Got Beef? Apparently not!

It was with great interest that I discovered a few weeks ago the closing of the local grass-fed beef (and other assorted animal flesh) store. This place opened up with great fanfare on Seneca Street in downtown Ithaca several years back. There were ads, signs, announcements, a decked-out storefront complete with a bar-b-que with plastic meats "grilling" on top. Then the place moved to a new location so that in addition to a morgue, it could also be a restaurant. Because so many Ithacans crave the taste of free-range animal flesh (in addition to wanting a dog park and supporting the no-kill county animal shelter), the place was likely doing a good business, and to tap into the market of animal eaters who are too lazy to cook the poor beasts themselves, Sebastian's was born.

It seemed that the place was here to stay, and every time I drove by, the stupid Got Beef neon sign was burning in the window. Until a few weeks ago, that is. Now the store and its coolers are empty. A paper sign on the door indicates that the place is for rent, and the Got Beef sign, although still hanging in the window, is now satisfyingly dark. The restaurant's number has also been disconnected. Perhaps this means that some gentle life will be spared somewhere, or that a new one will not be created to fill the space left when another is shipped to slaughter.

Now when I drive by, I think of a beautiful animal chewing his cud in a field rather than being chewed on in this store. I think of a big, wet nose, breathing contentedly in the grassy country air -- throughout a long and pain-free life. A different world really is possible.

I must give credit where credit is due: there was a veggie burger on the menu. But its inclusion was small consolation when the rest of the menu read like a who's who of suffering farmed animals. If you know that some people don't eat meat, aren't you also aware of the reasons? Wouldn't you know that there's something unsavory about raising and killing animals simply for food?

I should perhaps feel bad for the owner, though. Any time someone's local business folds it likely creates a hardship for the owner and his or her family. Then again, if he were a slave trader, would I have any sympathy? Unlikely. And selling the bodies of animals is a form of slavery, so my sympathy comes to an end before it even begins. So long, Sebastian's. Let's hope that's the end of the meateteria trend in Ithaca (or anywhere else).

There's one other local place that's making a name for itself with local meat. One down, one to go...