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According to the New York Times today, Americans ate horsemeat during WW2, when traditional meats were scarce. There was also a Harvard University club where horsemeats were enjoyed until recently. If you would eat other animals, why not eat horses?

2007-03-04 22:05:12 · 12 answers · asked by fra59e 4 in Food & Drink Other - Food & Drink

12 answers

not knowingly; Consuming horsemeat sounds strange b/c it is not a typical meat eaten in the US. If we had always eaten horsemeat, then I guess the question would be,

Would you eat cow meat? If not, why not?

2007-03-04 22:21:49 · answer #1 · answered by curlygirl 2 · 0 0

In some countries the effects of this prohibition by the Roman Catholic Church have lingered, and horse meat prejudices have progressed from taboos, to avoidance, to abhorrence. In other parts of the world, horse meat has the stigma of being something poor people eat and is seen as a cheap substitute for other meats.

According to the anthropologist Marvin Harris, some cultures class horsemeat as taboo because the horse converts grass into meat less efficiently than ruminants. When breeding cattle for meat, a cow or a sheep will produce more meat than a horse if fed with the same amount of grass. However, these cattle (apart from the ox) cannot be used as working animals, and this argument does not address the issue of meat wastage.

There is also an element of sentimentality, as horses have long enjoyed a close relationship with many humans, on a similar level to household pets - this can be seen projected in such Anglophone popular culture icons as Black Beauty or even My Little Pony. Compare with the anthropomorphic pigs in Babe and Charlotte's Web.

Totemistic taboo is also a possible reason for refusal to eat horsemeat. Roman sources state that the horse goddess Epona was widely worshipped in Gaul and southern Britain; the Uffington White Horse is probable evidence of ancient horse worship. The ancient Indian Brahmins enaged in horse sacrifice, and this is recorded in the Vedas.[7] In 1913, the Finnic Cheremiss people of the Volga region were also observed to practise a horse sacrifice.[8] (Campbell aruges that the Aryans came from these northern steppe folk, showing the connectedness of the European and Asian rituals).

It is notable that, despite horses having been bred in England since pre-Roman times, the English language has no widely used term for horse meat, as opposed to three for pig meat (pork, bacon, ham), three for sheep meat (mutton,hoggett and lamb), two for cow meat (beef and veal), and so on. English speaking countries, however, have sometimes marketed horsemeat under the euphemism "cheval meat" (cheval being the French for horse). Also, note that the words pork, bacon, mutton, veal, and beef all derive from French (probably Norman French).

2007-03-05 06:09:47 · answer #2 · answered by :( 4 · 0 0

Would and have. Horsemeat is fairly popular in some European countries. It has a distinctive taste which is pleasant in burgers or steaks. It also produces excellent fat for frying. Fries done in rendered horsefat are meant to be some of the best you can eat.

2007-03-05 06:51:25 · answer #3 · answered by penny century 5 · 1 0

It sounds discusting to most Americans because most horses are kind of pets. I agree with you to a point. Why would one dead animal be worse than another? I only eat food that comes from the grocery store or restaurant, that way I really don't think about it as being a dead animal, just food.

2007-03-05 06:11:16 · answer #4 · answered by Mrs. T 4 · 0 0

I don't eat horsemeat but I use soap made from horse fat. It can do wonders for your skin

2007-03-05 07:18:15 · answer #5 · answered by happi_2Balive 1 · 0 0

Horse meat is part of the menu in many countries around the world (not necessarily those of the so called third world). I would be willing to try it, if I don't, then how willI know if it's any good?

2007-03-05 06:14:30 · answer #6 · answered by gaban24 4 · 1 0

no I wouldn't.
Simply because I view horses as pets, just like my cats and dogs. And we don't breed them solely for food, like cows and sheep. Mind you, I also don't really like the idea of eating cows either... I try not to think about that when I buy beef.

2007-03-05 06:46:39 · answer #7 · answered by Aussie mum 4 · 0 0

I would.
Meats, meat, and mans gotta eat.

2007-03-05 06:10:25 · answer #8 · answered by White Trash 2 · 1 0

I wouldn't because then dogs would have nothing to eat.

2007-03-05 07:11:38 · answer #9 · answered by Richard J 3 · 0 0

ewwwwwwww horse no way just cant do it(so srry)

2007-03-05 06:15:53 · answer #10 · answered by christina 4 · 0 0

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