Would You Eat Horsemeat? (Found in Hamburgers)

Guardian ^ | Wednesday 16 January 201

[nickcarraway]

Versatile, healthy and in plentiful supply, there are many ways to prepare delicious dishes with horsemeat

The news that traces of horse DNA have been found in burgers on sale in UK supermarkets has predictably resulted in a minor storm – and a groanworthy selection of jokes – in the newspapers and on social media. But how rational is our horror of eating horse? And is it time to examine our prejudice against what is, after all, an extremely healthy meat?

Of course, the main reason to be scandalised by yesterday's revelations is not that Tesco was selling burgers containing horse, but that they weren't labelled as such. It's not illegal to sell horsemeat in the UK, but it is illegal to sell food containing ingredients that aren't listed on the label. The products in question also included traces of pig DNA, which is considerably more shocking, if you believe that a religious ban on eating pork carries more weight than a moral aversion to eating horse (although horsemeat is also forbidden under some religious dietary laws).

[cunning_fish]

I ate and can’t see any wrong with that.

[Boogieman]

Maybe, but in Obamaville, the gas will be fifteen bucks a gallon and we’ll all be riding horses, scooters, and rickshaws :)

[Nepeta]

I generally think that animals which have proven useful in other jobs for us should get a reprieve from being food. Seems like a simple matter of courtesy.

I agree.

Most Americans only know horses from movies. They have no idea of the bond one can develop with a horse one works with daily. Trust builds both ways, and once an animal invests that kind of trust in you, betrayal, for me anyway, is impossible.

Horses aren't like the movies. Most of them, if they are raised with kindness and firmness, can be well-mannered and will try NOT to hurt you. Many of them want to please you, and will respond to vocal praise.

Unlike a lot of people, if you treat a horse decently--feed him, care for him, keep him safe--he will almost always treat you decently.

[Nervous Tick]

>> Unlike a lot of people, if you treat a horse decently—feed him, care for him, keep him safe—he will almost always treat you decently.

???

I find most people are the same way — treat them decently, with respect, and they reciprocate.

[muir_redwoods]

I speak only for me but the deal between horses and humans and dogs and humans is such that I couldn’t eat either of them except in a life threatening situation.

[edpc]

Is this a yea or neigh question?

[Bronzy]

We eat cows and they don’t eat cows in India. (Guess they don’t as I’ve heard they are sacred there.)

[Fiji Hill]

Certain arms control agreements that we concluded with the Soviet Union, such as the ABM Treaty and SALT II were sold as as being equally beneficial to both sides. Yet to paraphrase a Russian proverb, for the US, such treaties turned out to be more like horse and rabbit pies that contain horse meat and rabbit meat in equal proportions—one horse to one rabbit.

[ErnBatavia]

When I was in the cold storage business in the early 1970's, it was common knowledge that the "bullmeat" imported from Australia had a fair percentage of kangaroo flesh mixed in.

"Who put the 'Roo in the stew?" was the question of the era.....

[gunsequalfreedom]

Ive eaten horse, dog, pigeon, snake, shrimp cooked and still wiggling, turtle, turtle shell, turtle feet, chicken, chicken feet and something called coin meat that was later explained to me and not something I will eat again.

[Nepeta]

I find most people are the same way — treat them decently, with respect, and they reciprocate.

That has not been my experience over the past 62 years.

I'm lost past expecting much from people. If I do something for someone, I have NO expectation of anything other than knowing I did the right thing. I am rarely surprised in a pleasant manner.

[Fiji Hill]

We eat cows and they don’t eat cows in India.

Some folks in India do.

Beef Biryani with Basmati Rice

[Fiji Hill]

Ive eaten horse, dog, pigeon, snake, shrimp cooked and still wiggling, turtle, turtle shell, turtle feet, chicken, chicken feet and something called coin meat that was later explained to me and not something I will eat again.

Have you tried mountain oysters? They're not seafood. How about sea cucumbers? They're not vegetables. I've had the latter, but not the former.

[ottbmare]

Ethical issues aside, horses are treated with drugs that absolutely should NOT be ingested by people. It’s far worse than the drugs cattle receive. There’s no way that slaughterhouses can or will test for these things. Much of the horsemeat produced by this country is from unsuccessful, aged, or injured racehorses, and they receive a cocktail of drugs intended to mask pain or heal injuries—analgesics, medications, antiinflammatories, joint supplements, steroids, sometimes hormones, and sometimes drugs whose nature the trainer doesn’t even know (see recent NYT articles for more on this). The hormones given to cranky mares are absorbed through the skin and are so powerful that humans can’t even touch them, much less eat them. No, I would never eat horsemeat.

[posterchild]

I’ve had the former and the latter. My chinese dinner companions did say ‘its not a vegetable’ but I finally checked wikipedia and now know the full story. Kangaroo was good but it may have had a good marinade. Croc is kind of like lobster. Never had snake.

I wouldn’t eat horse though. I heard it tastes too much like spotted owl. (I know, but there are always younger freepers who haven’t heard it all.)

[Ax]

I ate dog in the Philippines a long time ago. I won’t say what it tasted like.

[Bronzy]

For the tourist probably, huh?

[ConservativeInPA]

Horse meat is very good. No problem with it. I have also had goat, yak, ground hog, squirrel, rabbit, alligator, snake, venison, elk, caribou and bear. Not a problem with any of them. Man is made to eat meat.

[Nervous Tick]

Maybe you should seek a different group to hang out with.

Personally I have had a lot of luck finding loving, caring people in the various “organizations” around town where God and His son Jesus are praised and worshipped. (Most people call them churches.)

Since you already do the right thing BECAUSE it’s the right thing, not expecting reward, you’re already well along the path of living as Jesus would have you to live.

God bless you, and FRegards

[Have Ruck - Will Travel]

The last time I ate Basashi was in Iwate-ken, Tono-shi. I lived there for two years in the late 80’s. Still love the place.