An animal underestimated, and sometimes unseen. Underappreciated…and porcine. Questions of the history of pork taboo and the interesting relationship between pigs and humans has given birth to an astounding documentary: Magnificent Beast. Headed by Maine-based Asian American author Tess Gerritsen (author of the famed novels turned tv-series, Rizzoli and Isles) and her son Josh, this documentary travels the world to find why some cultures abstain from pork, the evolution of the pig population, and the pig’s dynamic relationship with people. From taking them on as pets, to raising them for sustenance, to hunting them for control, this animal’s complicated characteristics makes them both wonderful and dangerous.
“I am in awe of them as an animal.” Josh explained. “They are just an interesting mix of an animal that is so highly intelligent and if you were to have to battle one in hand-to-hand combat in the woods, you would lose… Yet they’re also incredibly delicious so there’s nothing like that in the world.” Josh went into his own discovery of the complexities of the pig. Inspired by The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, Josh pursued a career in farming in Maine after completing an apprenticeship in Massachusetts. “When I moved back to Maine, I raised pigs as part of my farming venture.” Josh said. “So, I got first-hand experience with how to to raise and how to manage them and Tess and I really love to eat pork so that was a big part of why I raised pigs.”
In fact, Tess and Josh’s love of pork not only spurred the raising of pigs to eat but also inspired the questions that led them to their inquisitive and mind reeling documentary. “You know, we’re Chinese American” Tess began, “and of course pork is a big part of the Chinese diet. So, I was traveling in Turkey on business and really wanted bacon and couldn’t get it because it’s a Muslim country so it occurred to me that it was an interesting idea that people would turn down a nutritious source of protein. Why would that meat be banned?” Different cultures across the world restrict certain food based on religious practices. For reasons that range from an animal being deemed unclean, to cultural taboos that have spread through the years, and pork is one of the biggest ones. “The pork taboo goes back thousands of years and it’s not the only food taboo in the world.” Tess went into depth about the cultures, her background in anthropology propelling her. “The Hindus don’t eat beef and we as Americans will never eat dog or horse meat while horse meat is very popular in France. So where are these taboos coming from? And you know when I was in anthropology in college the idea was that it was diseased that kept people away from pork. That you could get trichinosis. That was the original idea but the more we talked to people the more we realize that this did not make scientific sense. People just would not connect something they ate three weeks ago with the illness they have today.”
Through their investigations, they found that the answer to this taboo lied more in the cultural identity of each group. Jewish in particular do not eat pork. This point of view and further explorations of how the pork taboo plays into Jewish cultural identity is also examined in the film. Aside from some Christian denominations and Muslim’s, Jewish are one of the biggest non-pork eaters. “We came up with more of an identity explanation.” Tess said. “It is a way of using; we eat don’t eat pork we are special; you do eat pork you are the other. I think cultures are always trying to define who is us and who is them and what you eat is one way of defining that.” Solving this mystery of “Us versus Them” in terms of food led to realizations when it came to pig domestication.
Pet Keen estimates that there are nearly one million pet pigs in U.S. households. “We wanted to solve this mystery but in solving the mystery of the pork taboo, we realized that a lot of it had to do with the history of domestication. It had to do with human peak interactions it had to do with how we view the pig.” Those who take them on as pets quickly learn that a pet pig is a lot of work on account of their size and a cat like attitude that does not hinge on servitude. But the pig is also a lot more. Josh commented on their intelligence. Most of the pet pig owners they interviewed owned dogs as well and never failed to assure Tess and Josh that their pigs were smarter than their dogs. “Another goal of the film was to show people how amazing this animal is.” Josh said. “You know one of the reasons why it is a taboo is how it’s so similar to us.” The maternal nature of pigs plus their adaptivity and cleanliness are facts that most people don’t know about.
“The word pig in itself is a denigrating term. You call someone a pig. That’s a bad thing. I didn’t realize how smart they are.” Tess recounted. The negative connotations that have followed the pig have been used as insults, reprimands, and more, making it hard for people to see how incredible the animal is. “We underestimate how really basically clean they are. They don’t want to be dirty. They get in the mud because it’s sunscreen and it’s an insect repellent and they need to get out of the heat. But in a house they have no odor. They’re very smart. They’re quick to house break. They actually make very intelligent pets it’s just that they get so big.”
However, they take it even further than domestication. Pig as food becomes an ethical implication as well. There are questions of how they are being treated and how we regard the sacrifice of an animal that is now on our plates. Different cultures have ways of respecting animals and Native American’s are one of the most noteworthy. They regarded the spirits of animals, thanking them for their sacrifice before, during, and after hunting them. When asked about a chef that practices ethical raising and slaughtering of pigs, Tess had this to say. “She raises pigs the way pigs should be raised. They are free to roam around their pens. They get the best meals. They seem to be very happy pigs. They are not couped up in pens and when it comes times to slaughter them it’s done in the most humane way possible. You know native American’s, whenever they slaughtered buffalo, they would always honor the spirit of the animal and honor the sacrifice. I think in a parallel way, she is doing the same thing with the pigs.”
Josh added, “We’ve completely lost that connection to what was on our plates and how it got there and highlighting that is, I think, really essential to just appreciating that sacrifice.” Tess also made sure to note that this increases the need for people to buy from ethical farms, to be more mindful about the source of their food.
There is also a hunting culture that seeps into the film. Wild pig hunting to thin populations of harmful pigs and pig infestations is explored. Tess explained that it can be more about control, but also noted that some hunters will sell the pigs they catch, or use them as food, aside from just hunting and killing them. “That night of hunting made us realize it’s not an easy job. As opponents they’re very worthy.” Tess commented. Exploring the pig in this way has given light to how dangerous they can be but also how they are treated, how we as people treat them, and what magnificent animals they are. In terms of a food source, adversary, and pet, it might be time for people to regard swine differently. To regard meat differently, the sacrifice of the animal and how we domesticate certain animals. Tess and Josh found much more than their initial question asked for and watching this documentary will open people’s eyes in ways that are both fascinating and jaw-dropping. Magnificent Beast is available on pbs.org for streaming, along with Amazon and iTunes. Readers can also learn more at Magnificentbeastmovie.com.
