Season 3 ~ Episode #34 - - - IKEA Horse Meatballs

Permalink Reply by Veronica (Buttermonkey) on February 28, 2013 at 10:53am

There's a traditional Cuban dish called Tasajo (taw-saw-hoe) which was made with cured horse meat. Nowadays folks make it with cured beef, but the original dish was for horse.

I agree with Rhett that it's hypocritical to say it's acceptable to eat a cow but not a horse, however, ... I just can't do it. I also can't bring myself to eat rabbit, deer, or veal. Also snails and frogs, but that's for a different reason.

Permalink Reply by Lysh Fish on February 28, 2013 at 11:02am

My parents gave me rabbit when I was little, but didn't tell me what it was until after I ate it. It was delicious but I was sad because I ate Bugs Bunny, so I was conflicted. Now I question everything I eat! I would definitely try different things, but I'd rather eat something normal.

Permalink Reply by Veronica (Buttermonkey) on February 28, 2013 at 2:10pm

My dad did that to me with some Guineafowl he was raising. He raised them from hatch-lings and let me name them and play with them. Then one day I come home from school and I ask my mom where my bird friends are and she replies "what do you think you had for dinner last night?" And people wonder what's wrong with me.

K-ModPermalink Reply by Gumbo123 on February 28, 2013 at 1:41pm

I really need to slow down when reading these posts. I'm thinking to my self:

"Poor little horse . . . wonder what he did to deserve being cursed ?"

Permalink Reply by Veronica (Buttermonkey) on February 28, 2013 at 2:13pm

Well, that too.

Permalink Reply by Marcan Latch on February 28, 2013 at 2:28pm

You two should ask to Chuck Testa to make a Cocatrice or other mythical beast strong enough to be the Atlas under the Mythical mail Boulder

Permalink Reply by Phil (Duckbilled Baronyx) on February 28, 2013 at 2:32pm

I don't have a source to cite for this, but I think the whole problem with eating horse meat is the belief that only pagans eat it. Christian (read civilized) people don't eat horse. Just like we don't eat blood, generally speaking.

K-ModPermalink Reply by Victoria (Centauromadoose) on February 28, 2013 at 10:21pm

Putting aside your erroneous suggestion that being Christian automatically makes you "civilized," I don't think that's why people avoid eating horse. It has more to do with the perception and purpose we humans assign to the animals around us: cattle/livestock is generally raised specifically for eating purposes, while that is very rarely done with horses. Instead, horses are raised and kept as "beasts of burden" (working on farms, pulling carts, etc.), sports animals, or pets.

People are more likely to feel guilty or otherwise uncomfortable eating horse when we think of horses in terms of working faithfully for us and providing us companionship and/or usefulness. Add to that the perception that horses are smarter and more useful than cows, and you get the standards of meat consumption we generally see today. It's all a matter of perception.

Permalink Reply by Phil (Duckbilled Baronyx) on February 28, 2013 at 10:49pm

What I intended to say was this was an idea from people of a christianized nation, where being christian meant being civilized or at least not barbaric. That's all I meant. I see that I didn't provide any context in my first comment, so I'm sorry for not being clear. This article in the Telegraph says the catholic church (which was the only church on the block at that time) encouraged the English to reject horsemeat as pagan food. That's the way I understood earlier today, so I was suggesting the idea was still carrying with us.

I guess to your point on perception we don't eat dolphin for the same reasons?

Permalink Reply by Phil (Duckbilled Baronyx) on March 1, 2013 at 9:35am

I'm not sure I get what you've said, but I admit I may be way off in using the concept of being civilized like I have. I may be mixing up historical ideas. My point was merely that eating horse was considered taboo centuries ago and that idea has carried with us even if the rationale for it has not.

K-ModPermalink Reply by Victoria (Centauromadoose) on March 1, 2013 at 10:42am

Ah yes, I understand now -- thank you for the clarification.

Yes, I imagine perception is also why eating dolphins (and whales, for that matter) is frowned upon. If we consider an animal majestic, intelligent, noble, or any other adjective that anthropomorphizes an animal, we are far less likely to eat it. Then again, you have cultures such as the Native Americans and Inuit who both recognize amd respect the majesty of the animals they eat, and thus offer "proper" tribute to them after hunting them...again, it's all about cultural perspective.

Permalink Reply by Phil (Duckbilled Baronyx) on March 1, 2013 at 12:31pm

Good point. I didn't think about Native American people hunting and revering buffalo or whale. Perspective is a curious thing. How many people hate the idea of goat's milk or cheese without ever tasting it?

Season 3 ~ Episode #34 - - - IKEA Horse Meatballs

Replies to This Discussion