NotMilk.com
September 2014
On Thursday, September 11, 2014, the Ottumwa Courier reported that an 860,000 fish kill along 28 miles of pristine waterways near Ottumwa was caused by a massive dairy farm manure spill.
Fish and Dairy Do Not Mix in Ottumwa, Iowa
"How like herrings and onions our vices are in the morning after we have
committed them."
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
* * * *
During my twentieth century pre-vegan days of gluttony, I was a big fan of
Jewish soul food. One of my favorite Sunday morning breakfasts was herring
in sour cream sauce served with thinly sliced onions and rye bread.
Invariably, an hour after overeating this dairy-infused fish up to my gills,
I would suffer a painful stomach ache. The culinary pleasure was worth the
subsequent inevitable suffering.
Ottumwa, Iowa is farm country. If you were a M*A*S*H fan, you know that one
of the main characters from the television show, movie, and book of the same
name was Corporal "Radar" O'Reilly. Radar's hometown was Ottumwa, Iowa, and
he represented all that was wonderful and sometimes naive about rural
America.
In 2014, half of the working people employed in Ottumwa were employed by
either the Cargill Meat Company or tractor-manufacturer, John Deere. Ottumwa
represents all things agricultural in America.
Last week, in place of stomach aches, the good people of Ottumwa suffered
massive headaches after learning that fish and dairy do not mix.
On Thursday, September 11, 2014, the Ottumwa Courier reported that an
860,000 fish kill along 28 miles of pristine waterways near Ottumwa was
caused by a massive dairy farm manure spill.
After Radar (Gary Burghoff) left the M*A*S*H series, he became the
television spokesman for the BP oil company and then opened up an ice cream
shop in Hawaii.
*****
"Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to reveal a social disaster."
- Jim Wallis
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