Could you describe another as an animal

Many years ago, when I was bumming my way around Australia, we met a loner who lived in a shack on a piece of land with some hens and a cow for company. For some reason now lost, he invited us to stay for a few days and he would cook us a meal.
He earnt his living by selling sacks of sorghum on behalf of a cattle rancher who would appear at the property every few weeks with a  truck load of sorghum and a sack of  "corned/salt beef" for him to eat.
That first meal was "memorable"!.
He produced one of those big square tins like you see on the continent full of olives, and put the tin on the single gas burner. He filled the tin with water which he brought to the boil. From his sack of salt beef, came a huge chunk of beef which went into the boiling water. Then some jacket potato sized spuds (unpeeled) went in and finally an enormous cabbage, which he cut in half and added to the tin.
It boiled for hours but I have to say that it tasted delicious. (I wasn't veggie then!).
It was also the only time that I've milked a cow.