This morning, as I got ready for work, I was treated to a live prawn execution by boiling on Global TV. It was part of the station's regular weekend feature, "Saturday Chefs", a TV spot in which local chefs get to demonstrate their cooking.

Global TV's newsperson for this vignette, Sophie Lui, was hosting, and watched, mildly horrified, as the chef poured boiling water over live prawns. She asked the chef whether this was painful, and the chef replied that there was no pain, that "it's all good". The chef insinuated that the prawns died painlessly within 30 seconds of the boiling water being poured over them.

I still can't believe that I just saw this on national television today. At the time I was watching it my thoughts were 'Holy... I can't believe they might actually boil these prawns alive in national TV - this is 2008 - there's awareness now, people KNOW, oh my God he just did it...' as the "it's all good" chef poured boiling water over his very alive culinary victims.

Sickened as I was by this, the greater blow came when the camera panned back to reveal the auxilliary guest of the live boiling - a Mr. Mike McDermid, identified by Global TV, as speaking on behalf of the Vancouver Aquarium
about sustainable fishing (apparantly it's okay to boil creatures alive if they are LOCAL creatures).

What if a chef thrust a live raccoon into a pot of boiling water on national television, announced it was "all good" no pain, cooked in 30 seconds, and then the local conservation officer came on screen and helped eat it, saying how great it was, it's all local and "sustainable" (catchword of the decade meaning it's okay to destroy it).

Shame on Global TV. Shame on people who eat food that entrenches suffering. Shame on the Vancouver Aquarium.

This is 2008. When will we ever see that sustainability is more than an issue about sustaining humans?

And will we ever understand that sustainability depends completely on respect for ALL life? If we ever do, then hallelujah, for that respect will also include the understanding that all life can suffer, including prawns.