Hey, don’t eat THAT!
While removing yet another article from the dog’s jaws, I had one of those lateral thoughts, about taboo foods. You know, like why I shouldn’t just eat the dog and save a whole variety of household articles from an early demise. She’s safe, for now…
But seriously, around the world, there are many cultural/religious laws that forbid eating this, or heaven forbid, that! I try to imagine planning a weekly menu without my friend the pig, but two major religions forbid specifically that. Or how about beef, in all its variations. A whole subcontinent has forsaken Big Macs. And what about the Chinese? How safe would my dog be, under other circumstances?
Well, the pig was an economic choice (not economical, so there, Pork Producers of Quebec). A pig will eat anything, and use all the extra water for relaxing mud baths. Just like humans. In a region that is dry and lacking in foodstuff, other than grass cover, they made the choice to ban the pig, and keep the good stuff for themselves.
The cow, with her warm flanks and huge eyes, is actually a good tractor that happens to give milk. Be a shame to kill her off, because then we’d have to pull the plow ourselves. In India, the cow is safe from elimination.
The Chinese have figured out that with huge populations, food taboos are counter-productive. Hence, nothing is safe. Now, the civet cat is not exactly a tabby, but you know how stories can be mutated through time and bad telephones.
Birds, essentially, are in open season everywhere, except for the crow and seagull. I’ve seen those descendants of the dinosaur at supper, and I’m not surprised.
A final taboo, the sheep, is in play only because I can’t find any to buy. If ever lamb goes on sale, that taboo will drop out of sight. We could do with a little less hamburger and pork chops in the menu anyhow…
