Eating Roadkill: Vegan, Veganish, or Just Plain Gross?

OK, I'll admit it. I am a thoroughly confused TreeHugger. On the one hand, I recognize that sustainability needs to appeal to the masses if we have any hope of cutting carbon emissions at the rate necessary. So palatable mainstream solutions like Zip Car, high-tech organic farming, integrating solar with agriculture, or simply encouraging urban density have more chance of saving us than hoping we all start growing our own vegetables and learning how to hunt. On the other hand, there's a lot to be learned from intrepid back-to-the-landers about efficiency, waste and reprioritizing what is truly valuable. So it's in this spirit that I offer up my next post. And the subject, dear readers, is the delightful topic of how to eat roadkill.

I know this is definitely at the extreme end of what most folks would consider acceptable, and it is hardly the stuff of mainstream sustainability. (After all, we'll have to do an awful lot of driving to feed the world on roadkill!) Nevertheless, I have a friend who used to eat pretty much vegan. The only exception she would make was eating the occasional roadkill deer that her friends would scavenge. Her argument was that she was not contributing to any market for meat, and the animal's death would otherwise have been completely in vain. This was her way of honoring the life of a fellow creature. (And she also got a tasty guilt-free meal of venison in the process.)