One
of the great things about the world we live in is that it still
contains incredibly diverse cultures. Nothing expresses that better
than our attitude to food. Yet some would seek to erode these
differences, in the name of nothing better than taste and a perceived
'yuk factor'. This manifested itself recently on the occasion of the
World Cup in Korea and Japan, notably with a protest led by the Belgian
MEP Nelly Maes, who appeared not to understand the irony of campaigning
against the eating of dog whilst coming from a country known for its
rabbit based dishes.

Some
of these 'exotic' meats are associated with ill treatment of the animal
in question, and this is of course reprehensible. Some other animals
are consumed despite the fact they are endangered, or are genetically
too similar to us for this to be sensible. There can be little excuse
for snacking on rhino horn or tiger penis, for example.

But
assuming that the animal you plan to consume is available in sufficient
quantities, and that you can be sure that what is on your plate has
shuffled off its mortal coil under reasonable conditions and not been
anywhere too nasty¹,
why restrict yourself to a few herbivores? This article aims to broaden
the horizons of the reader, and celebrate the diversity that means that
one species worships cows in India, but steak in the USA, and is
equally capable of keeping rabbits in a hutch and placing them in a
stew.

If
you are from a western culture, before condemning those who snack on
what you view as a pet, you might want to reflect that people from
other cultures might consider what you have on your plate to be equally
disgusting. As well as the well-known examples of Muslim and Jewish
aversion to pork and Hindu distaste for beef, even the classic default
foods of chicken or fish have their detractors. The Masai of Kenya and
Tanzania consider both to be sacred and will eat neither the one nor
the other.

And
indeed, taking things a little bit further, you might want to assess
why some animals are deemed to be cute, and worthy of pampering, while
others meet a less pleasant fate².
It is certainly not animal 'intelligence' which is leading some to make
the cut while others go under the knife. It is eminently possible that
pigs are more 'intelligent' than dogs, but when was the last time you
saw a pig in a £100 coat? Similarly, is there really that much in it on
the IQ front between a cow and a horse?

Below are some recipes, in case you want to take the next logical step.
These examples are all 'furry' but of course could have been reptiles
or insects as these are pets for some people. However, such creatures
are perhaps more likely to arouse another type of 'disgust reflex' -
even touching it is seen as being horrible, let alone consuming it.³

Deep fried guinea pig with a spicy peanut sauce

Guinea
pig as a food is mainly associated with Peru, where it is still an
important source of protein for the local population. The Peruvian
National Institute of Agrarian Investigation estimates that 65 million
guinea pigs are eaten a year in Peru.

Take
an appropriate number of skinned and gutted guinea pigs and deep fry in
hot oil. In a separate pan cook onions, peppers, chills and garlic and
season well. Add peanuts just before serving, ideally with rice. One
guinea pig will just about feed one adult, but you'll need plenty of
vegetables with it. Watch out for the little bones!

Ragout of dog

Dog
meat is tough, which is why it is often associated with cruel treatment
of the dog before death, in an attempt to make the flesh more tender.
An ethically sound alternative is to cook the dog slowly so it is less
chewy. Although Koreans wouldn't generally eat their dog in a stew, the
Penang of Borneo would.

Cut
the dog meat into small cubes, fry until brown. Put the meat into a
large pot with flour, oil and seasoning. When flour is brown add plenty
of water, garlic, rosemary and other herbs as desired, bound together.
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add onions, carrots
and potatoes and cover and simmer for another 40 minutes, stirring
often. Take the herbs out, taste for seasoning and away you go.

Rabbit in 'Kriek' (cherry beer)

This
is one of the traditional dishes of Belgium, and is very good. If you
can't get Kriek, normal ale is also good but probably not with the
cherries - prunes would be better.

Cut
the rabbit into six pieces (the four legs and the middle bits). Make a
marinade from the Kriek, water, vegetables and herbs. Fry the rabbit,
and then add puréed cherries and the marinade to the pan. Serve with
potatoes.

Horse steak and chips with a pepper sauce

Horse
used to be a very popular meat in France in particular, although
globalisation and changes in dietary habits has meant that the
specialized horse butchers have largely died out, and it is rarely seen
in restaurants. Still you should still be able to get a decent cut of
horse meat in a good supermarket on the continent.

Tenderise a good quality steak⁴and grill until brown on both sides, until it is done to your liking. Combine with chips and a pepper sauce.

Cat chow mein

I
couldn't really find any cat recipes and indeed it would seem that very
few people eat cat. The chinese are, however, partial to a cat on
occasions, so why not serve it in the form of a chow mein?

Put
water on to boil for the noodles. Combine soy sauce, hoisin sauce,
ginger. Put to one side. Cut cat meat into bite size chunks and fry
until golden. Add garlic, ginger, green pepper, mushrooms and cabbage
to the stir fry (in that order) and then add the sauce. Stir thoroughly
and serve.

Dessert

If
you have found yourself wondering what Kitty or Rex would taste like,
then this will have hopefully given you some ideas. Alternatively, you
can take the other logical step, become a vegetarian, and avoid the
problem altogether...

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Published on: 2005-04-07 (162 reads)