Most Americans really do not know much about where their food comes from. They understand that beef comes from cows, and pork from pigs, but beyond that they really cannot tell you one cut of beef from another. In fact, most Jewish people who eat kosher can tell you more about meat than the rest of the population put together. That is easily changed with a simple tour of a butcher shop. Some butcher shops will even provide tours to schoolchildren so that kids can see how sausage is made, and how meat is cut and trimmed into the food they buy. If you would like to know more about where your food comes from, you should tour a butcher shop yourself. Here are some more reasons why.

Adults Get the "Adult" Tour

Most butcher shop tours for kids are toned down so that kids are not traumatized. You will never see the full slaughter process from start to finish on the kids' tour, nor an animal decapitation or disemboweling. Adults who are interested in learning more about meat processing and packing get the full tour, which may include some of these gorier details. However, it is still a very educational and enlightening experience because you will learn where all of the different cuts of meat come from and why some cuts and some meats are rebuked by certain cultures.

Being More Informed Helps You Purchase Higher Quality Meat

A butcher shop tour helps you become more informed about meat and quality of meat. Knowing more about the quality of meat helps you select better quality meats for your own table at home. That transfers into healthier lifestyles and tastier dishes, too.

You Will Have Greater Respect for the Job Your Butcher Does

Not everyone can be a butcher. You have to have a really strong stomach for it, and the ability to detach emotionally from the work. You also have to know a lot about animal anatomy and physiology, and where to perform certain cuts to get meat, bones and ligaments to detach into cuts of meat before packaging and selling the meat in the shop's cases. A butcher has to set really high standards for cleanliness and sanitation, too. After you tour a butcher shop and see your butchers in action, you may have greater respect for the job that they do, since it definitely is not an easy job.