Alright guys: Guinea Pigs?

[anniefish]

Umm Gary, what does Jan think?

Anniefish

[Dufflight]

The only real issue is the 'Bambi' Syndrome where people will see them as pets rather than food.....even though they were originally domesticated in South America as a food source.

Garyd

Thats interesting. When I was asking about quail people would give me a funny look when I asked what they tasted like. Now if you go to a fancy restaurant people will pay through the nose for a quail dish. Now it got me thinking of other top shelf dishes I've heard about but never tried.
pheasant,snail,frogs legs, partridge etc I like mussels and oysters also. It occured to me that the menu from your own back yard may end up the envy of a lot of people.

[MarkEinOz]

But it is funny in a way though, that we should be somewhat surprised that we are interested in eating things that have had a pretty great life , on a pretty great diet.

By golly though, most folks totally freak out about GP on the BBQ - But rabbit is ok of course! Pleeeease!

Sometimes the average "westerner" scruples are just far too contemptible.

Gary - sign me up! Cuy over charcoal is a GO!

Must now run off and see if there are some good genetics getting around before making an acquisition.

[GaryD]

Hi Anniefish,

Umm Gary, what does Jan think?

Jan, like most people, has the ability to partition the animal kingdom into convenient categories like food, pets, interesting things to look and others (like snakes and spiders) to be horrified at.......so it's unlikely that she will get into eating guinea pigs anytime soon.

I have a rather more logical approach and, like Mark, don't see them as much different to rabbits in terms of their prospective use for food. They're a rabbit without the ears......or a rat without the tail (but with a much cleaner diet).

Duff.......I've eaten everything on your list except the frog's legs and they are all good. A friend of ours went out to dinner at a bush tucker restaurant for his birthday last weekend.......and he ate possum. It seems that they are being farmed for food in Tasmania.

I'm inclined toward the view that if you give your animals good food, a good life and a quick and painless departure, you are achieving something that most large scale meat rearing and processing operations don't even come close to. Geez, most people on the planet don't get it that good.

Mark - get that BBQ lit......I'm coming over!

Gary

[Bidadisndat]

Sign me up too!

(Sigh)..... Another project for Mrs Bid to raise an eyebrow at, lol.

......Bid...

[Bidadisndat]

At the current price of $10 each around here one would certainly hope that they would breed very quickly, especially if intended for the plate. Referring back to the u-tube clip in Mark's post, it would appear that the method used to prepare the cuis there was to scald them in very hot water and remove the fur, rather than gut and skin them.

[kenc45]

Hi Bid,
I'm sure you realise this - but just in case. You still 'gut' them!

A rabbit you skin then eviscerate
A chicken you scald, pluck (or pick), then eviscerate (though I also skin my chickens to save plucking - I hate the smell of wet feathers).

with a GP it sounds like you can do either scald & defur or skin.

Once you try one, I'd be interested in your opinion on taste and texture - also the quantity of meat.

[kenc45]

Mark,

By golly though, most folks totally freak out about GP on the BBQ - But rabbit is ok of course! Pleeeease!

I find even with rabbit there is a large divide - from people who are impressed to people who are disgusted (mind you most of them eat lamb - lambs aren't cute I guess). Even those that are keen to eat the resulting dish still can't believe that I can 'process' my own 'cute little bunnies'

I'm keen to give GP a go, but I'm worried that even my partner will freak out at the thought.

[GaryD]

Hi Ken,

(mind you most of them eat lamb - lambs aren't cute I guess)

I think that many people's acceptance of meat of almost any kind is linked to the fact that they are not confronted with its slaughter and processing. If it comes in a packet from the supermarket they can eat it without thinking about how it came to be there.

I believe that they would take an entirely different view of lambs, cattle or pigs if they ever witnessed what happens on a killing chain.

The best explanation for what we refer to as the "Bambi syndrome" is that people are too separated from where their food comes from.

In my estimation this creates a whole raft of issues including:

• their willingness to eat substandard manufactured foods
• external control of our food chain
• bizarre ethical positions around the use of animals for food
• unrealistic notions of life and death

The other issue is that we live in a wealthy society where we can remain detached from the day-to-day processing and preparation of food. If we lived in the same wretched circumstances as most of the world's people, we would take a much more realistic (and accepting) view of what is food and what is not.

Even those that are keen to eat the resulting dish still can't believe that I can 'process' my own 'cute little bunnies'

I've experienced similar reactions. I explain that, while I certainly don't enjoy killing anything, I've made a conscious decision to be part of the food chain on my own terms rather than those prescribed by agribusiness conglomerates.

My animals live eat better food and live in far better circumstances than their counterparts on factory farms. Their end comes quickly and at the hands of someone who cared for them and who appreciates their sacrifice.

Is that BBQ hot yet, Mark?

Gary

[MarkEinOz]

G'day,

Perfect case in point. My 7 year old son, who is a blood thirsty little coot like most 7 year olds, cannot wait until I have the rabbits on the go and when we can, I quote "kill the extra boy ones, cos mmm mmmm mmmm I lurve rabbit", but when I floated the idea of raising GP for food, he gave an outright NO - "It's just not right Dad!"

He'll come around...

Must away and check that the Barbie is up to temp yet!