I've been a fan of Andrew Zimmern's show "Bizarre Foods" for the last several years. Sure it was interesting an
d
yeah it did influence me some but not enough to go out and buy snake or
kangaroo meat. It's a combination of me just being tired of eating the
same old "big three". That's what I call them. Chicken, Cow and Pig.
With Sheep, Duck and Goat being somewhat in the norm as well. During the
Fall of 2012 I was randomly internet searching if anyone has ever eaten
Lion or any crazy huge animals. Like, who the hell would or could eat
something like that. I wanted to find out more.
That soon led me to a few websites such as this one. http://www.exoticmeatmarkets.com/
This is where I learned about most of the animals you could legally eat in the U.S. and the U.K. I found it interesting that in the U.K. you could eat animals like Zebra, Springbok, Impala, Wildebeest, Kudu etc.... but you can't get them here in the U.S. Really? Why? Why can't we have those for sale here but I can purchase Camel, Peacock, Black Bear, Eland, Swan and Lion. Lion!!! By the way did you know you can't eat a certain type of Swan (Mute Swan) in the U.K. because they are owned by the Crown? So strange.
So it's this kind of research that leads me into reading who can eat what animal where and who can't. I learn about African bush meat and how people actually smuggle meat into certain countries. Bush meat smuggling is actually a real problem and can lead to diseases in humans. People smuggle Tiger, Bat, Cane Rat, Chimpanzee, Elephant, Horse.... Every type of animal meat you can think of. Something that gives places like Exotic Meat Market a bad name.
For me the research is half the fun. I enjoy searching the internet, reading up on the consumption of certain animals, seafood, vegetables, etc.... The good and the bad. No matter what there's always a bad side. I try and learn everything I can and there's so much to learn. You won't find it all at once. Just when you think it's done and there's nothing else left to read about you suddenly think about something else. Dairy products! Of course! The search will never be over. Not for me.
How about some random food talk now. Did you know the majority of the worlds Horse meat comes from Horses from OUR (U.S.) country!? They are sent out to be slaughtered in Canada and Mexico then shipped out to places like Italy, France and other parts of the world. Horse slaughter farms and the selling of Horse meat has been illegal here in the U.S. until just recently thanks to Obama. A few ranchers at this moment are trying to get Horse slaughter ranches set up, new jobs created and producing but because of certain politics it's been quite difficult. In the next several months of so Horse meat might be able to be purchased for consumption here once more. I believe a restaurant in new York has been selling Horse on occasion. We'll see what happens.
Horse meat is actually one of the bigger controversies in the U.S. Not only because people see the Horse as more of a companion type animal like the Dogs and Cats BUT because all these Horses haven't been raised for food. They were raised for racing or for other services. They have been given certain types of medicines and injections to improve the Horse's health in whatever services they are used for. Horse abandonment is also very high in the U.S. leading to illegal selling of Horse meat. Sometimes horses are even stolen from people for their meat. It's because of this that could lead to some issues with the selling of Horse meat and makes me a tad weary myself come the day I'll be able to purchase it. I still need to do more reading up on that.
Did you know that Black Bear meat can have certain parasites called Trichinosis caused by eating raw or undercooked pork or wild game? This can cause you to get a parasitic disease. This means the meat has to be cooked very very thoroughly. This has lead me to be a tad weary on the ordering Black Bear meat but I hope to at some point. Pigs used to have this issue as well but rarely anymore since they are easier to monitor and farm than Bears are. I guess that's why we have "the big three." Easier to monitor and farm.
It's researching stuff like this now that leads me to people opinions on these subjects and how people think it's sick and horribly wrong to eat certain animals like Horse, Zebra and Lion. Animal rights activism goes to great length to stop certain people and businesses from selling meats from these animals. Organizations like PETA think we should only eat meats from "the big three" I guess. Or not eat meat at all... I don't know.... So many of those people are animal right activist terrorists that do more shady things than the meat companies themselves. Or some PETA members just don't want animals to be wrongfully abused and tortured. You can't argue with that. It's a crap shoot. Some of them are nut job terrorists and some are very good people who uncover a lot of horrible people and places where there's the mistreatment of animals during their stay at farms and during the butchering process. Some people do good work to stop animal cruelty. Just like Religion, leave it to the fanatics to ruin something for the cause.
The owner of Exotic Meat Market, Anshu Pathak, a very nice businessman, who I have had the chance to talk to on several occasions has been under fire over the years for the business that he runs. He has received negative criticism, death threats and has been falsely reported to certain organization's about the conditions and activities of his farm. Do you believe this nonsense? He simply welcomes them in as he has nothing to ever hide. He welcomes in guests which I hope to be the next time I make way out to California. Who would have thought terrorism would exist in the food industry. Abortion, gay marriage, capital punishment..... food. I suppose it is an important subject that needs to be discussed at great length. After all it's about what we as Human beings are eating. Really though... It can go as far as death threats!? Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised.
So while you can expect people to have outrage over the selling of Lion meat, (understandably) an animal while not an endangered species is a vulnerable one. Anshu Pathak does not import them. Before he started receiving and selling the meat of the Lion it was discarded by people who simply purchased the skins. The act of killing an animal just for the sake of it's skin or any other trophy is something I am very much not in favor of. I will say as controversial as it is, if i get the opportunity I do intend to try Lion. this is where i stand as of now.
I like many of you of course don't want animals to be abused and tortured for my consumption. That's why some people don't eat things like Veal and Foie gras. Some methods have changed somewhat over time in some places but it still does go on. Veal are baby cows that are slaughtered days after birth and during that time are kept in crates unable to move much. Foie gras is a fattened Duck or Goose liver. It's fattened up because the animals have been forced fed to increase the liver size. This type of stuff has lead to controversy. Animal abuse or no? What do you think?
It's not even just different meats anymore that only excites my enthusiasm now. Different kinds of Seafood, Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy.... Dairy is a huge one that interests me lately. Who doesn't drink Cow milk? People who are lactose intolerant and have certain allergies don't. Did you know Milks such as Camel or Goat are lower in lactose, higher in vitamin C and are healthier than your regular Cows milk? Did you know until recently it was illegal to sell Camel Milk in the U.S.? I just find it interesting how things are. The way the laws are for these types of topics. Goat, Sheep, Camel and even Buffalo milk are available and can be found. Ever hear of Pig milk? That's an interesting read. I'd like to get a hold of Pig milk sometime. Wonder why we don't have Pig milk? We have so many of farms. I'll let you look that one up. It's an interesting read. The Cow though.... Damn. The perfect animal to milk.
So what are we supposed to do? Are we just supposed to buy "the big three" and a few other types of meats and eat them day after day after day for the rest of our lives!? Are we supposed to walk into our grocery stores like little robots and place the same cuts of meats into our shopping carts go home and cook the same products? Buy processed brand foods and beverages like Tyson, PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola, Jimmy Dean, etc... Are we always supposed to stock up on the same stuff all the time? We can never branch out? Try new things?
Do we have to drive down our streets and see a McDonalds and Burger King on every corner? Watch as families pile into them like Zombies and order fake ass garbage trash food Burgers. Soulless empty Burgers and meat products that just leave you feeling fatter unsatisfied and hungry an hour later. Or are you one of those people who are just closed minded into thinking that eating anything other than "the big three" is gross and weird. Some would say, "Ewww yuck I don't want to eat meat cut from animals like Llama, Quail, Kangaroo, Goat, Camel, Frog etc..... That's sick and wrong. You can't do that! Camel milk? Moose cheese? Ostrich egg? That's gross." Yeah, go enjoy that Big Mac and Double Whopper with extra fries. Have fun at Denny's where bacon is included in the water. Some people may not enjoy meat products for personal preferences and that's fine. It's not for everyone. For people like me I've just become so bored of the same thing over and over again. Some people just can't get over the thought of it because our society's brainwash us with Fast foods and "the big three" since it's just so much easier to farm and slaughter them. Also, not to say that you can't eat at fast food places sometimes... well certain ones. Just not every damn day! Every damn meal! It's pretty obvious that it has become a huge problem for us. I only wish this food bomb went off in my head years ago.
It's just hard to break away from animals like the Cow I guess. The Cow. The perfect slaughter animal. What is it about you that makes you the ideal animal to get meat and milk from? Is it because you are so docile? That does play a huge factor. It's just so much easier to get Milk from a Cow. They just stand there. Camel's will kick. Cows will just go with the flow and be herded anywhere you want when you want to process them for their meat. Emu's are huge birds with sharp talons. A little more risky yes? I guess it makes sense why "the big three" are and always will be "the big three". Still, why can't we put more of an effort into mainstreaming certain animals like Ostrich, Deer and Alligator? Animals that are only somewhat exotic. I want to find these animals in more Restaurants. I want to go to grocery stores and see these animals in the frozen meat isles. I want to see families preparing these animals for Sunday Dinner. It's time for us to stop being freaked out by the concept of consuming an animal that doesn't fall into the category of....."the big three"!
Did I divert or get side tracked from the original question at all? I hope that answers you somewhat with my all over the place ramblings as to why I'm so interested in Foods that are not considered the norm. There's still so much more to learn and I'm going to continue my quest. This is me. DavetheUsher.
That soon led me to a few websites such as this one. http://www.exoticmeatmarkets.com/
This is where I learned about most of the animals you could legally eat in the U.S. and the U.K. I found it interesting that in the U.K. you could eat animals like Zebra, Springbok, Impala, Wildebeest, Kudu etc.... but you can't get them here in the U.S. Really? Why? Why can't we have those for sale here but I can purchase Camel, Peacock, Black Bear, Eland, Swan and Lion. Lion!!! By the way did you know you can't eat a certain type of Swan (Mute Swan) in the U.K. because they are owned by the Crown? So strange.
So it's this kind of research that leads me into reading who can eat what animal where and who can't. I learn about African bush meat and how people actually smuggle meat into certain countries. Bush meat smuggling is actually a real problem and can lead to diseases in humans. People smuggle Tiger, Bat, Cane Rat, Chimpanzee, Elephant, Horse.... Every type of animal meat you can think of. Something that gives places like Exotic Meat Market a bad name.
For me the research is half the fun. I enjoy searching the internet, reading up on the consumption of certain animals, seafood, vegetables, etc.... The good and the bad. No matter what there's always a bad side. I try and learn everything I can and there's so much to learn. You won't find it all at once. Just when you think it's done and there's nothing else left to read about you suddenly think about something else. Dairy products! Of course! The search will never be over. Not for me.
How about some random food talk now. Did you know the majority of the worlds Horse meat comes from Horses from OUR (U.S.) country!? They are sent out to be slaughtered in Canada and Mexico then shipped out to places like Italy, France and other parts of the world. Horse slaughter farms and the selling of Horse meat has been illegal here in the U.S. until just recently thanks to Obama. A few ranchers at this moment are trying to get Horse slaughter ranches set up, new jobs created and producing but because of certain politics it's been quite difficult. In the next several months of so Horse meat might be able to be purchased for consumption here once more. I believe a restaurant in new York has been selling Horse on occasion. We'll see what happens.
Horse meat is actually one of the bigger controversies in the U.S. Not only because people see the Horse as more of a companion type animal like the Dogs and Cats BUT because all these Horses haven't been raised for food. They were raised for racing or for other services. They have been given certain types of medicines and injections to improve the Horse's health in whatever services they are used for. Horse abandonment is also very high in the U.S. leading to illegal selling of Horse meat. Sometimes horses are even stolen from people for their meat. It's because of this that could lead to some issues with the selling of Horse meat and makes me a tad weary myself come the day I'll be able to purchase it. I still need to do more reading up on that.
Did you know that Black Bear meat can have certain parasites called Trichinosis caused by eating raw or undercooked pork or wild game? This can cause you to get a parasitic disease. This means the meat has to be cooked very very thoroughly. This has lead me to be a tad weary on the ordering Black Bear meat but I hope to at some point. Pigs used to have this issue as well but rarely anymore since they are easier to monitor and farm than Bears are. I guess that's why we have "the big three." Easier to monitor and farm.
It's researching stuff like this now that leads me to people opinions on these subjects and how people think it's sick and horribly wrong to eat certain animals like Horse, Zebra and Lion. Animal rights activism goes to great length to stop certain people and businesses from selling meats from these animals. Organizations like PETA think we should only eat meats from "the big three" I guess. Or not eat meat at all... I don't know.... So many of those people are animal right activist terrorists that do more shady things than the meat companies themselves. Or some PETA members just don't want animals to be wrongfully abused and tortured. You can't argue with that. It's a crap shoot. Some of them are nut job terrorists and some are very good people who uncover a lot of horrible people and places where there's the mistreatment of animals during their stay at farms and during the butchering process. Some people do good work to stop animal cruelty. Just like Religion, leave it to the fanatics to ruin something for the cause.
The owner of Exotic Meat Market, Anshu Pathak, a very nice businessman, who I have had the chance to talk to on several occasions has been under fire over the years for the business that he runs. He has received negative criticism, death threats and has been falsely reported to certain organization's about the conditions and activities of his farm. Do you believe this nonsense? He simply welcomes them in as he has nothing to ever hide. He welcomes in guests which I hope to be the next time I make way out to California. Who would have thought terrorism would exist in the food industry. Abortion, gay marriage, capital punishment..... food. I suppose it is an important subject that needs to be discussed at great length. After all it's about what we as Human beings are eating. Really though... It can go as far as death threats!? Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised.
So while you can expect people to have outrage over the selling of Lion meat, (understandably) an animal while not an endangered species is a vulnerable one. Anshu Pathak does not import them. Before he started receiving and selling the meat of the Lion it was discarded by people who simply purchased the skins. The act of killing an animal just for the sake of it's skin or any other trophy is something I am very much not in favor of. I will say as controversial as it is, if i get the opportunity I do intend to try Lion. this is where i stand as of now.
I like many of you of course don't want animals to be abused and tortured for my consumption. That's why some people don't eat things like Veal and Foie gras. Some methods have changed somewhat over time in some places but it still does go on. Veal are baby cows that are slaughtered days after birth and during that time are kept in crates unable to move much. Foie gras is a fattened Duck or Goose liver. It's fattened up because the animals have been forced fed to increase the liver size. This type of stuff has lead to controversy. Animal abuse or no? What do you think?
It's not even just different meats anymore that only excites my enthusiasm now. Different kinds of Seafood, Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy.... Dairy is a huge one that interests me lately. Who doesn't drink Cow milk? People who are lactose intolerant and have certain allergies don't. Did you know Milks such as Camel or Goat are lower in lactose, higher in vitamin C and are healthier than your regular Cows milk? Did you know until recently it was illegal to sell Camel Milk in the U.S.? I just find it interesting how things are. The way the laws are for these types of topics. Goat, Sheep, Camel and even Buffalo milk are available and can be found. Ever hear of Pig milk? That's an interesting read. I'd like to get a hold of Pig milk sometime. Wonder why we don't have Pig milk? We have so many of farms. I'll let you look that one up. It's an interesting read. The Cow though.... Damn. The perfect animal to milk.
So what are we supposed to do? Are we just supposed to buy "the big three" and a few other types of meats and eat them day after day after day for the rest of our lives!? Are we supposed to walk into our grocery stores like little robots and place the same cuts of meats into our shopping carts go home and cook the same products? Buy processed brand foods and beverages like Tyson, PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola, Jimmy Dean, etc... Are we always supposed to stock up on the same stuff all the time? We can never branch out? Try new things?
Do we have to drive down our streets and see a McDonalds and Burger King on every corner? Watch as families pile into them like Zombies and order fake ass garbage trash food Burgers. Soulless empty Burgers and meat products that just leave you feeling fatter unsatisfied and hungry an hour later. Or are you one of those people who are just closed minded into thinking that eating anything other than "the big three" is gross and weird. Some would say, "Ewww yuck I don't want to eat meat cut from animals like Llama, Quail, Kangaroo, Goat, Camel, Frog etc..... That's sick and wrong. You can't do that! Camel milk? Moose cheese? Ostrich egg? That's gross." Yeah, go enjoy that Big Mac and Double Whopper with extra fries. Have fun at Denny's where bacon is included in the water. Some people may not enjoy meat products for personal preferences and that's fine. It's not for everyone. For people like me I've just become so bored of the same thing over and over again. Some people just can't get over the thought of it because our society's brainwash us with Fast foods and "the big three" since it's just so much easier to farm and slaughter them. Also, not to say that you can't eat at fast food places sometimes... well certain ones. Just not every damn day! Every damn meal! It's pretty obvious that it has become a huge problem for us. I only wish this food bomb went off in my head years ago.
It's just hard to break away from animals like the Cow I guess. The Cow. The perfect slaughter animal. What is it about you that makes you the ideal animal to get meat and milk from? Is it because you are so docile? That does play a huge factor. It's just so much easier to get Milk from a Cow. They just stand there. Camel's will kick. Cows will just go with the flow and be herded anywhere you want when you want to process them for their meat. Emu's are huge birds with sharp talons. A little more risky yes? I guess it makes sense why "the big three" are and always will be "the big three". Still, why can't we put more of an effort into mainstreaming certain animals like Ostrich, Deer and Alligator? Animals that are only somewhat exotic. I want to find these animals in more Restaurants. I want to go to grocery stores and see these animals in the frozen meat isles. I want to see families preparing these animals for Sunday Dinner. It's time for us to stop being freaked out by the concept of consuming an animal that doesn't fall into the category of....."the big three"!
Did I divert or get side tracked from the original question at all? I hope that answers you somewhat with my all over the place ramblings as to why I'm so interested in Foods that are not considered the norm. There's still so much more to learn and I'm going to continue my quest. This is me. DavetheUsher.
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