Cruelty

It is incredible how cruel humans can be. I have never had much pity or been rather positive towards humanity. I have said it many times before a subject like this comes up. Humans are selfish creatures, that seek whats best for themselves without much benevolence or respect towards others, specially towards those inferior to them. I have been reading the chapter about fire in Consider the Fork and came across a not medieval, but medieval like human or animal powered roasting spit.

In order to slow cook food, people since the middle of the fifteenth century in Europe people started using roasting spits. It was an arduous labor that took at least 10 hours to complete. It was not only tiring, but those turning it "must have near-roasted themselves" (Pg. 88). It was the specialty in the large mansions of the medieval wealthy, servants would "charr their faces and tire their arms to satisfy the royal appetite for roast capons and ducks and venison and beef, crammed in cubbyholes to the side of the fireplace" (Pg. 90). The onerous job of turning the spit for hours was so accepted that the job even had a proper name: the "turnspit" or "turn broach". It was the position for the poorest, youngest and animals to take. The worker changed through time. First, young boys used to have the job, then dogs, then geese (as they had deemed to be dumber, and easier to trick for the job) and then african american boys. 

It enrages me that people could have been so cruel to animals, and especially other human beings just for the sake of their big fat bellies. They should be charged with gluttony in the inferno. It is absurd to have dogs walk indefinitely for twelve hours. Turnspit dogs "used to hide themselves or run away when they observes indications that there was to be roast for dinner" (Pg. 92). The cruelest I believe is that fact, than when animal rights supporters, made it illegal to have turnspit dogs, they "had been replaces at the fire by young black children"(Pg. 90). There is not modesty in the European high class of the time. With each more act of egocentrism I think I dislike humanity a little more each time. It is simply amazing how people can do that just for food.