I've eaten dog meat and donkey meat (so you could say I ate ass). I assume donkey is close enough to horse. It's a very lean meat and was pretty good. The dog meat was in a sort of stew and didn't taste good or bad... but psychologically I had to stop after 2-3. But I'm not opposed to the idea.
The connection humans have with dogs is not related to intelligence. Dogs have been bred for thousands of years to be companions to humans. There was a study done in Russia where wild foxes were domesticated and lived in homes with families. While the foxes were tame and lived in the house, they had absolutely no connection with the humans. They were affectionate, didn't respond to human emotions - all they did was look at the human as a provider of food. The dogs on the other hand appeared to read the humans emotions, made eye contact and responded to commands. That's why I would eat a fox or a pig, but never a dog.
I have no problems with it. They do it all over the world. I may not eat it but I don't find anything wrong with it. I'm somewhat of a transcendentalist and killing and eating meat is just natural.
it only seems wrong because you grew up here. we're all here by circumstance. others are disgusted by our consumption of pigs and cows. so who are we to judge.
I've tried ba-sashi or horse sashimi at an onsen resort near Nagano Japan a few years ago. Honestly tasted like a rich tuna or toro grade sashimi. I must confess that I used a lot of wasabi on those suckers just in case...
This is what I am wondering. Cows raised for meat are generally not work animals. How rich and marbled can the meat of a racing and / or old horse be?
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This has been a huge issue for a while. Retired gelding racehorces, breeding horses that are past their breeding age, and other old horses used to be slaughtered to make dog food. When this was "banned" a few years ago, a lot of these horses were just released into the wild, because the owners couldn't do anything will them, and didn't want to/couldn't afford to feed them.
I'm ready! Been preparing for this day... selectively breeding my horses to have the most profitable livestock herd in Texas! Here's my prized stud horse. Spoiler
When I am in Switzerland, I have to make major adjustments to my diet because I normally eat like Ron Swanson and they eat like anorexic rabbits. I get ravenous cravings for steak, and I can't tell you how many times the rindfleisch (literally "beef meat") I order ends up being a 40CHF plate of horse meat with garnish. I can tell immediately. It's much tougher than I would ever have my steak, and very compact. Even when cooked european rare, it still has a defined grain and an unpleasant chewiness that is tell-tale. I always inform the herr ober that this is not what I ordered and that I will not be paying for pferdfleisch, and they always reassure me "Nein. Nein. Das ist von der cow, herr. Ich verspreche!" At this point I usually rage on the ober and ravage the nearest warm blooded animal. Usually, they take back the horse steak and bring me a salad and charge me for both, whereupon I pay the ransom and gtfo and try to fight someone in the bahnhof. That's one more thing. Try getting customer service there like you would here. Or someone to project your anger on. Slim pickens. The irony is that the cow is basically the swiss mascot. You can hear the faint clanking of their collar bells no matter where you are in the country. Spago in Zug is my ****, if anyone is ever in the neighborhood.
They always rank high in the top places to live in the world but I couldn't deal with stuff like this.
That's because those indices of "quality of life" are based upon things like unemployment levels, protection from crime or violence, public transport and average wage, all areas in which the swiss make sure their numbers excel. It can be a tough place for a born and raised American, but I've adjusted and learned to cope with the bad and just enjoy the wacky nature of the place. Steak is definitely the thing I miss the most.
I guess if I was unemployed then guaranteed employment in Switzerland would seem great. But employed Houstonian vs employed Zurichian, that would be the real comparison. Housing. Food. Access to medical. Etc.
I don't remember the portions being small in Zurich. I always thought it was OK. Switzerland does have good pork and beer though.
