Monday, July 30, 2007

Equus caballus eatus...


OK, I know this post will trigger lots of negative reactions, but I still have to post it: I photographed this horse head above the shop of a horse meat butcher. For yes people, in France, people DO eat horse meat! Oh c'mon, why would it be OK to eat beef or veal and not horse meat?! Not to mention, that according to horse meat eaters - it is very tender and good..

41 comments:

  1. Ha ha! You said "trigger."
    Trigger was the name of Roy Rogers' horse!

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  2. ...And thank you for the birthday wishes!

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  3. Well, you'll get at least one positive comment from me:

    First of all, yes, it's absolutely true what they say about horse meat. It is very tender, lean, just melts in your mouth. Very high quality meat.

    Yeah, yeah, I know, it's like a federal offense or something in the US, but look at it this way: in India, the cow is sacred and in the US, it's just a generic animal. Same difference. In France, horse meat and veal, lamb, rabbit, whatever, is all just another thing you can put on your plate.

    But hey, don't go thinking the French are the only ones eating weird things. Personally, I can't stand stuff like canned cheese, and this SPAM thing looks absolutely ghastly... Also, if you go to Chinese restaurants in San Francisco, they'll offer you this interesting delicacy called "chicken feet" (they even leave the nails!). That's where I draw the line! ;)

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  4. Now I will be paranoid to eat meat while in Paris.

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  5. To LaCresha : Do not worry. We don't have "surprise" menu... you get to choose what you eat.

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  6. Instead of asking if his salad had goat cheese in it(chevre) my husband asked in French if the salad contained cheval(horse).

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  7. Eric-
    Have you ever tried eating horse meat???

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  8. ... and maybe you should mention that there are very few horse meat butchers left today. Most of them have disappeared during the last decades. ... and as also stated above, you will not get it in a restaurant without asking for it (same as for dogs in China).

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  9. A guy walks into his house, sits on the couch and his wife comes to him and hits him with the newspaper.

    "What was that for?" he asked. "I found this in your pocket while cleaning your pants...it says Loretta Lu!" she replied.

    The husband explained "Thats the horse I bet on while I was at the track yesterday!" She replied, "Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t know."

    The next day. The man arrives home only to get hit again by a frying pan! When he wakes up he says, "What was that for?!" The wife replied, "Your horse, Loretta called!!!!!"

    Bonus pic for Buzzgirl...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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  10. OMG Michael! That is hilarious - though sad, but true!

    Thanks for the birthday wishes.

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  11. How about dog? Lots of dogs are eaten in Korea. Does Paris also have dogs on the menu?

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  12. Hi from cold, grey Oslo everyone. The city is lovely but I could do with some more sun LOL.

    No Abraham, we DO NOT eat dogs in Paris. But we do eat rabbit, which, I heard, is hard to imagine for Americans...

    Micheal this joke IS funny.

    BTW, you should NOT be paranoid about eating meat in Paris for they will NEVER serve horse meat without telling you!

    I have never tried horse meat - as a horse lover and horse rider - when I was young - I always kept this relationship with horses that prevents me from eating - even thinking of it!!

    Hey phx-cdg, nice to see you back here. I understand you cannont make it to Paris to meet Monica with me. too bad.

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  13. Oh, I love rabbit. We used to hunt rabbit when I was younger and many a meal of rabbit came with pieces of lead (buckshot) to bite into. Rabbit is sold in most supermarkets here just like chicken, lamb, beef and pork. But no horse meat or dog meat.

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  14. Oooh what a hornet's nest you have disturbed here, Lord Eric; very brave.
    It intrigues me slightly when you say oh c'mon why would it be ok to eat beef or veal and not horse meat? Then you put in capitals your answer to do you eat dog 'no we DO NOT eat dogs in Paris'! Why not dog then, by the same argument?

    Please don't misunderstand me; i would eat neither. lol. I guess the abhorrence which people feel; it's because horses and dogs are treated as domestic animals, often part of the family.

    I think i'll pass. Interesting post though!

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  15. True there are less and less horse meat butchers in France. Sad, for the best and tastiest "steak tartare" is certainly the one made with horse meat.

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  16. In Australia people eat kangaroos, crocodiles, emus, so I can't frown on your eating habits. In South Africa I have tasted zebra and ostrich and springbok so ..... could we say its "horses for courses???"

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  17. Well pointed out (is this correct ? not sure of my english there) Lynn. I could add this that eating an animal doesn't necessarily mean you show some disrespect to it, does it ?

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  18. If we were all smart and health savvy, we would not be eating meat at all, or at least limiting its consumption. Cultural differences is what makes the world interesting.

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  19. Yes, correct, gg.

    Eric you may be interested that i found an old newspaper discarded in the flood damage dated 1949 - see Cheltenham today. On the back page it shows a survey had been done on the best tourist destinations. London came a poor fifth or sixth, owing to its lack of facilities and the 'attitude of the people'. Paris, was first! As chosen by American tourists. Interesting, huh?

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  20. Eric, We took a photo of the same horse. I'll post it on Johnnysarc as soon as I find it. Great minds think alike. LOL Johnny

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  21. > they will NEVER serve horse meat without telling you!

    Are you sure? I thought it was quite legal to sell cheval as "steack".

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  22. "Horses for courses" indeed. Main courses or the hors-d'ouvre (horse d ... oh, never mind.)

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  23. > expat :
    of course it's legal. Eric just meant you won't be served horse for beef, pork, chicken, lamb or rabbit. In France -like in any other courntry I guess- the type of meat is always announced.

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  24. Lynn : i found an old newspaper discarded in the flood damage dated 1949

    I'm not quite sure… do you mean you suffered from the flood damages lately ? If so, I do hope things are getting better for you.

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  25. First, bon anniversaire Buzzgirl. And to the others who commented over the weekend.

    Second, this horse looks a bit disturbed, maybe surprised, when he discovered just what the shop is selling!

    Rabbit is quite tasty. Poulet, canard, boef, cheval, whatever. Some cannibals believed consuming somebody was a way to acquire the courage, cunning, etc. of the "main dish". I confess I've slowed down a bit, maybe some filet de Secretariat is needed.

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  26. Having consumed chicken, steak, and a wonderful, well-seasoned lamb sandwich (Gyro)over the weekend, I am quite a carnivorous person. But unless I find myself one day in a dire situation, such as the starving troops in history, who were advised to eat the flesh of horses that had died on the battlefield, I could not consume horse meat mostly for the reasons Lynn cited above.

    And Lynn, good luck with Gordon Ramsay wishing to shatter the last taboo of English cuisine by urging the public to eat horse meat. :)

    Michael, loved the joke!!! Always good strategy to inject hilarity...:)

    Loraine

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  27. And to be fair, it does look like a very distressed horse.

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  28. Hmm, Gordon Ramsay, Anonyme, that's a whole issue for another day. lol. I don't think he'll go far with that one.

    Gg yes i'm right in it! I live in Tewkesbury, one of the worst places hit (see my Cheltenham blog) but so far my house is not flooded. I'm very much one of the lucky ones but thanks for your good wishes.

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  29. Hi, Eric,

    Is this on Rue Montorgueil?

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  30. Oh la la!! So funny! It reminds me of when we were young and we weren't sure what we were having for dinner and my father would say.."horse meat..fricasee"!! We would stare at him and he would say..."Oh it's tasty..I make it all the time, I just never tell you"!! LOL!!! I think it was more likely a combination of ground beef and veal.

    Oh tomate...you and buzzgurl are invited over for a dinner of Roast SPAM when I return from my trip...I'll glaze it with a nice Dijon Mustard and Brown Sugar Glaze!! Yummmm! LOL!! Actually, I have read that one of the reasons why the breast cancer rate is so high in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands in general is because of diet, and eating things like SPAM in particular!! Not good ehhh??

    buzz...what a thoughtful and lovely B'Day greeting from Michael...lucky you!!! LOL!!

    For all of you with interest in La Mome Piaf...just received this Piaf Book a biography which is supposed to be the most accurate. Had to go to amazon-UK to get it, but it is great so far. Perfect "airplane material" for me! ;-)

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  31. Actually, there is no (to my limited knowledge) reason for the US to be more sensitive on the horse meat department.
    France has as well a long history of horsemen (especially within the armies etc), so apart from the distances, I don't see the cultural difference in there.

    But very sadly, the kind of reasoning of people who do not eat horses seem to spread within France... Even in Paris, I have a hard time finding butchers that make horse meat!
    I love that meat, it is just veeeery tasty and tender.

    Also most of the races that are "breeds" for butchery would disappear if were not raised for that. Horses you eat are really different from horses you ride, to summarize.

    PS: for cultural purposes: I think horses were prohibited as food until middle age by religion, because the animal was supposed to be "noble" because of his role of "companion of the man" (farming, riding, etc...)
    I feel it's quite close to people who don't eat horse because they "like" them... No?

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  32. Oh no Eric. I just couldn't do it. I used to ride and care for horses and I hold a soft spot for them in my heart. I don't eat kangaroo either although I confess to having tasted it - but felt terribly guilty. I couldn't eat emu or crocodile or goanna or snake. I am a lamb chop girl and rump beefsteak, chicken or pork. I figure that these animals are bred for the table. I like eating fish - as long as someone else cooks it.
    As for cultural differences, I couldn't eat fried bugs or guinea pigs as they do in some Sth American countries. I love fruits and vegetables and grains and legumes. I could easily become a vegetarian.

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  33. Just to set the record straight, I like horses a lot, don't get me wrong. It's just hard to explain, and Lorroco kind of did: the horses that find their way to the butcher shop are "different" from those you befriend. You know, it's always hard if you make an emotional association, and if you do, then you should probably become a vegan because there is no difference between eating horse meat, or bambi, or the cute little bunny, or the cool cow, or cute little pig that went to the market but entered through the back door and came out in little packages wraped in cellophane ...

    I'm always a little surprised at the reaction of people in the US, when you mention horse meat. Doesn't anybody remember the Marilyn Monroe movie called "The Misfits" (where Clark Gable's character's sells horses to slaughterhouses for the manufacture of doog food?)

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Misfits_%28film%29

    Does anyone really believe that the script writer came up with that idea on his own, just for the movie?

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  34. Thanks for the welcome back, Eric. My cheval story happened on our 3 weeks in Paris. I think the waiter is still laughing.
    I haven't been in PHX for 2 months and it is nice to be home. Back on the LHR ,CDG circuit in 10 days, tho! Tell Monica hi for me.

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  35. Yes, the poor horse in this photo definitely looks traumatized by what goes on down below.

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  36. Americans eat rabbit although it's a regional dish. Rabbit can be quite tasty.

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  37. I know I am sounding typically American when I say that I will not eat horsemeat but am a big meat eater. I appreciate the arguments made in opposition to my position but I am so fond of horses and dogs as pets, that I will not eat them. I value the cycle of life and am open-minded but I have my principles!

    And yes, that horse has a definite shocked/crazed look that bespeaks, "you're going to eat me, a horse?!"

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  38. OK, I don't eat dog (eww!) but this guy allegedly did eat a corgi:

    http://tinyurl.com/3xa6ns

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  39. Interesting, never heard of Horse meat!
    As rightly put by Eric, this could create some disturbance for those who are sentimental towards it. I know you can even think about cow meat in India, Pig in Pakistan etc.

    as far as i think, anything that can make a human survive is OK!!

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  40. We've been eating horse meat all our adult lives until our daughter came along and fell in love with horses... oh well, fortunately, there is great alternatives! great collection Eric and let's here it for the nice Parisians.

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