A Daily Bonnet reader was gracious enough to share this photograph taken at her local market. Apparently, there’s something so special about “Mennonite raised chicken” that people are willing to pay a premium for it. Not only that, but it’s being sold right next to something called “Naturally raised chicken”?
The question is: What does “Mennonite raised chicken” even mean?
Here are some possible options:
- the chicken was baptized upon confession of its faith or just before getting married at the age of 17.
- the chicken was in the Friesen Book.
- the chicken was routinely spanked with a wooden spoon and/or had its beak washed out with soap whenever it had a bad attitude.
- before the chicken met its demise, it was known to be the only bird in the pen to squawk out Hymn 606 every night before bedtime.
- the chicken was fed nothing but kielke and crackles since it was a young chick.
- the chicken was excommunicated by all the other chickens and, thus, was first on the list for a trip to the grocery store.
- the chicken was sent outside every Sunday afternoon so the mother hen and rooster could have a nice meddachschlop.
- if you ask the butcher, you can take home a bag of chicken giblets, complete with a miniature chicken-size pair of suspenders or a cute little chicken-sized bonnet.
The photo also raises the question: Are they implying that it’s somehow “unnatural” to be raised a Mennonite? Oba, nay!