Good taste v suffering of animals
Discussion
Thought I would post up this thread to discuss this very important topic without sidetracking other threads. We all have ethical standards here of course so where does your viewpoint fall?
Forgetting pigs for the moment
what about our fishy friends the crustaceans ? Where do you draw the line on boiling them alive?
mussels?
langoustines?
crab?
Lobster?
octopus?
Ok, the last one ain't one of our crusty friends but they are very intelligent* apparently.
The reason I talk about the above is I once saw Floyd, bless his sole ( bad pun
), throw live langoustines on a hot griddle so they scorched to death. Have to admit I felt rather uncomfortable about that even though it was just a glorified prawn. At least it wasn't a baby lamb!
Given my confusion about mere seafood you can imagine my thoughts on pigs and what may go on my excellent BBQ I have spent £400 this spring.
Thoughts?
Andy
Forgetting pigs for the moment
what about our fishy friends the crustaceans ? Where do you draw the line on boiling them alive?mussels?
langoustines?
crab?
Lobster?
octopus?
Ok, the last one ain't one of our crusty friends but they are very intelligent* apparently.
The reason I talk about the above is I once saw Floyd, bless his sole ( bad pun
), throw live langoustines on a hot griddle so they scorched to death. Have to admit I felt rather uncomfortable about that even though it was just a glorified prawn. At least it wasn't a baby lamb!Given my confusion about mere seafood you can imagine my thoughts on pigs and what may go on my excellent BBQ I have spent £400 this spring.
Thoughts?
Andy
- two of them write on this website.
nothing on your list would keep me awake at night if I boiled, fried, grilled or barbecued it from live....it's fairly common knowledge around the Mediterranean that octopus tastes better, or at least has better texture if it's been 'tenderised' by bashing it on a rock for a while. I believe people tend to kill them first.
Cheese Mechanic said:
I like to eat food, not form a relationship with the donor.
I do not consider what has happened to it. Man is an omnivore,its part of life.
Todays manners of culling for meat are more efficient than in the past. Simple. No problem
I'm not quite like that, but I do tend to favour the free range approach for taste rather than to salve my conscience .I do not consider what has happened to it. Man is an omnivore,its part of life.
Todays manners of culling for meat are more efficient than in the past. Simple. No problem
Plotloss said:
Food is food but no animal should experience undue suffering in husbandry or preparation.
Sums it up nicely.I'll happily kill things I am going to eat...and I'll see to it they go out fast and with as little pain as possible...
I usually prefer to start cooking things that are dead. But since shellfish start to become poisonous very quickly after their demise it's best to either not eat them at all, or kill them at the start of the cooking process with LOTS of heat.
I'm told that you can now "humanely" electrocute lobsters and crabs and that fish restaurants are investing in the "technology" as it makes for tastier meat. Since f
king about with the mains and a pot of water at home seems a tad dangerous I'd stick with dropping the poor buggers into rapidly boiling salted water.Don said:
Plotloss said:
Food is food but no animal should experience undue suffering in husbandry or preparation.
Sums it up nicely.I'll happily kill things I am going to eat...and I'll see to it they go out fast and with as little pain as possible...
I usually prefer to start cooking things that are dead. But since shellfish start to become poisonous very quickly after their demise it's best to either not eat them at all, or kill them at the start of the cooking process with LOTS of heat.
I'm told that you can now "humanely" electrocute lobsters and crabs and that fish restaurants are investing in the "technology" as it makes for tastier meat. Since f
king about with the mains and a pot of water at home seems a tad dangerous I'd stick with dropping the poor buggers into rapidly boiling salted water.I'm half of the opinion that if you couldn't bring yourself to kill it, then you shouldn't be eating it.
We're way too removed from the means of food production.
Do lobsters feel 'pain'? I'm not convinced they do.
It's quite common for captive lobsters to lose legs fighting with other lobsters (unless their pincers are taped up).
If they felt 'pain' you'd expect them to be writhing around in agony at the bottom of the tank, yet they carry on as though nothing had happened.
It's quite common for captive lobsters to lose legs fighting with other lobsters (unless their pincers are taped up).
If they felt 'pain' you'd expect them to be writhing around in agony at the bottom of the tank, yet they carry on as though nothing had happened.
Plotloss said:
I'm half of the opinion that if you couldn't bring yourself to kill it, then you shouldn't be eating it.
I am completely of the opinion that if you couldn't bring yourself to kill it, then you definitely shouldn't be eating it."Squeamish" is not an excuse.
There again - I am grateful for the convenience of abbatoirs and butchers so that I do not have to take a complete animal that I couldn't possibly eat all of without freezing it for a year. One could eat off a bullock for weeks.
I have often thought that a LOT of society's idiocy and ills could be negated by the banning of the transportation and sale of dead chickens. You want to eat chicken? Take it home alive...
Don said:
Plotloss said:
I'm half of the opinion that if you couldn't bring yourself to kill it, then you shouldn't be eating it.
I am completely of the opinion that if you couldn't bring yourself to kill it, then you definitely shouldn't be eating it."Squeamish" is not an excuse.
There again - I am grateful for the convenience of abbatoirs and butchers so that I do not have to take a complete animal that I couldn't possibly eat all of without freezing it for a year. One could eat off a bullock for weeks.
I have often thought that a LOT of society's idiocy and ills could be negated by the banning of the transportation and sale of dead chickens. You want to eat chicken? Take it home alive...
It all sounds a bit 40 acres and a mule, too.
Simpo Two said:
Mobile Chicane said:
Do lobsters feel 'pain'? I'm not convinced they do.
It's quite common for captive lobsters to lose legs fighting with other lobsters
Humans hurt themselves fighting too, but it's no excuse for deliberately sticking a knife through someone's head...It's quite common for captive lobsters to lose legs fighting with other lobsters
Simpo Two said:
Mobile Chicane said:
Do lobsters feel 'pain'? I'm not convinced they do.
It's quite common for captive lobsters to lose legs fighting with other lobsters
Humans hurt themselves fighting too, but it's no excuse for deliberately sticking a knife through someone's head...It's quite common for captive lobsters to lose legs fighting with other lobsters
If lobsters felt 'pain' in any meaningful way, that wouldn't happen.
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