Lawler, Andrew–The Chicken: A Mirror of Humanity

What this episode covers

Where chickens thrive humans are nearby. Portable and good travelers, chickens have been carried by humans around the world. Currently there are three chickens alive at any one time for each individual person alive on earth. Descendants of dinosaurs, chickens are primarily cared for by women, they’re a never ending source of slang and continue to be depicted in religious and/or political symbols around the world. Americans eat, on average, 80 pounds of chicken per year—four times the world average. But, chickens raised for food are not considered animals under U.S. law and are generally not subject to humane treatment regulations. Our guest is Andrew Lawler, author of “Why Did the Chicken Cross the World? The Epic Saga of the Bird That Powers Civilization.” Andrew Lawler and I visited by phone from his home in the North Carolina hills on March 27, 2015, and began our conversation when I asked him how far back the lineage of the chicken goes in world history. The book Andrew Lawler recommends is “Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies,” by Jared M. Diamond. Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below.

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