A Memorable Field Trip

So what is the story that started this electronic journey? Let me tell you:

One of the recurring field trips every Scout leader in Indianapolis took the troop to was Kingen & Company, the local meat packing plant. There was no escaping this enevitable trip. I believe I went three times--with my troop, my brother's den, and with 4-H. And always the same routine. Gather in the lobby for orientation. Then follow the guide's chronological tour of meat from hoof to slaughter to processing, smoking, and packaging, to the kitchen.

Now this is where memory gets fuzzy, but I recall that one of the first jobs my father had was with Kingen's. And I recall him telling us that one thing he did was stand at the top of the cattle chute and, as each beef was prodded up the chute he was to hit the animal in the head with a sledge hammer. The dazed animal then staggered down the chute, fell, and its neck was slit. How gruesome!! Yet, I recall starting the trip through this packing plant expecting to see dazed cows slipping and sliding to their deaths. Never happened. The guide pointed to the open area where the condemned livestock gathered. Then she pointed to another area and quickly proclaimed that that was were the cattle and hogs were slaughtered. I don't recall that she ever explained that process in great detail, although I am sure the Cub Scouts asked a lot of questions about it.

Next, we entered a very large, cold meat locker and saw many skinned and gutted carcasses hanging from large hooks. The odor was distinctive and overpowering and very new to me. A blend of blood and meat permeated the chill air and sawdust crunched under foot. This was the aging room. I was shocked that raw meat was left for so many days to "bleed."

The butchering area was interesting to me. We always bought our meat at a butcher shop and I was just tall enough to peer eye level into the meat cases. I had been confronted with meat in this form for years. It was, however, amazing to me to see men using saws as well as knives to cut such large pieces of meat.

For me the most interesting part of the trip was the explanation of the smoking process. Hams, lunch meat, and hot dogs were cured in these rooms and the aroma was very pleasant. This was also the aroma surrounding the plant and how we knew we were driving near the plant. When I unwrap a ham to cook for my family, that smoky smell reminds me briefly of this field trip. I quickly push aside the visions of slaughtered animals and continue the cooking chores.

The final stage in this tour is introduced with the question, "Does any one know what tripe is?"
Then the tour guide explains that very little is wasted in a packing plant. All the left over parts of meat are ground up in a big machine, including the tripe or stomach (ughhh), and made into sausage and hot dogs!! Yum!?!! We watch as the ground meat is forced into casings (did she say intestines?) and quickly twisted into links. End of tour.

Now who is ready for lunch? Yes, this tour always ended in a free lunch of chips, hot dogs, and sodas. No wonder it was a favorite trip for Scout leaders. Entertainment, educational, and a free lunch!! This was where you really proved you fortitude. How many hot dogs could you eat without reflecting on all that you had just seen? "Any questions?" inquires the guide.