http://news.yahoo.com/horses-could-soon-slaughtered-meat-us-080907323.html
Have you ever thought about trying a new kind of meat? Maybe squid (calamari), Alligator, Shark fin, Snake even? People eat these animals all the time, maybe not all in the united states, but all over. A lot of Americans do however eat snake meat and alligator. A ton of animals in the United States are killed and eaten every year, some in mass others in smaller portions. Cows (beef) are breed and raised to be food for us, same as chickens and pigs but horses are different for some reason. Is it because we can get more use out of them instead of just killing them for meat? Is it because too many people see them as pets and not food? You can ride a horse just as you could probably ride a cow! Horses can learn to do tricks and love you and have personality, but you know what so do pigs. Didn't know that did you? Pigs are actually highly intelligent but the only thing you probably think of when we say pig is BACON! If you don't want to believe me on their level of intelligence then here is a link: Pig Smarts
Now pigs are actually just as smart as dogs but you wouldn't eat dog would you? Or cat even? Why is this? It's because they are seen as pets, as members of the family and as loyal animals that have emotions and feelings just like we do. But you know what, so do cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ect. Any animal we eat has feelings and emotions just like us. Any animals could also be someones pet if our society had been different.
Just think about this- If this world had been different, and cows were used like horses, and pigs/chickens used like dogs/cats then what do you think we would be mass producing to eat? Yes that's right, dogs, cats, and horses. The only reason why we have such a strong feeling and sense of right and wrong is because we learned it, we have been taught that eating some animals is ok, but eating others is wrong. If I really wanted to I could go into more depth about other ANIMALS that CAN but are not supposed to be eaten. Well, they are eaten by wild animals but not its own kind... I'm talking about humans. Humans are animals and you know what? If we were not the dominant species on this planet we could very well be some other creatures food source. Wild animals already make meals out of us yet we shun and blame them for it but why? Do you blame yourself for eating other animals? I didn't think so. Another thing I want to mention on this subject is that cannibalism is seen in the wild a lot more then you might think. Lions will kill and eat other lions of different prides, male Lions will kill and sometimes even eat the cubs of other lionesses in order to mate with her. Tigers are solitary animals in the wild and will kill each other and on occasion will eat the other. A large number of reptiles eat their own kind all the time! Fish eat other fish of the same species and even wild dogs will eat each other.
Now back to the main topic of this blog (seeing as how I've gotten a bit off track), horse meat. Why is it so taboo for humans to eat it? I love horses just as much as I love cows but I still eat beef. I think cows are absolutely adorable but yet I will still make myself a hamburger or a steak. Why? Because it tastes good and my body needs meat. Horses are really no different to me, I would eat horse meat if I had the choice just to taste it and see if I liked it. Horses are already used as pet food so why not use it for humans as well? If you think it's wrong for horses to be slaughtered at all even for pet food then what would our pets eat? The crap that some companies do is just mix the leftovers of YOUR food into a grinder. Left over parts of intestines/bones/feet/fat/spoiled meats <-- this is what is called MEAT BY PRODUCT. I would rather my dog eat a dog food made from nothing but horse meat and some veggies then that garbage! Would you eat something that was a BY PRODUCT? No, you would want to eat actual food, not a food-like product that I also see on the shelves of our stores.
Horse meat might also be good for the economy of food distribution and slaughter houses anyway. Beef/pork/chicken is so mass produced that these animals are breed like crazy and given an ungodly amount of chemicals and steroids to make them grow faster, larger and to kill off any disease or sickness they might have. If we allow horses into this mix it might take some of the pressure off of the other animals if people allow and accept the new change of meat into their diets. Hell if anything, I believe they should allow deers to be produced for meat. I've had my share of deer jerky and deer steak and it is really good! I can't wait till my husband gets a hunting license and we can go and get our own meat instead of having to rely on chemically enhanced beef. You can use deer meat as a sub for beef I've done it before and it was still very good.
Horse meat has already been leaked into our food in the United Kingdom and they lived. Probably didn't even taste a real difference. So it's not that odd to think about adding horses as an extra meat source. Again, I think if people accept it, that it could lighten up the demand for beef and possibly pork. Chicken, on the other hand is different. I would think that they would have an equal amount of turkey as they do chicken to lighten up the demand of it but they don't seem to. Lamb is another one I would like to go out and buy but it's special ordered here where I live.
So that's my opinion, what are yours? Do you think horse meat should be introduced into our diets? Why or why not?
