Why do we eat some animals but not others?

Chris P Bacon

Chris P Bacon

Well-known Member
Location
Cuenca Ecuador
I'm an omnivore, not a vegan or vegetarian but I have long wondered why we eat the things that we do. I suppose that much of it has to do with where and how one is brought up but how did the notion of some animals being loved, as pets, while others being raised for food, come about, do you think? Why do we eat some species while leaving others to eat or be eaten by other species? And why are beef and pork not called cow or pig? Chicken, fish, deer and rabbit have a place on the menu, even turkey but cow and pig just don't seem appealing as food names. And in some places animals that we would never consider eating, not just pet ones either, are consumed daily. How do you suppose we got to this point? Is it possible that before the discovery of fire and cooking game, that our ancestors were vegetarians? Food for thought.
 

Eating "animals" varies quite a bit around the world. The people in some nations routinely eat some forms of animal life that would literally turn our stomachs. When I was stationed in Thailand, I was a bit shocked at what some of the locals served and ate in the restaurants. But, then, I suppose humans have always eaten what is most readily available in their location.
 
RadishRose said:
A lot depends on what our parents gave us to eat as children. They never gave me rabbit for example, so I don't wanna eat rabbit.

I thought early humans were both hunters and gatherers.
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Here's my monthly cut n paste. I didn't eat rabbit until I bought my little 'gentleman's farm' first try, cut them into bite size chunks after skinning, dipped in batter and fried. My 3 kids and I devoured a huge plate full. They were convinced!
Rabbit meat is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements: High in vitamins B3 and B12, phosphorus, potassium and selenium. It contributes to a good balance of vitamins and minerals for daily dietary requirements. A slice of meat with an excellent balance of fatty acids and rabbit is richer in omega 3 than chicken or pork.

Rabbit meat with the many health benefits does not have a strong flavor and is comparable to chicken but not identical.

The meat has a high percentage of easily digestible protein. It contains the least amount of fat among all the other available meats. Rabbit meat contains less calorie value than other meats. Rabbit meat is almost cholesterol free and therefore heart patient friendly.
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We eat what we can catch.
Now, we have barbed wire to fence critters in to make
the 'catching' easier.

The SPCA runs commercials of $18.00 to save dogs, dogs only, where are the other critters?
Bessie, the cow. Fernanda and Porky Pig are not represented 😒 ?
I eat pig, cow, like 'um, .
I will not eat my dog; you dog, how fat is he?
We need more Barbed Wire=fence in all the critters that have meat on 'um.
 
When I worked in Amsterdam, there was a Vietnamese restaurant that we affectionately called "Wok the dog" :D
I've eaten quite a few different meats and pre-covid I help to raise sheep and pigs. Generally pedigree animals had names and others had numbers. It's not good to get too attached to animals that you are going to eat.
 
I have eaten (as well as the usual Beef, Chicken, Turkey Lamb & pork...)... Pheasant, Partridge, Rabbit, Kangaroo.. Crocodile, ostrich, Boar Horse ( the latter was unknown to me at the time).. frogs *ugh*... l''escargot (snails)... and no they don't all taste like Chicken.

the one that came closest to tasting like Chicken was crocodile which is a whie meat.. the rest all taste very gamey.. and strong.. very little fat on Kangaroo or ostrich

My grandad always had a pot of Rabbit stew on the stove...
 
The only exotic (I guess) meat I've eaten (once) is frog legs. My dad's family loves them, so I decided to try them. Not bad, tastes like chicken. I tried venison once and didn't like it.

I eat chicken, beef, and once in awhile, pork. I refuse to eat veal, lamb, sheep, venison, or rabbit. IMO, sheep are for wool, babies are for growing up, and I am friends with the deer and rabbits. Sometimes I wonder if my menus would be more interesting if I didn't focus so heartily on chicken and beef. I'd eat a lot of lobster if it weren't so expensive, if I didn't have to cook it, and if I lived near a port at which I could get it fresh. It is my favorite.

A friend of mine taught for a year in Kenya. The second night, the other profs took him to a restaurant called Carnivores. That was quite an eye-opening experience for him. They had just about every wild animal in Kenya on the menu. Even lion meat. He ate the selection that was ordered for him. I can't recall whether it was just to be polite or because he was an adventurous fellow.
 
We seem to have a built in (i.e. instinctual) disgust reaction to certain foods that has to be overcome when confronted with some foods that we have never encountered before.

There is no way that I would even try to eat eyeballs but I can stomach liver and kidney now. I would find it very difficult to eat spiders or grubs but I have learned to eat oysters.
 
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Chris P Bacon said:
I'm an omnivore, not a vegan or vegetarian but I have long wondered why we eat the things that we do. I suppose that much of it has to do with where and how one is brought up but how did the notion of some animals being loved, as pets, while others being raised for food, come about, do you think? Why do we eat some species while leaving others to eat or be eaten by other species? And why are beef and pork not called cow or pig? Chicken, fish, deer and rabbit have a place on the menu, even turkey but cow and pig just don't seem appealing as food names. And in some places animals that we would never consider eating, not just pet ones either, are consumed daily. How do you suppose we got to this point? Is it possible that before the discovery of fire and cooking game, that our ancestors were vegetarians? Food for thought.
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Asked by a member with a username of @Chris P Bacon :D:p:rolleyes::sneaky:
 
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