Neigh! Say it ain't so!
To my knowledge, I have never eaten horse-meat, but imagine it may be a bit tough - if served up as a steak. I did have a bison-burger once; thought it may be tough too, but if my recollection serves me right, it was not. I think the same place also had ostrich-burgers!
We carnivores are a funny (and fickle) bunch. Don't get too smug here if you are a vegetarian - and especially if you a vegan. The best-man at my wedding is an avowed vegetarian; he says "I will not eat anything that runs, jumps, hops, swims, crawls or flies." Who would eat flies anyway? [Sorry about that, though I have heard of a shoe (or is it shoo)-fly pie].
Anyway, back to we carnivores:
The French will eat horse-meat.
Many Orientals will eat dog-meat - it is said. Oh yes, THEY would eat flies, crickets, grasshoppers, etc.
No way 'regular' folk in the UK or the US will eat either of those critters, but they will not bat an eye at eating beef (to the disgust of Hindus), or pork (to the horror of Muslims and Jews), or possums and squirrels to the disgust of city-dwellers. What about rabbits? I avoid them, opting instead for their distant-cousin, the Welsh rarebit.
I guess one's nationality, ethnicity or religion plays a large part in which of the multitude of beasts we were 'given dominion over' we will either cuddle - or slaughter!
I'm with my best-man on that 'hopping' thing - won't catch me eating any damned frog-legs! Ychaf fi! You know, I'm not too fond of what 'swims' either - unless it comes laying side-by-side in newspaper with six-penn'orth of chips; and salt and vinegar on it. Has to be Cod - not this catfish they hash up here at so many of those Lenten Friday-fish-fry-fests. [I do like alliterations though]. Also, none of those slimy shellfish, eight-legged ink-squirters, lobsters, or crabs - or any other STDs for that matter! I will swallow those small (I think they call them 'pop-corn') shrimp but avoid the oxymoronic jumbo variety! Truth be told, I really only like the hot-sauce that comes with them, but it would seem uncouth to eat it by itself, don't you think?
Oh yes - here is one other food-stuff I would not wish upon anyone - diner or donor!
Enjoy !
I once did business with a man in the San Joaquin Valley of California. He was a recent emigrant from Mexico who had gone through all the legal obstacles of coming to the United States legally. Good for him! We need more like him! Anyway, he found his niche among the endless orchards and truck patches. He sold pork. And his clientele was Vietnamese immigrants mostly from the Bay area. They bought live pigs at a premium price so long as they were allowed to butcher them on premise. I was there awaiting a shipment from Fresno when one such family arrived. Neither of the fathers in the transaction could speak a common language so negotiations took place between their two 10 year old sons respectively. When the deal was struck, the pig was led into an open lot and surrounded by the entire Vietnamese family--men and women together. I watched in silence as they said prayers (or so I assume) then roped, tied and bound the pig before sending him to the nether world. Everyone except the pig seemed happy about the arrangement.
ReplyDeleteThe so-called 'civilized' world may do well to follow some practices of the rest of mankind. I am not privvy to all the precepts that make food 'Kosher', but suspect that it includes some such as (I hear) are practiced by Muslims: the name of God - Allah for them - is to be invoked before or during the slaughter of an animal for consumption. I imagine the Vietnamese were showing that same respect (born in Genesis) for having been granted 'dominion over . . . all the wild animals . . .'
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy some Buffalo Oysters while dining in a Western World attraction called Stagecoach just north of Phoenix - even got a certificate to state that I had eaten them - seemed okay to me .....
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