First off, like many other people, I have had dogs and cats as pets and I can for sure understand the avoidance of wanting to eat one for food.
But my question is, isn't this sort of thing almost purely based on sentiment? I know there is the argument that dogs are a pretty intelligent and sophisticated mammal, but they've done studies on animals that are regularly consumed such as pigs and goats and it turns out they are actually pretty remarkable themselves and roughly comparable to cats and dogs. Goats in particular might actually be smarter than dogs in various ways, which isn't surprising considering they evolved in such mountainous terrain that would require a lot of cognitive demands for navigating their environment. As somebody who has interacted with domestic goats I can verify first-hand that they can be very affectionate with people when they are tamed and each one has its own unique personality. They are amazing and interesting animals.
Do you think it's hypocritical for other cultures to demand banning dog meat unless they themselves are already completely vegetarian? What are you guys' thoughts on this?
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"Folks, I don't trust children. They're here to replace us."
I had a dog and two cats. I guess wouldn't be able to eat them to save my own life.
There is also the question of eating carnivorous or herbivorous, most animals we traditionally eat in Europe are herbivorous and I believe other predators also prefer to hunt herbivorous. I think there is a reason for this but I can't point it from the top of my head.
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Aside from you needing a ban or at least a year long silence imo, it's known for a fact that purely vegetarian diet for humans leads to malnutrition in a "natural" sense(meaning, no handfuls of supplements for you soys). yeah some regions in India do commit to that, but surely there's some key details we're missing and you soys would omit it from the argument if you'd knew it.
Secondly consuming carnivorous mammal flesh is in itself dangerous to some extent and certain context, like for example vitamin A poisoning from eating polar bear liver. I'd assume other carnivorous mammal meat poses similar risks.
thirdly, far east asians don't have any sentiments to life. As a chinese saying goes, they eat anything with legs except for chairs and tables. and also adventures of Japanese during WW2. The SS compared to Kempei are cuddly white bunnies. and their other wars and the indifference to the loss of life in those. Of any far east asian culture.
fourth, some historical context. like for example Cambodian cuisine during the Khmer Rouge days, when the people would eat any animal they come across. nothing was off limits.
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"Kip is the Gavin McInnes of HC" - Salamandre
"Ashan to the Trashcan", "I got PTSD from H7. " - LizardWarrior
bloodsucker said:I had a dog and two cats. I guess wouldn't be able to eat them to save my own life.
There is also the question of eating carnivorous or herbivorous, most animals we traditionally eat in Europe are herbivorous and I believe other predators also prefer to hunt herbivorous. I think there is a reason for this but I can't point it from the top of my head.
Predators that rely exclusively or mostly on meat have to be highly efficient in terms of their weight because they spend a lot more calories/energy in order to get a meal, i.e. a lion often isn't successful in catching a zebra and they have to be in just the right location at just the right time in order to make their attack because they can't catch herd animals over a long distance. The same is true for canines. Bears are pretty heavy but with the exception of polar bears during parts of the year they mostly rely on foraging bushes or fishing in rivers. I just encountered one yesterday while picking red raspberries, oddly enough. We have a lot in the area.
At any rate, in terms of things to hunt and eat, carnivores are disappointing compared to the large amount of meat you can get from a deer or buffalo, etc. These sort of high-yield animals are also the kind you would want to domesticate for regular consumption. Herbivores are also far more plentiful than carnivores and I believe there is less risk of getting sick from them if the meat isn't prepared properly.
Alligator meat is popular in parts of the US (Cajun cuisine) but it is something people usually have on special occasions versus all of the time.
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"Folks, I don't trust children. They're here to replace us."
I think it is SOMEWHAT hypocritical. Rabbits are pets as well - doesn't help them when it comes to being eaten, though.
Geese are actually pretty awesome animals as well - still they are stuffed and slaughtered.
Monkeys are eaten as well, if I'm not completely wrong.
So why not cats and dogs?
It's just the that cats and dogs are more useful to us in other functions, so eating them would be something of a waste.
Maybe herbivores are the better food, when it comes to meat.
It's slightly off-topic but eating a nutritionally complete vegetarian diet is pretty easy. If a person takes out dairy as well, you are correct that people need a B vitamin supplement. You can also regularly eat Marmite/Vegemite but needless to say that is an acquired taste
For those here who aren't lovers of English food, Marmite is a paste you can spread on breads or crackers, etc, that is made from yeast. Very potent.
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"Folks, I don't trust children. They're here to replace us."
Kipshasz said:thirdly, far east asians don't have any sentiments to life. As a chinese saying goes, they eat anything with legs except for chairs and tables. and also adventures of Japanese during WW2. The SS compared to Kempei are cuddly white bunnies. and their other wars and the indifference to the loss of life in those. Of any far east asian culture.
Yeah, f*ck you Japs, they almost ate all the Akitas! When I'm looking at my cuddly girl and think about it only rage swells inside me!
Being a POW on the Pacific front of the war was the worst thing ever. Definitely better and easier to go fight Nazis.
I think the average age of the soldier in the Pacific was 19, versus 25 in Europe. They needed young and crazy people to fight the Japanese so that is what they recruited lol. Plus it consisted of a far more specialized force: lots of marines and planes and naval bombers. The soldiers sent to Europe were average Joes.
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"Folks, I don't trust children. They're here to replace us."
Maybe I would be a completely different person if I grew up in the 1920s and 1930s, but I am reasonably certain that if I was sent to the Pacific in a war, I would curl up into a fetal position in the corner of a dark room and whimper softly like a pathetic animal while sucking my thumb.
I remember when I saw Hacksaw Ridge that I thought maybe it was partially just Mel Gibson being Mel Gibson (he has a fetish for violence and stuff) but apparently it is a pretty accurate portrayal. Japanese soldiers were less likely than other armies to do things such as run & take cover, then run & take cover, etc. A lot of them just kept charging.
This is why it is a good thing that now they instead like to make cars and strange animals that pop out of Poke balls.
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"Folks, I don't trust children. They're here to replace us."
On a more serious note tho, I think @JollyJoker's got the point; besides, humans were used to live with cats and dogs for a way longer period of time. The also eat flesh instead of simply grass and other vegetables or roots which are easier to feed to an animal.
____________ Enshackling time itself, heralds of the Ancients among their heat-depleted land.... Who could they be, who could rally the beings of the East and the North and control the mortals' fate?
JollyJoker said:It's just the that cats and dogs are more useful to us in other functions, so eating them would be something of a waste.
Nowadays this may sound true but we eat oxen and horses and both were extremely useful in the past, when we relied on then for heavy work like plow the land and pull wagons.
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I wouldn't care one whit that people eat dogs, as long as they eat the little yapper ankle-biter types. And maybe their owners, too.
On a serious note, i am against eating any carnivorous animal. Plant eaters are for meat eaters, simply put. That, and that the asians tend to torture the animals before slaughter because they think it makes the meat taste better. That alone makes me think we should be feeding those kinds of people to dogs.
Thirty thousand years ago we made a deal with some primate-curious wolves. If they guarded our camps at night and helped us hunt during the day and protected our young from other predators we would give them a portion of our kills. Later on some of them signed a new contract and helped us to herd cows and sheep, thus greatly enhancing cheese and wool production. Turning around and eating them now is a betrayal that in my book is akin to cannibalism.
Cats are pests though that are perfectly okay to eat.
Cats hunted the rats and mice affecting the people's houses and lives for centuries.
____________ Enshackling time itself, heralds of the Ancients among their heat-depleted land.... Who could they be, who could rally the beings of the East and the North and control the mortals' fate?
friendofgunnar said:Cats are pests though that are perfectly okay to eat.
I'm more of a dog person then cat person, but you do need to take into account that a similar "contract" was signed - to protect households from rodents.
Well, as somebody who has had a pug before, let me assure you that she was completely and totally incapable of doing anything you mentioned She was a special princess.
@blob
It's a question of whether we domesticated cats, or if cats domesticated us
@JJ: there are decorative rabbits, and there are rabbits bred for fur and meat. which is bloody delicious.
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"Kip is the Gavin McInnes of HC" - Salamandre
"Ashan to the Trashcan", "I got PTSD from H7. " - LizardWarrior