> Is eating a horse somehow
> different from eating a cow or a turkey? Both are farm animals, and neither
> are really house pets. I don't get it.

Horses are a lot closer to pets here than either cows or turkeys. Not 
many people have them, but when I think of horses I think of horseback 
riding, maybe racing, and not much else. I think people also perceive 
them to be smarter than cows (which may be incorrect).

  - Slime

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On 06/12/2011 10:31 PM, Warp wrote:

> Same can be said of squid, octopuses, frogs and
> snails (generally considered delicacies in mediterranean countries,
> repugnant in more northern ones).

Apparently the British Isles didn't have snails until the Romans 
introduced them - in order to eat them. How many gardeners regret that 
decision?

>    However, perhaps the one that most surprises me personally is horse meat.
> Apparently there are many western countries where eating horse meat is
> considered as much a taboo as eating dog or cat meat. Personally I don't
> understand why. What's wrong with horse meat?

Ask somebody who's loved and cared for a house for 27 years as their 
cherished friend and soulmate. (E.g., my dance partner.)

As to why everybody else things that way...
1) I'm not sure too many people in this country would object to eating 
horse meat. [But I might be wrong.]
2) It's probably just an arbitrary cultural thing. Random person X 
thinks it's horrible because everyone *else* thinks it's horrible. No 
particular reason beyond that.

For example, in Britain calling someone a cow is a fairly bad insult. 
But if you stop and think about that for a moment... um, why is it? 
What's so terrible about cows? My sister was learning a foreign language 
at school, and she tells me that in some European language [I forget 
which one], calling someone a camel is a most terrible insult. To most 
people I know, the reaction would be "why? what's wrong with camels?"

In summary, it seems to just be a random arbitrary thing that varies by 
culture.

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Le 07/12/2011 01:59, clipka a écrit :
> 
> Horse is actually quite tasty.

Rather than tasty, the taste is very strong.

And often far from the sweet & delicious taste you might be used to.

The main deterrents to horse as food are:
 * it take too much time to get an adult sized animal for butcher
 * there is no milking interest to compensate that age.
 * the needed space is large
 * feeding is strongly limited
 * it does not grow meat and fat easily.

Look at:
 * beef: 2 years for adult made for meat, 5 years for adult used also
for milk.
 * chicken: must be between 40 and 90 days old. Egg production is also
interesting.
 * pork: disputed for its worms and dangerous toxins when worked in warm
environment,  about 6 months before consumption.
 * sheep/mutton: interest for the milk and wool, 2 years for meat,
interesting market for meat of young (less than 1 year).

Last but maybe not least: eating horse was forbidden by 2 popes, Gregory
III (732) and Zachary (751).
It was perceived as pagan behaviour of the northern population.

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Invisible <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> Apparently the British Isles didn't have snails until the Romans
> introduced them - in order to eat them. How many gardeners regret that
> decision?

Ditto rabbits.

> the reaction would be "why? what's wrong with camels?"

They're bad-tempered, ugly and smelly? Although personally I find their facial
expressions hilarious so it's not all bad :)

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Slime <pov### [at] slimelandcom> wrote:
> > Is eating a horse somehow
> > different from eating a cow or a turkey? Both are farm animals, and neither
> > are really house pets. I don't get it.
>
> Horses are a lot closer to pets here than either cows or turkeys. Not
> many people have them, but when I think of horses I think of horseback
> riding, maybe racing, and not much else. I think people also perceive
> them to be smarter than cows (which may be incorrect).
>
>   - Slime

hey, Andrew!  The Slime from your post really evolved! :D

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On 7-12-2011 11:33, Bill Pragnell wrote:
> Invisible<voi### [at] devnull>  wrote:
>> Apparently the British Isles didn't have snails until the Romans
>> introduced them - in order to eat them. How many gardeners regret that
>> decision?
>
> Ditto rabbits.
>
>> the reaction would be "why? what's wrong with camels?"
>
> They're bad-tempered, ugly and smelly? Although personally I find their facial
> expressions hilarious so it's not all bad :)
>
>

but they are great mathematicians.

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On 07/12/2011 10:28 PM, andrel wrote:
> On 7-12-2011 11:33, Bill Pragnell wrote:
>> Invisible<voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>>> Apparently the British Isles didn't have snails until the Romans
>>> introduced them - in order to eat them. How many gardeners regret that
>>> decision?
>>
>> Ditto rabbits.
>>
>>> the reaction would be "why? what's wrong with camels?"
>>
>> They're bad-tempered, ugly and smelly? Although personally I find
>> their facial
>> expressions hilarious so it's not all bad :)
>>
>>
>
> but they are great mathematicians.
>

LOL

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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>>> the reaction would be "why? what's wrong with camels?"
>>
>> They're bad-tempered, ugly and smelly? Although personally I find
>> their facial expressions hilarious so it's not all bad :)
>
> but they are great mathematicians.

Sandstorms, right?

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On 8-12-2011 10:14, Invisible wrote:
>>>> the reaction would be "why? what's wrong with camels?"
>>>
>>> They're bad-tempered, ugly and smelly? Although personally I find
>>> their facial expressions hilarious so it's not all bad :)
>>
>> but they are great mathematicians.
>
> Sandstorms, right?

no, pterry again.

http://www.lspace.org/books/whos-who/you-bastard.html

-- 
tip: do not run in an unknown place when it is too dark to see the floor.

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andrel <byt### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> On 7-12-2011 11:33, Bill Pragnell wrote:
> > Invisible<voi### [at] devnull>  wrote:
> >> Apparently the British Isles didn't have snails until the Romans
> >> introduced them - in order to eat them. How many gardeners regret that
> >> decision?
> >
> > Ditto rabbits.
> >
> >> the reaction would be "why? what's wrong with camels?"
> >
> > They're bad-tempered, ugly and smelly? Although personally I find their facial
> > expressions hilarious so it's not all bad :)
> >
> >
>
> but they are great mathematicians.

haha! especially fractals and planes of reality :) my favourite discworld book.

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