Hat's Off Day and a new cause

At 10am yesterday, like thousands of other Canadians I imagine, I logged onto the Olympic site to try to get tickets to the men's ice hockey gold medal game. And I'm sure, like thousands of Canadians, I instead waited in the "virtual waiting room", watching the screen refresh itself every 30 seconds. After 45 minutes, I thought screw this! I'm going to watch the Hat's Off Day Parade! My mom as I had mentioned in an earlier post, never objects when I suggest heading over to help celebrate the day - browsing, eating and spending money on nothing in particular. It is afterall just across the street. Hat's Off Day has been an annual event every June in the Burnaby Heights neighborhood I live in. Basically, Hastings Street, from Alpha Street to Boundary road is blocked off to traffic from about 8am to just after 2pm. I've only been going for the past few years as it is so close by. Before that, when I lived a whole 4 blocks away, I couldn't be bothered.
The parade starts at 9 am, but I didn't get out there until just before 11am - (pic with ship float). All kinds of, well not the most exciting floats or displays of local businesses, groups, causes and some, I just don't know what they are. But a great time for all. And there are thousands of people lining Hastings Street. After the parade is done, all the spectators flood the streets - (pic of crowd and yellow centre line). It's not everyday you can walk on the actual street!
The search begins to find the shortest lineup for some food! Amazingly there was no line up for the chicken souvlaki stand (perhaps not a good sign?) Nevertheless, I ate it anyway, although one piece of chicken looked undercooked to which my mom insisted it was fine and was dark meat and always looks like that. Mom's know, right?? So we walked down the street toward Willingdon, stopping here and there, my feeling sorry for the businesses that weren't getting as much attention as others ( that's one of my things, I feel sorry for businesses that don't seem to thrive) and even one band that had no one watching them at all!
A Barbershop Quartet! (pic with the chicken!! haha) Not something you see everyday! So we stopped and had a listen. Heading back towards Boundary, the classic cars were on display - (pic of the chicken - haha again) Quick, call dad and tell him to high tale it over here to check out the cars. Dad loves cars.
What about that ugly chicken you ask? The ugly chicken is not the one wearing the blue sweater, haha, that's me and I was unable to crop my gut out without cutting off what it said on the ugly chicken's t-shirt. I saw the chicken during the parade. I thought, man that's an ugly chicken mascot!!! What's he doing here, what does he represent? He made the Church's Chicken chicken look appetizing. The ugly chicken barely had any feathers, just broken tuffs as it it were plucked. And it's beak, the poor things beak was cut off at the tip! None of this stopped me from laughing hysterically, tears pouring out of my eyes because it was such a sad, ugly chicken! My mom looked at me as if I'd finally lost it. The gal walking with the chicken handed out a brochure that I didn't read until I got home.
Well it turns out the ugly chicken was intentionally ugly and debeaked for a reason. He or should I say she represents all the egg laying hens and the horrible conditions they are placed in in order to provide us with eggs!
The brochure in part reads " Egg-laying(battery) hens are imprisoned for life in battery cages. These wire cages are so small that the hens' cannot flap their wings ... an avg. of 16,000 birds are kept in sheds on "factory farms". ...the hens' natural behaviour such as walking , wing flapping and scratching on the ground are rendered impossible. out of frustration , the hens' will peck each others feathers out... to prevent this, they are debeaked.." The brochure recommends
A) don't buy battery eggs - choose certified organic . if the label does not say certified organic, there are no guarantee the eggs are from hens who are not caged.
B) watch out for misleading labels- egg carton labeling is extremely confusing, with misleading terms such as farm fresh, natural, vegetarian feed, and Omega 3. all of these eggs are from caged hens.
C) don't eat eggs at all. transport and slaughter conditions are cruel and are the same for all hens in Canada, whether caged of not. There are lost of egg alternatives, such ad ENER-G egg replacer ( i did not know this)

I don't think i'll stop buying eggs but i'll be sure to look for certified organic, free-range or free run eggs - these labels mean the hens were not in cages. Thanks for reading this. for more info - www.chickenout.ca

On another note, i didn't feel to great yesterday afternoon! I think because of the chicken I ate. The irony in this has not been lost on me. Feeling better today.