Letters to the Editor: The Cruelty of Using Baby Goats for Tacos

To the editor:

I was quite intrigued by the piece in Sunday’s Times discussing the use of baby goats for making delicious, tender tacos (“Roasted baby goat tacos hide in a rural street food row near San Bernardino,” Feb. 25). Initially, the thought made my stomach turn, imagining the process of separating a 45-day-old, unweaned kid from its mother and preparing it for a meal. While I recognize the necessity of slaughtering animals for food, I wonder if there’s room for more compassion and decency in how it’s done. The article seemed to gloss over the brutality involved without acknowledging the deeper ethical considerations. At some point, humanity must rise above mere culinary pursuits.

Donald Gerecht, Los Angeles

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To the editor:

Kudos on the delightful article! Although I sometimes find myself at odds with certain practices, I still hold a certain fondness for seeing “old country” traditions alive and well in the States. Take, for example, raw milk straight from the goat or cow. While modern sensibilities might wince (and I do tip my hat to Louis Pasteur for his contributions), there’s a nostalgic charm in it. It brings to mind my mother, who grew up on a farm in Nebraska with her Swedish immigrant parents. She always spoke fondly of drinking milk “warm from the cow,” often noting her surprise at the taste of cold, store-bought milk when she first tried it more than a hundred years ago.

Bob Wieting, Simi Valley