Chapter 2 - starting life on the farm

I'll never forget my first meal on the farm. It had not occurred to me that living in a different culture and on a farm meant revaluating my vegan diet; my primary driver was because I wanted animals treated humanely. Seeing this loving family open their house to me, and loving their animals, I decided on the spot that eating meat was the right thing to do. I was first served a hearty lentil soup which was delightfully tasty. At the time I thought that it was the meal, but after I was already full a large plate was put in front of me with a vegetable mash covered in gravy and surrounded by a crown of smoked sausage. My first time eating meat in years---and I could barely contain myself with how tasty everything felt. Everyone also had a big glass of raw milk fresh from one of the cows; deliciously creamy it was one of the best things I've ever tasted. After eating what would at home have been a second dinner, I was served a big bowl full of yogurt. Seeing how everyone else in the family had eaten seconds, Lea asked me if I did not like her food. I told her that the jet lag just interefered with my appetite, and I would probably be better in a day or two. Tiredness indeed was setting in, and it took all my energy to make it upstairs to my room. Jan carried my bags, and told me that they'd give me work clothes tomorrow.

Before heading to sleep, I looked at myself in the mirror. Although I could still count every rib, the enormous meal gave me a bulging food baby. Before bothering to unpack my bags I fell asleep naked on my bed.

The next morning I woke to a loud knocking on my door. Barely sunrise, Jan wanted me to help milk cows before breakfast. He told me that my city clothes were inappropriate for the farm, and brought something much more practical: traditional Dutch farm clothes. I had a loose fitting navy shirt, and dark loose-fitting trousers that went down to my knees. After giving me a moment to put on the clothes, he asked if they fit. I told him that they were quite loose and he returned shortly thereafter with suspenders. He said, "These should help you for now. It is kinda funny, I outgrew those pants at around age 12." Made me realize how maybe being a vegan all those years might not have been the best choice. Speaking of food, although I usually eat first thing in the morning, after the enormous dinner last night I was not hungry yet. We walked across a field to the barn, where cows were dutifully waiting to be milked.

I had never milked a cow before, so this was quite the test. We put a bucket below the udder, and Jan taught me that I had to do a steady bottom to top motion to make milk squeeze out. The first time I tried, milk went everywhere. After a few minutes practice, I began to slowly fill the bucket. Jan came over, and said that it was important to do quality control. Apparently at the beginning of each bucket we should take a sample to make sure that the taste was right. I told him that I had no idea what raw milk should taste like, and he said that stressed cows made milk less sweet and creamy. In any event nothing had ever tasted quite like the milk and I really liked it. To be safe I started pouring myself a full cup of milk before every bucket. After about half an hour my arms got tired fo all the motion, and I started slowing down.

Fortunately Jan said that it was time for breakfast. We walked back to the farm for breakfast. Entering the house, I coudl already smell the tasty food. Lea asked if my arms were starting to get sore, and when I said yes, she said that it would take a while to build strength in someone as lean as me. I should make sure that I ate enough food because it helped build muscles. She gave me a plate with several slices of bread topped with cheese and cold meats. Once I sat down, she also gave me some granola filled with milk still warm from the barn. Even though I had the smallest breakfast, I left the table with quite a full belly. Lea suggested that I spend the morning working with Emma herding the goats to give my arms some rest.

After a few hours with the goats, Emma said it was time for lunch. Unbeknownst to me, she had brought quite the feast for us to share. In her backpack she had several large sandwich made of brown bread and cheese. She also had two metal pint glasses, and encouraged me to try the fresh goat milk as a beverage. Although it was tasty, I think I preferred the cow milk. We both ate two large sandwiches, and I was quite full. She asked me if I wanted the third sandwich and I said it was ok for her to have it. Afterwards she pulled out a few boiled eggs, and offered them to me. We both ate a few eggs before returning to work.

That afternoon Jan joined us to help milk the goats. By the time sunset finally arrived I was at the same time famished and incredibly HUNGRY. Leah was impressed when I went for seconds of the mashed potatos, and of the steak. It was clear that farm work had helped improve my appetite. Washing it all down with a generous amount of fresh milk, I barely made it for teh cold custard dessert. My stomach was even more full than the previous night, and it was all I could do to head upstairs to my bedroom and sleep before the food coma set in.

I woke up around three in the morning quite hungry. Wrapping myself in just a towel, I left the bedroom. Tip toeing downstairs, I went to the fridge. Pouring myself a nice big glass of milk, I also too a few slices of bread and slathered butter. Just as I started to head upstairs Emma entered the kitchen. She nodded approvingly of my late night snack, and said that it was wonderful when WOOFers made themselves at home. She then looked at my whimsical attire---I had a towel wrapped around my waist. She said that if I can keep up eating, some day my ribs might not be visible and my arms might grow strong enough to be more useful on the farm. With her kidding I took another glass of milk, and another piece of toast. She then asked me how much I weighed when I arrived. I told her that in America we measured weight in pounds, but I thought that the conversation was pounds divided by 2.2, which at 113 pounds would have made me a little more than 50 kg. She said that was adorable; she hit 50 kg back before she was nine and at eighteen was more like 113 kg. With all the extra physical activity, and the incredible fresh organic food, I wondered how long it would take for my body to adapt.