Meat Adversion

How many people do you know who gladly eat meat in the form of hamburger or chicken thighs, even hotdogs and sausage, but are repulsed by the idea of eating dog or snails or horse? You may very well be one of those people.

An article on FOXNews says:

"They're really mellow like a dog. They like to be brushed and are very sociable � they will come if you call them," he said.
Sowers said the cows love people � and that the feeling is mutual. He's had buyers take the li�l animals back to homes from Florida to Hawaii.

"They're real people-oriented animals," Sowers said. "They have a wonderful disposition. And I found that there's a lot of people who want little cows for pets."
They can also be taught tricks. One man trained one of his cows to lie down while another one leaps over it, Pillard said.

"Cattle are smarter than people think," he said.
And cheaper. Pillar said it costs only about $30 a month to keep a mini cow in hay in winter. In the summer, as long as you've got grass in the yard, your cow will feed itself for free �and keep your lawn trimmed.

But don't count on having your little bovine friend curling up at your feet like a cat or dog: Miniature cows are not indoor animals.

"They don't take up a lot of room, but they're still large animals and still weigh quite a bit," Pillard said. "I don't know if they could be housetrained."

There are, however, a couple of pretty impressive benefits to miniature cows that even a cuddly puppy can't match.

"They can produce up to two gallons of milk a day, just enough for a small family to meet their needs as far as milk goes," Pillard said.

Chickens can be kept indoors, and there are even many patterns for chicken diapers, so that the animals don't poop in the house. Or rather, so that their poop is contained. People have specifically bred pot bellied pigs as companions, not that they are any more intelligent than their counterparts destined for your MC Donald's sausage patty, but look different, much like different breeds of dogs look different.

So why the aversions? Is it possible that the same creatures we are used to and love could serve as double duty creatures? All too possible, actually. Rabbit meat is extremely healthy and eco-aware, being easy on the earth to feed and house many rabbits. Shelters are packed with healthy dogs and cats that are euthanized everyday, only because no one has wanted to adopt them. About four million cats and dogs are put down every year, or one every eight seconds. That could feed alot of hungry people. Of course

In the last census, there were about 297,831,960 people in the US. In order for that all the dogs and cats to be saved from shelters (only the ones that are put down) four million cats and dogs would have to find a home EACH YEAR. That's in ADDITION to all the pets already, and all the animals who are abused, neglected, and is not counting strays. Look at horses. I see horses on Craigslist that are free. Not because they are bad horses, but because their owners can no longer afford them. Those horses would make great cheap meat.

Don't get me wrong, I don't really believe that culture can get over this hang up about certain animals, but I think we should question it. I think that it makes no sense at all, when the animals that we do eat are also sweet, intelligent creatures, and we eat them all. Maybe we should think about it.