StevenLaura

Last week sometime, L decided to purchase some morally superior eggs. Having dismissed the $4.00 per dozen eggs at the local farmers market as "too expensive" she then went to the local hippie food mart and spent "something less than $4.00." The eggs she came home were in packaging worth at least 20 cents more than that of our regular eggs, and each one had the words "BORN FREE" tattooed on the side, along with a code number and expiration date.

This got me to thinking. What does it mean for an egg to be "born free?" Has an egg actually been born? Can an egg be free? How can an egg be both free and cost $4.00 a dozen? Does the higher price for these eggs reflect the higher opportunity cost for an egg that has been born free? Did this free egg choose to sell itself back into slavery and consumption? For that matter, how can I buy an egg that has been emancipated? Should I feel guilty for trading in potential chicken life? Shouldn't I feel more guilty about eating one?

Well the last question was answered for me when we tasted these special eggs. They were delicious. Delicious enough to assuage all guilty feelings about egg trafficking. Why do these eggs taste better? Is it because the egg is happier? A quick look at the eggs' website (http://www.bornfreeeggs.com/) answered this query:

Since our hens are Cage Free, they have the freedom to select a comfortable
place to nest and lay their eggs. Along with being Cage Free, our hens are also
fed a premium vegetarian diet enriched with whole grains and soy protein. This
feed is Antibiotic Free, Pesticide Free and Free of Growth Hormones. We feed our
hens only premium vegetarian feed. It’s made from whole grains and enriched with
soy protein. Better feed for our hens gives you better eggs for your family.

No, I did not make a mistake, this repetitive text is from their webpage. Did you catch that the hen's diet is vegetarian, enriched with whole grains and protein?

So it is technically the hen that is happy, fit, and free. Apparently happy, fit, free hens make happy eggs. Tasty eggs.

Labels: free eggs, liberty equality fraternity, tasty eggs