i didn't know where else to post this, but my question is this:

people complain about eating fish, saying that they are too intelligent to be eaten...and they say this about certain birds too....why is it no big deal that we eat cattle, or pigs?...they seem pretty intelligent

my cattle are intelligent enough to try and murder my bamboo plant...they know how to chase after my sister while walking to her bus-stop....they seem to like scratching their heads on weird devices created out of branches and such..(they don't make them, they improvise with the environment)

why do people eat cows, because they seem very intelligent, like pigs, and squirrels, and birds, and sheep, and other animals that run around when you gain up on them, and get tired after chasing them down for hours, and fight and fight before you kill them?

why don't humans eat more INSECTS?...(i advise against it, because insects are actually the most extinct type of creature on this planet)

this isn't a prolife thing i am discussing here, because i am as much of a carnivor as the next steak eater...though i do not prefer steaks..

and my last crazy question is, if you gave tobacco, and a pipe to a gorilla, would they learn how to smoke?..it makes me wonder if its possible to be taught these things without any influence..dunno...and i thought it would be interesting if people had information on that..

Insects are actually the most prevalent animal. They will be here long after us and many indigenous hunter-gather tribes ate them and some still eat them. Purest form of non-fat protein. As for smoking monkeys. Cheetah the chimp from the old Johnny Weismuller 'Tarzan' films smoked for 20 years until his current handlers made him quit. As for cows. My step father has a small holding in Western Nebraska and I grew up in the Pine woods. I don't eat venison or steak, haven't for years, because I am utterly sick of it so I don't blame you.
Now I have a question. What do you take for your ADD?




Lapi'che

http://www.lookatentertainment.com/v/v-1070.htm

As for the rest, different people complain about eating all type of animals not just fish.


Insects aren't appealing to eat for me, so I will have to pass on that one.

animals with humans learn to adapt and change. the same goes for humans studying animals.
you know the behavior of that animal and so on. the question to eat or not...if we dont...some wild predator might! its food chain but we do have option of selecting what we eat.

well of course there is always the predators...and there are the activist that demonstrate that its bad to eat cattle, as well as pigs...but i am putting them aside, because i wonder really, why does the level of intelligence come into factor when it comes to selecting our predatory food chain?

and how do we know they are this intelligent?

can you eat a pet parrot, or are there rules against that?

oh thank you!...this one seems familiar actually...

I kinda hate to eat any animal so i guess i would be the wrong person to answer this.....

I won't eat pork, veal, hardly any beef but once in a blue moon, but I will eat sea food.
Don't eat lamb or venison, and would never hunt.


As far as the gorrilla scenario goes; No. A gorrilla would not teach itself to smoke if given a pouch of tobaco, a pipe and a lighter. Primates are able to mimic, but to progress to preparing a pipe and smoking it is not going to happen.

meats yeah....but not parrot.... wont be tasty still you made debate about meat?
all that we eat are(is) living things....plants,animals,fish,birds.....all are living. still if any animal is intelligent enough....like dogs(pets) pigs(farm) or octopus(smart problem solving) are mostly not eaten...however in china' dogs are eaten, so are octopuses why do ppl protest against killing only animals...when plants are cut and used everyday aren't plants living things? guess its really up to ppl on eating choice.

Because we have to eat something. If we didn't eat plants or animals, what would that leave? Fungii and algae? Add them to the list because they are living.

thats my point dj quinn....if you get it! you have to eat!!! mushrooms, sea-weeds. dont ya eat them too? the point is IF we think about this....it leaves us with nothing to eat

I don't eat animals. I do eat plants, but they don't feel pain, and many plants you can eat without actually killing the plant. I love my peppers, but it still lives on. And besides it created the peppers specifically for creatures to eat them.

Animals were specifically made to be eaten also. By humans and other predators. Originally we were made to be eaten too. It is not "wrong" to kill and eat an animal. It's just nature and the way things are.

Okay, so WHO made us, and this entity made us to be eaten by WHOM?

No, I got your point, I was making one as well.

The way I see it, if God hadn't intended for us to eat animals, He wouldn't have made them so tastey....

well said

"Chimp with Smoking Problem"

Hi all,

I hear all the time " I don't eat meat " or " I don't eat pork " etc.

Why not? Just curious.

Best wishes to all,
Yawi

wanna know that too!

I think i'll have to disagree with that. The extinct thing, not about eating them...
I would not do that. Maybe crickets, some people bake 'em...still kinda strange?? I don't know


kidding!!!



PEACE

Some people don't for religious purposes, having to do with purity laws and what not. Some perhaps, are big fans of animals, or don't like the thought of the process a carcass has to go through, etc.

Yeah, I can understand that, but... They're already killing 'em and selling the meat, so i just eat it, i think wasting cattle is worse than eating whats already dead, you know?





PEACE

What is it about North American culture that keeps us from using one of our most abundant and readily available food sources, insects? We could learn a lot from our international neighbors. Many cultures around the globe have evolved to use insects in their diets. There was probably some trial and error involved because not all insects are edible. In fact, some insects are poisonous. But there are lots of insects that are safely eaten by people around the world.


Eating Insects in the Past...
Algeria - The natives of Algeria would collect large numbers of desert locusts to use as food. They were a valuable resource for the poor population. The locusts were cooked in salt water and dried in the sun. Not only were they collected for personal use, but the locusts were traded in the markets as well.

Australia - Australian natives, known as Aborigines, have eaten many different insects throughout history. Hundreds of Aborigines would come together at the Bogong mountains to feast on Bogong moths. These moths would gather in large numbers on the cave floors and in rock crevices. They were harvested, cooked in sand and stirred in hot ashes. This would burn off the wings and legs. The moths were then sifted through a net to remove their heads before they were eaten by the Aborigines. Some of the moths were ground into paste and made into cakes.

Another important insect in the Aboriginal diet was the witchety grub. This was a moth larva that lived in the roots of the acacia bush, also known as the witchety bush. The grubs were eaten raw or cooked in ashes. Cooked grubs supposedly taste like almonds. The grubs were a valued food source in the Australian desert, especially to women and children.

Some of the insects eaten by the Aborigines were very sweet. The natives would dig into the ground looking for the nests of honeypot ants. The workers of these ants collect honeydew from scales and psyllids and feed it to other worker ants, which would become storage containers for the sweet liquid. The "storage" workers could be found in the nests.

The "honeybag" bee, a stingless native bee, also provided sweet treats for the Aborigines. The "honeybag" was actually the bees' hive. In order to find the "honeybag," the Aborigines would catch a bee that was feeding on nectar, use sticky plant juice to stick a leaf or flower petal to it, and set it loose. The bee would fly straight home. The attached leaf or petal would slow down the bee and make it easier to see and follow.

... and Present!

Japan - The Japanese have used insects as human food since ancient times. The practice probably started in the Japanese Alps, where many aquatic insects are captured and eaten. Thousands of years ago, this region had a large human population but a shortage of animal protein. Since the area had an abundance of aquatic insects, this food source became very important for human survival.

The Japanese still use insects in many recipes. If you were to go to a restaurant in Tokyo, you might have the opportunity to sample some of these insect-based dishes

hachi-no-ko - boiled wasp larvae
zaza-mushi - aquatic insect larvae
inago - fried rice-field grasshoppers
semi - fried cicada
sangi - fried silk moth pupae
Most of these insects are caught wild except for silk moth pupae. They are by-products of the silk industry. Silk moths are raised in mass for their ability to produce silk. The larvae, the young silk moths, produce the silk. Once they pupate, they can no longer produce silk and are then used as food.

Kwara State, Nigeria, West Africa - People from this area have been known to feast on termites, crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars, palm weevil larvae, and compost beetle larvae. Termites are collected by placing a bowl of water under a light source. The termites are attracted to the light and will then fall into the water. If large numbers of termites are gathered, they are sold at local markets. People of all ages eat the winged reproductive termites, but the queen termites are considered a delicacy and are only eaten by adults. The termites are roasted over a fire or hot coals or fried in a pot. After cooking, the wings are removed and salt is added to taste.

Crickets are collected from soil tunnels which they build. The crickets are roasted over a fire or hot coals. The guts are removed before eating. Several taboos surround eating crickets. Members of the Yoruba tribes do not generally eat crickets. Many worship Ogun, the iron god, and he forbids animals that have no blood. Others believe that eating crickets is childish.

Grasshoppers are prepared and eaten in a manner similar to that for crickets, but there are more grasshoppers than crickets. They are eaten by people of all ages and there are no taboos associated with them. Some farmers will eat uncooked grasshoppers after they remove the grasshoppers' guts.

In some parts of Nigeria, the Cirina forda Westwood larva is reported to be the most important and widely eaten insect. This insect, often called Kanni, is a caterpillar that is collected from the sheabutter tree. It is boiled and dried in the sun before it is eaten. Kanni is widely used as an ingredient in vegetable soup in this region.

A very large edible insect is the palm weevil larva. It can be four inches long and more than two inches wide. The mature larvae are fleshy and grublike with a high fat content. These insects are collected from the trunks of palm trees. They are fried in a pot or frying pan. They are reported to be very delicious.

The compost beetle larvae are even larger than the palm weevil larvae. They live in garbage or manure piles or swampy areas. The end of the abdomen, which contains the guts, is removed before the larvae are washed and fried. Some people refuse to eat this insect because it is found in such "dirty" places.

Bali - Dragonfly and damselfly adults are hunted in Bali. Dragonflies are extremely difficult to catch but several interesting techniques have been used successfully. Latex, sticky plant juice, from the jackfruit tree is applied to the end of a slender stick. This stick is tied to a longer, sturdier stick. The stick is lower to a resting dragonfly and with a quick tap, the dragonfly is stuck to the plant juice. Dragonflies are also captured by hand, but one must be very quiet and quick. If latex is used to catch the insects, it is removed with cooking oil before the dragonflies are cooked. Sometimes the dragonflies are placed directly on the grate of a charcoal grilled for cooking. Another method involves boiling them with ginger, garlic, shallots, chili pepper and coconut milk. The wings are removed before cooking unless they are charcoal roasted.

We don't have many insects in Ireland darknight, but your argument is convincing. If there were any termite mounds, I'd go home and have a big bowl of them right now....

lol

Thanks darkknight, I learned something new today.

welome yawichild

I don't know about y'all, but I bought a big ol' tub 'o Termites from a man in my village who sells "Unusual Meals" as he called them (We bought a 400lb slab of Hippo once. HIPPO.). Yummo.

Anyway, I eat meat beacuse my body was made to. It's as simple as that. The body designed itself to eat plants and meat if they could get to it.

Oh, and by the way, technically, Fungus and Algae aren't living, just so you know.

Firstly, I never said there was anything wrong with eating animals. Plants that produce vegetables and fruits make them so that animals will eat them and carry the seeds away from the original plant. These plants do this on purpose, they evolved to do it. I don't think animals intended for themselves to be eaten. Unless they have seeds inside them.

Thats a point. I'm pretty sure animals grew to AVOID being eaten, not to nourish their predators.