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Eating horsemeat in France

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Re: Eating horsemeat in France

#221

Post by jraph »

numpad0 wrote: post #176
ClumsyPilot wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the reaction you get is typically "Eeehwww! i understand when people react that way to eating dog or smth, but horses and cows are same family of animald

Humans consume everything from mushrooms to mammals, it’s arbitrary as to which species in what kind of form are ewww and which are not. Only when it comes to primates and closer that our DNA actively tries to stop us. Anything farther are matters of beliefs, preferences and safety.

> Only when it comes to primates and closer that our DNA actively tries to stop us

Interesting. Do you have evidence for this?

Re: Eating horsemeat in France

#222

Post by p49k »

unfunco wrote: post #171
bipson wrote: post #10

Eating horse meat was very common in central Europe before the big wars. In WWI and WWII even more so, horses were declared essential for the war in axis countries, and eating them became illegal. In Italy horse meat picked right up again after WWII, but in Austria and Germany people forgot about the reasons it seems and it stayed unacceptable/frowned upon. You can find (excellent) horse meat products in western Aust…

Eating horse meat in the United Kingdom was seemingly quite common in the United Kingdom prior to 2013 but nobody knew about it[0], when common products were found to contain horse meat and the public reaction turned into a huge story / scandal and most people in the UK would have the same ewww reaction. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_horse_meat_scandal

It wasn’t just a huge scandal for the “ewww” factor but mostly due to the fact that the horse was not part of the traceable supply chain and thus could have come from anywhere, could have contained any number of contaminants/hormones/banned substances, the horses could have been mistreated in violation of ethical standards, etc.

Re: Eating horsemeat in France

#223

Post by sph »

numpad0 wrote: post #176
ClumsyPilot wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the reaction you get is typically "Eeehwww! i understand when people react that way to eating dog or smth, but horses and cows are same family of animald

Humans consume everything from mushrooms to mammals, it’s arbitrary as to which species in what kind of form are ewww and which are not. Only when it comes to primates and closer that our DNA actively tries to stop us. Anything farther are matters of beliefs, preferences and safety.

There are many more ewww type meats that we culturally accept, like crustaceans. I mean, they're sea insects basically. I enjoy a good prawn yet I'm repulsed by the idea of eating a scorpion. I am aware it's just a cultural artifact and not DNA driven disgust.

On the other hand herbivores and ruminants are the type of meat humans find the most delicious, and horse is one of them. Carnivores or omnivores I seem to understand they don't taste as good, and here's my justification for never considering cats, dogs, bears, etc., as possible food unless my life depends on it.

Re: Eating horsemeat in France

#224

Post by jaclaz »

madduci wrote: post #84
bipson wrote: post #10

Eating horse meat was very common in central Europe before the big wars. In WWI and WWII even more so, horses were declared essential for the war in axis countries, and eating them became illegal. In Italy horse meat picked right up again after WWII, but in Austria and Germany people forgot about the reasons it seems and it stayed unacceptable/frowned upon. You can find (excellent) horse meat products in western Aust…

In Italy, at least in South, horse meat is still being consumed today.

Not only in the south, in Emilia Romagna it is common enough, as an example, and though not common, it can be found in Tuscany and Umbria with a minimum of effort.

Re: Eating horsemeat in France

#225

Post by jaclaz »

wincy wrote: post #204
moron4hire wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rabbit is eaten in the states, but it's kind of like venison: it's just not something you'll usually find in any store or restaurant, unless those places are specifically going out of their way to cater to either hunters or an "old world European" aesthetic. I can regularly get rabbit at either cheap redneck holes in the sticks or expensive German restaurants in the city. People outside of the cities, and ethnic encl…

There’s a Japanese restaurant near my house that serves cow tongue, which I’ve found very interesting and order a la cart when I eat there.

That is also one of the typical ingredients of "bollito misto" (mixed boiled) in Italy:

https://memoriediangelina.com/2014/01/19/il-gran-bollito-mis...

but you can also have it "by itself".

Re: Eating horsemeat in France

#226

Post by jaclaz »

BrandoElFollito wrote: post #14

When I was a kid at school (France, late 70's), eating horse meat was something heard of. Not the kind of may you could eat everyday but you would see some at the butcher's (au least in the western suburbs of Paris). I never had some at the school canteen (I think). Fast forward 40 years, same city. There is no horse meat anywhere. Eating some is unheard of. I just asked my teenage children: they never heard of it (a…

Well, at least here (Italy) in the '60's or '70's horse meat was actually "prescribed" by doctors to anemic or too skinny kids as it "makes blood" (that and liver).

I was never "forced" to it (I was far from skinny as a kid) but I remember that when a certain (actually skinny) cousin would come to my grandmother's invariably horse meat or liver would be prepared.

Re: Eating horsemeat in France

#227

Post by nix23 »

MrDresden wrote: post #60

Icelander here. Horse foal meat is some of the more expensive meat you can have at the finer restaurants in the country. At every butcher shops you can find foal meat, and most if not all supermarkets carry horse meat in some way (frozen, salted, smoked or as a sausage etc). The finer foal cuts are really some of the best meat I have ever tasted. Highly recommend.

I think foal meat is a little bit too sweet for my taste, however i absolutely like horse-meat, we (Switzerland) even have specialized butchers (pferdemetzgerei) for horse-meat. Best meat next to (well prepared) camel.

Re: Eating horsemeat in France

#228

Post by dreamcompiler »

wincy wrote: post #205
dreamcompiler wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Goat is delicious and readily available in US states with a large Latinx population. Cabrito tacos are a delicacy.

Whole Halal goats and lamb are also sold in the frozen section at any Costco that has a large Muslim population around. Granted you then have to figure out how to cook the entire goat. I’m guessing they probably skewer it and roast it outdoors for parties?

My country relatives would build a giant barbecue grill (probably starting from an old propane tank or something similar) and throw the whole goat on. They were not Muslim; just rednecks.

Re: Eating horsemeat in France

#229

Post by selimthegrim »

YeGoblynQueenne wrote: post #146
doctor_eval wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m not here to judge anyone for eating meat, despite being vegetarian, but I agree with the other comments here, if you eat cows or pigs or sheep or chickens then why not cockatoos or horses or dogs (or feral cats, which are consumed in some parts of Australia)? I don’t eat any of these creatures, but nevertheless, I just don’t get why certain animals seem to be culturally off limits for those who do eat meat. Is it…

I think it's because some animals are raised for their meat, and some not, and they're different animals in different parts of the world. Similarly, some animals are hunted or foraged for food and others aren't. I think that kind of ...crystallises? into eating taboos. So for example, where I'm from, in Greece, it's traditional (particularly in the islands of Crete and Corfu) for people to go out and gather snails af…

What do Greeks do with liver and hearts?
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