwell on the fact that I am not an old granny, I’m 29.

It wasn’t until I grew up and started buying my own food, that I realised that it isn’t normal to live like that anymore. For a few years I was fascinated by the fact I could buy things in neat plastic packages that just needed 30 mins. in the oven or that I could get pre-made salad dressings . That lasted until I realised how horrible it is for you to eat, and how little joy it brings you.

That’s when I bought a cow.

I am fortunate that my aunt and uncle own a small farm an hour from my apartment, and as they invested in a small group of cows, they offered that we could purchase one. So, me, my boyfriend and a friend of ours bought Burger Palace. And let me tell you. It’s a pretty good deal.

This is why:

It’s a pretty good business
Yes, it demands a bit of an investment, but when your cow starts breeding, you will get a new calf every year. That is way too much meat for us, so we can sell half the calf and actually make a profit. On top of that, we get meat for a year and never have to buy a boring old packet of minced beef in the supermarket.

We get amazing quality meat
Meat from a cow that has eaten grass and hay its entire life, a cow that lives outside for 365 days a year, that get’s to feed its own calf in a natural way and who never receives drugs or unnatural measures to be more productive, is just completely different than what you are used to. The meat smells and tastes like real beef, and thus our food tastes way better than it ever has before.

It’s healthy for us and the environment
It is commonly known that meat-production is the biggest threat to our environment. Burger Palace — well, the polution she produces is pretty natural (if ya’ know what I’m saying). Furthermore, we get to eat meat without antibiotics, hormones and penicilin in it. It’s a pretty win-win deal.

We value the meat much more
We know where it comes from, we know the love that went into breeding it and we know that a living creature sacrificed its life, for us. So every time we take out a packet of meat from the freezer, we treat it with respect and we put all our efforts into making it as delicious as possible. Meaning, we get really tasty food.

We understand where our food comes from
Yes. The cow has to die, and we are totally okay with that. Every time any of us buy meat, it comes from an animal that died.

But I know that the animal that died for me had a good and healthy life, which for me is much better than ignoring the fact that the animal I’m consuming lived a stressful and unnatural life.

If any meat-eater decide not to buy a cow because they think it’s mean to kill it, they are literally the biggest hypocrite in the world. So there.

We get to name and pet it, and it’s pretty damn cute
So. We named it Burger Palace after a nasty burger bar in our neighbourhood, that we used to go to. And well. Let’s face it — it will produce a lot of good burgers for us, just as the burger bar did.
We go see the cow reguarly, feed it apples in the fall, pet it and Instagram it. With that comes walks around the farm, fresh chicken eggs, apples in the fall and some dirt under our fingernails.

It’s a great talking-point
Not only has it been the focus of this post, but talking to people about owning a cow is a great subject. People are surprised, some shocked, but mostly they say they want one themselves.

So, go buy one! If you are not as lucky as us to have family members with land, find a co-op farm near you and do it through them. It will bring you so much joy and I promise you, completely change the way you look at food for good.

If you have any questions, please contact me on rikke_oestergaard@hotmail.com or +45 31 33 13 29