# Why do people get so weirded out by rabbit meat??



## josafeen (Nov 4, 2010)

LOL. It's strange to me, how people get all freaked out about how we raise meat rabbits. I don't take offense when people say, 'gross' or 'how sad' or whatever, but it makes me take a look at my own food prejudices and convicts me. For example, i check my attitude about cultures that eat horse, or dogs, or cats. I think a lot of our attitudes are born from the fact that we have been spoiled in a culture of plenty. We can get what we want, when we want, and most of us (in the U.S)have not gone without. 
My son in law shot a squirrel a couple of months ago, and i prepped and grilled it. I was more curious than anything, and had just read the article in backwoods home mag. It was quite tasty! but the response when my husband told his friends about it was interesting.
It's just interesting food for thought.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

josafeen said:


> LOL. It's strange to me, how people get all freaked out about how we raise meat rabbits. I don't take offense when people say, 'gross' or 'how sad' or whatever, but it makes me take a look at my own food prejudices and convicts me. For example, i check my attitude about cultures that eat horse, or dogs, or cats. I think a lot of our attitudes are born from the fact that we have been spoiled in a culture of plenty. We can get what we want, when we want, and most of us (in the U.S)have not gone without.
> My son in law shot a squirrel a couple of months ago, and i prepped and grilled it. I was more curious than anything, and had just read the article in backwoods home mag. It was quite tasty! but the response when my husband told his friends about it was interesting.
> It's just interesting food for thought.


It is definitely cultural and whether people have been raised to think of a specific animal as "pet" or "livestock/meat" ...

I have a definite aversive reaction thinking about eating meat from a cat or dog ... but I was raised on a ranch and almost everything else was 'fair game' so to speak. We raised chickens, hogs, cattle and we hunted and that is the meat that went on the table.

I have eaten horse meat when I was in Europe and it wasn't something I'd have done if it hadn't been served to me in someone's home and needed to be polite ... that is, I'd not have ordered it in a restaurant ... but it didn't freak me out as horses are 'livestock' ... though not exactly 'meat livestock'. 

And you may well have something with the culture of plenty having a lot to do with it. I've often wondered just how hungry the first people who ate lobsters ... or snails ... were.


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## SecureLand (Feb 24, 2011)

Hi, I found a stray cat mom and her kittens out in the back, I'm in Antelope Valley CA, and I kept them-the first couple of years before they became more domesticated they would catch rabbits around here. 1 was bigger then them that I saw. I didn't see the catch...just remains, and I saved a baby one but it died of shock later I guess...I know--that's not what you wrote about--In Greece, when I visited my relatives, they had skinned rabbits hanging all over the village by the sea. I was shocked! I didn't try any. And, my relatives were given 2 bunnies to raise for food by nuns when I was still there--I later was told they were delicious : )! That's the culture. My other relatives out there raise goats like pets to eat later--Where I live there are homes that have live stock goats, bunnies probably, chickens, pigs, cows...But, the squirrel reminds me of something I saw on TV--:smack I guess I couldn't enjoy shooting at the quail that come around here either. I am more of a "Oh---stop it" girly. If you say it tastes pretty good-I'll take your word...At least it's not like the Japanese frying a fish that's not even dead yet...:awh:


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## josafeen (Nov 4, 2010)

true, it probably does have much to do with what we look at as "pet" or companion, and what we look at as livestock. But some types of animals are both, like ducks. We have had ducks that were pets, and we have had ducks that came to us randomly and we butchered. Same thing with goats. They are so darned friendly! But they are so darned tasty! LOL. And we really try to establish what's what from the beginning, so we don't butcher our pets, LOL. 
And the fact that I don't like the idea of eating cat, dog, or horse, isn't really based on anything rational. It might be very good eating, but I am used to seeing them as pets. What makes them more worthy of companion status than a pig or a goat (pigs and goats are so friendly and very trainable)?


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

People ARE weird about eating rabbit! They say how could you eat cute fuzzy bunnies? Then I show them the scars on my arms. If I got arrested in a big city, I would probably be accused of shooting up.


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

Yep it's all cultural. There's some things I dont think I would knowingly try like horse cat or dog.
Wabbit meat is great but me & wabbits dont get along generally speaking.
More than 70% of the world's population eats chevon (goat meat) & we prefer it over ground beef mush from the grocery store any day!


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

josafeen said:


> true, it probably does have much to do with what we look at as "pet" or companion, and what we look at as livestock. But some types of animals are both.


I think it really is mostly culture and mindset. As I said, I was raised on a ranch and grew up seeing 'livestock/meat and wildlife/meat' rather than 'pets' for what went on our table. Nobody in our family and nobody in the community saw what went on the table as anything else.

The 'meat' or sale animals we took care of but certainly did not treat as pets in any way. Now animals that were going into the breeding herd (regardless of what species' they were) I often treated as a pet ... named, petting, fed treats to. The first heifer calf I actually owned I named, petted, broke to lead, broke to ride ... and she became one of our milk cows as well. She would never have gone on the table. I had a pet chicken even. But there was a definite division in my mind as to what was 'livestock/meat' and 'livestock/pet' ... which is actually something I still do.

I keep rabbits primarily as meat animals. The ones that are to be butchered go in the growout cages and are never named and I never pet them. The ones that I retain to keep in the breeding herd I name and talk to and pet. And even have one buck that will probably end up being a house rabbit after I no longer use him ... he will certainly not go in the stewpot and will be culled only if he's no longer healthy and enjoying life.


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## The Bunny Ranch (Nov 3, 2010)

Fuzzy bunnies being killed and eaten. 

It was encoded in their brains since youth that bunnies are cute fuzzy lovable creatures.

Honestly, I think cows are cuter than rabbits...

EVERYONE thinks we are wrong for breeding meat rabbits. 

I say "you're missing out!!"..

I don't even try to get people to try rabbit meat anymore.


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## victory (Mar 2, 2010)

Interesting subject here. 
I have had the same reaction often, had many discussions with many people, they just don't get it why I want to eat cute fuzzy bunnies. 
I normally tell people that can't handle the fact of where their meat comes from they are ignorant. It usually shocks them, although it is true, I used to be, and now I want to know where my meat comes from,what it ate, how it lived, and how it died...

People are so detached in our society, from everything..we shouldn't be surprised..when we eat Thumper, or Bambie, that they can't handle it..


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## TJN66 (Aug 29, 2004)

I have never eaten rabbit but I would not have a problem trying it. In my family I am the one to try new things. Hubby is coming around. I have had alligator, crocodile, squirrel, deer and such. No one in my family will touch them...except hubby. Heck they wont even eat mushrooms! I do want to try goat meat. I have heard that goat and rabbit are very tasty.


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

It's one of those cultural things. I grew up in a Mexican-American community where the shops serve cooked beef tongue, roast pigs head or goat head, tripe stew with chiles and hominy, pickled pigs feet, fried pork rinds, and cooked goat meat among other things.

I learned to eat rabbit later in life. I will defend Elmer Fudd's right to kill the wabbit. And the duck. 

Have a good day!
Franco Rios


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## foaly (Jan 14, 2008)

I suppose people think, "I can't eat such a precious, fuzzy, wuzzy, wittle bunny wabbit."

Heck, pass the plate. I'll eat it!


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

One of my co-workers is originally from Italy. He told me that there they leave the heads on them otherwise you can't tell a rabbit from a cat!


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

Danaus29 said:


> One of my co-workers is originally from Italy. He told me that there they leave the heads on them otherwise you can't tell a rabbit from a cat!


they do that here, too.

ps I eat rabbit, horse, snail, frog, sparrow, eel, liver paste, donkey salami, and force fed duck liver.


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## critterluv (Jan 17, 2008)

I get the same thing wether its eating rabbit chicken, goat or even eggs from my chickens or duck eeewwww that is so cruel. how can u eat something u raised. And I dont et eggs from a chickens but...be normal buy ur meat and eggs and milk at the store like normal people do

Some people I tell ya


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## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

What I find even more strange is people will have an adverse reaction to the animals you raise and eat, but will turn around and eat the same if it was in a grocery store. Rabbits are rare to find in a grocery store, but chicken is an excellent example. I have had people gag and say they could never eat something that was running around in the backyard, we had this conversation while they were eating storebought bbq chicken.

Why do people have an adverse reaction especially to rabbits? Because they have never considered rabbit to be a food source. As a child growing up, I was told they eat horses in europe, but I never knew that people ate bunnies(in real life, not on cartoons). I like to "jokingly" blame Disney. I mean come one, who as a child wants to eat Bambi, his mother, or thumper? And then Bugs Bunny was the main character in his cartoon, the "bad guy" were those always trying to eat him. LOL  

Of course in the end, I think it comes down to exposure. There are people who are extremely disconnected from their food source. My husband came home laughing one night, said I wouldn't believe what another employee said. The other employee had pulled a potato out of a bag and exclaimed "Why do these things always have dirt on them?!?"...........................


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

I would like to try rabbit meat at some point. We have these English angoras and I'm not about to eat something I can sell for the price of a big steak AND four lobsters. Still, maybe we should raise some meat rabbits since we have the cages and all.

We have chickens in the back yard. We name them and make pets out of them and then we eat them and get new pets. Why shouldn't they have a good life? Sometimes I'll sell the older hens instead of eating them, though. That's basically because folks will give me the price of that big steak along with some hamburger for the hen. Hmm, eat chicken or eat beef? If there's already a rooster or two in freezer camp, then the hens get sold off or swapped for steak.

We eat a lot of feral pigs and I make a lot of sausage. Folks just _NEVER_ ask where sausage casings come from and they are much too expensive to buy at the grocery especially as each pig already comes with them. There's probably a lot of folks who really don't want to know but are quite willing to eat sausages.


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## shanzone2001 (Dec 3, 2009)

I teach in a culturally diverse community. A few years ago a student told me that dark rats taste differently than the light rats. They shoot them in their apartments. Their families are Asian immigrants and this is normal for them
Hey, if my kids were hungry, I would shoot them a rat or two (or maybe 10...they are pretty small!)


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

I luvvvv a good braised rabbit, or squirrel. Last winter my husband went on the warpath. A bunch of rabbits had chewed to the ground his 2 year old apple trees. He had grafted them from scratch.... I told him if he killed and cleaned them, I'd find a way to cook 'em. 

I wouldn't be able to eat dog or cat....but maybe horse meat if I was really hungry. It's a cultural thing.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

I was on a chat site last night. I mentioned to the gal I was yakking with that I was going to raise meat rabbits. She said "eww, how could you eat thummper?" I asked her how she could eat Bessie, Babe, and Foghorn. 

To her credit she was adult enough to reconsider her position.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

I don't really see much of the visceral reactions around here. Most folks here are descended from farmers, loggers, trappers, hunters, etc. Most people here hunt and fish, or at least have hunters or anglers in their families.


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## critterluv (Jan 17, 2008)

when i got my pot belly pig i was told to keep her in the house. Ummm no if u want me to buy her she is staying outside, he finaly agreed couse no one else would take her lol. Then he wanted to be sure i was not going to eat her, i assured him i would not, however nothing was said about any piglets lol. Fyi im looking for a little male.

pigs are pigs i dont care how cute they are, i love bunnys but i like them better fresh out of the frying pan...lol


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## kirkmcquest (Oct 21, 2010)

I'll eat any kind of meat if it looks and smells good, I stop short at eating insects though....unless I had to.

I tried raising meat rabbits at my last place but I got to liking them and when the time came I couldn't kill them. I do hunt and have no problem killing a rabbit in the field, but I guess I just got to know these rabbits.


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## Judith (Jan 10, 2003)

I used to be able to eat beef. Then I started milking cows. The dairy girls are so sweet and kind. So not alot of beef gets eaten around here HOWEVER i will eat a cute little fuzzy bunny . Those little black hearted beasts  The scratches I have are incredible! Nasty creatures I have no issues with butchering them at all! I couldnt eat someones pet though. I have seen some lovely pet bunnies that are just as sweet as a dog. No issues butchering my meat chickens either , the gross things. However i couldnt eat my sweet egg layers. I guess it just depends on whom you form bonds.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

hotzcatz, you really use the intestines for casings? Cool! Grandma and Grandpa didn't like cleaning them so we never had little sausages in casings. It just got made into patties or frozen in 1 pound lumps. The intestines are better for you than what is used commercially.


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## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

There are some animals that are harder to kill than others. The cuter they are, the harder they are to kill. We raise angora rabbits for their fiber and they're so cute and they've just got such interesting personalities.

We would kill and eat rabbits if we had to, for survival. But - bludgeoning an animal to death . . . . i just couldn't do it! I'd have to use a small gun.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Judith said:


> I used to be able to eat beef. Then I started milking cows. The dairy girls are so sweet and kind. So not alot of beef gets eaten around here


get a dairy bull. When he hits about 3 years ago, you might change your mind.


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## Shrarvrs88 (May 8, 2010)

I love rabbits. I can see why they are mistaken for rodents, though. I think the kits are cute, but then they grow up....ugh. I no longer have issues eating them...


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## ODINSWORN (Jun 8, 2010)

I think any animal you raise you can be attached to. The way I look at it is that animals eat other animals, that's just the way of the world. I take comfort in knowing that the end my rabbits meet at my hands is infinitely more humane than those their wild cousins are meeting in the jaws of coyotes, foxes, weasels, bobcats, etc. I tell people this when they ask me how I can kill cute bunnies. I have yet to have someone come up with a counterpoint. Personally I think raising pigs would be harder, I think they are such cool animals, I don't know if I could eat one that I had raised.


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

don't name the ones you're gonna eat


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## bluemoonluck (Oct 28, 2008)

When I raised meat rabbits, we named our breeders and all the baby buns (destined for freezer camp) were called "Food" - literally. My daughters would go into the rabbit barn with me and say "oh look at all the cute Food!" or they would address a bun by saying "hi, Food!".


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## shawnlee (Apr 13, 2010)

If you name them and eat them just use appropiate names....

Like....

Stew
Fryer
Dumplin
Hotlegs
Barbie


:smiley-laughing013:


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## LFRJ (Dec 1, 2006)

It's definitely a conditioned response. If it were common in a grocery store, then there would be little aversion.
I would actually eat (or try) cat, dog or any animal, so long as it was cared for and prepared properly. It takes some rational thinking, but an ugly animal has the same rights as a fuzzy cute one I should think. Where I draw the line is not on the animals beauty and appeal, but on principals - that being, whether or not the animal was abused. I will not eat force fed goose or duck. I am not a big fan of veal, and there are certain butchering methods that I disrespect. 

When people object to our rabbit stew, etc.. I remember what my father said - that hungry enough, a person will eat ANYTHING. I don't bother arguing it though.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

We solve objection problems by referring to it as furry chicken stew.


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## victory (Mar 2, 2010)

susieM said:


> don't name the ones you're gonna eat


No so!! You name them "Stewie"!!!!


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Danaus29 said:


> hotzcatz, you really use the intestines for casings? Cool! Grandma and Grandpa didn't like cleaning them so we never had little sausages in casings. It just got made into patties or frozen in 1 pound lumps. The intestines are better for you than what is used commercially.


Small intestines from pigs make sausages about an inch to an inch and quarter in diameter. You could probably make some similar sized ones with large intestines from rabbits, come to think on it. Wouldn't an intestine be an intestine? When cleaning the rabbit, squeeze all the contents out of the intestines and then run some water through it to clean it. Turn one end inside out and fill it with a bubble of water. You can then use that weight to turn the whole intestine inside out. Then lay it down on a cutting board and scrape it with the back of a knife. You'll end up with a white string like looking thing after all the pinkish stuff has been scraped off and that's your casings. Try not to scrape a hole in them when scraping the lining off, it's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Store them in salt water and they will last a long time in the refrigerator.

If dark rats taste different than light rats do different colored bunnies taste differently? I know folks who eat dog are concerned about the color of the nose as to whether it is the best tasting or not. And if you are shooting rats in your apartment, what caliber of ammo are you using? Maybe a slingshot or a BB gun? 

And why can't you eat "Fluffy"? A name is a name, it doesn't matter if they have one or not but it's much easier to know who to thank for being dinner, if they have a name.


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## LFRJ (Dec 1, 2006)

hotzcatz said:


> And why can't you eat "Fluffy"? A name is a name, it doesn't matter if they have one or not but it's much easier to know who to thank for being dinner, if they have a name.


I've been perplexed by the name thing too. If you've decided you're going to eat it, a name shouldn't matter. After all, the rabbit or chicken probably doesn't know it has a name. It's another human/emotional response issue to get over. 

We aim for qualify of life here. Period! I feel badly, only if I've failed or come short in that respect. Names mean much less in comparison. We do name most of ours, though we often run OUT of names, so pretty much - if you're headed for the soup pot, your name is "Steve" - homage to the first rooster I ever butchered. My biggest regret in his case was - I learned only much later what an extraordinary specimen he was.


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

I've had people tell me that I wouldn't be able to eat an animal I named and raised. I grew up on a farm, and thought that was the strangest comment - I was sure I wouldn't have any problem.

I don't care to eat my breeding stock when they need to get culled, so they go for dog food, but I have no problem with any of the other ones. 

I don't name mine because I don't feel like it. Right now I have spotted buck, tan doe, spotted doe and grey doe.

Even my cats have recently gotten names like sister, brother, junior and stripy boy.


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## Danbo (Feb 2, 2011)

Where did it come that you can't love the critters you are going to eat? I love on all my critters and while I don't make it a habit of eating dog I do tell mine that if things get bad enough...He's in the stew-pot! Having been in the service and traveled the world I have had the opportunity to eat many things. Also being a survivalist I have lived on bugs and cattails until I could catch bigger critters to eat. The good shepherd cares for his flock and loves them knowing that they will end up as food, why neglect an animals need for affection just because it is a little unpleasant when it comes time to eat it? We are too privileged and fat in this country. Oh by the way horse fat is yellow, not white like beef that's how you know in Germany at least the difference between Rindfleisch and Pferdfliesch.


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

I can shoot an eat a cottontail without a second thought...However the domestic rabbit tastes like cotton to me and I've given up even trying to make one taste good. I still have all the equipment.


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## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

Cute little fluffy bunny is yummy!!! 

Mentioning it's one of th leanest meats on the plantet does tend to grab someones attention....


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## wintrrwolf (Sep 29, 2009)

When I started my little homestead I made the mistake of telling my DD that we won't eat anything that has been named...she try's to name them as they are coming out!! LOL
I believe that I live in reality but am finding it very hard to look at the cute kids that my dairy goats are having and haven't been able to send any to freezer camp yet, so far been lucky I guess that they sell fairly well, so can justify not eating them, maybe I need some ugly goats? 
Our meat rabbits are still the base breeding stock phase (which have names) and my DD has made me promise to let her try to sell the pending kits as pets first before ... hmmm already have people waiting for some fryers she doesn't know about...shhh
AND haven't got to the point of eating my hens ...yet
Seriously don't know how a cat can taste like rabbit(carnivore vs herbivore flavor difference), though I have a really fat cat hmmm NOT.
Yeah there is a culture out there that eats anything...dogs, cats, horses, rats, roaches, grasshoppers, ect...I am very thankful I don't live there.
You put bambi in front of me and I will scarf it down so fast it would make your head spin, so don't think I would have problems with thumper either, bacon is so dang expensive I have been thinking of raising my own pork as well.


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## Danbo (Feb 2, 2011)

cut it thin and stir-fry it, it all tastes the same with soy sauce on it.


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## CaliannG (Apr 29, 2005)

I have had cat. I have had dog. I have eaten horse, and rabbit, and squirrel, and flying rats (pigeon). I have had all of these things either well-prepared or well hidden. (Face it, do YOU know what is in a tamale?)

I fear no food....and as an omnivore, it is ALL food. ~grinz~

However, I have to admit that things would have to be pretty darn lean for me to consider putting grasshoppers and meal worms on the menu.

Oh, I do have ONE squick that I just CANNOT get past....I simply cannot bring myself to eat eyeballs. I am sure they taste fine, or maybe not. I'd have to be starving nearly to death to find out.


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## Ryan NC (Jan 29, 2009)

I think it's mostly cultural combined with some upbringing, my wife is very firm in her belief that food comes wrapped in plastic from the store and it has to sit in the freezer for a couple months before home butchered "stuff" becomes meat. 

I on the other hand, well, ummm... if it walks on four legs more than likely it has filled my belly at some point. Being stationed around the world brings a wealth of food experiances that most folks from the US can't fathom, most are good some not so much. My line in drawn at bugs, tried it and YUCK! 

We've got two kids and they were brought up with the same basic conditions, my daughter will try anything up to and including bugs and dreams of going overseas for nothing more than to try new foods. She considers and calls home butchered goods "Real Meat" and prefers it to anything that can be bought in the store. 

My son sees most domestic critters as cute and fuzzy not to be harmed and later wrapped in plastic which is really not the makings of a good day when he walks in to see you've got "bacon" hung up by a rope with your hands up inside pulling his guts out... 

I'm not sure what the difference is but as has already been mentioned, most people these days are very disconnected from their food supply. It may be as simple as meat has become convenient due to mass production and people don't want to deal with the reality of what goes in to making something... I know I don't care to know "how" a computer or TV works, I just want it to turn on when I push the button.


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## Shrarvrs88 (May 8, 2010)

My grampa made the comment the other day that "you don't eat your pets". It sorta shocked me, as he was refering to a young buck I raised indoors with his sister, and want to find a pet home for, if possible, but if I can't, he will be invited to dinner. 

I will try absolutely anything, and am firmly of the belief if some meat is not "good", it wasn't cooked right. 

I don't get the mentality that dinner shouldn't have a name or be loved on, and while i have great repect for veggitarians (they have convictions and follow them) I have absolutely no respect for someone that won't eat meat they "knew". hen I first got rabbits, the first I butchered was incredibly hard, I even cried. But in the end, I decided that if I couldn't bring myself to butcher him, I had no business eating meat. 

That is my position, and a firm conviction of mine. I WILL be able to butcher an animal, no matter if I loved it or raised it or named it, and I WILL eat said animal, or I will stop eating meat. If I can't respect the animal's life enought to utilize it, then I have no business taking it (which, if you buy meat at the store, you are taking the life, just not phisically). 

I would eat dog, cat, horse, gladly. I actually am excited for summer, because this year I am catching grasshoppers and frying them for the first time. I hear they are like chips. am scared of maggats, but plan on trying them somehow, sometime soon. have eaten earthworms and snails, and octopus (YUCK!!!!). 

I think I might draw the line at eyeballs, unless I was very hungry. I want to try brain, but I would rather tan a hide with it. 

But I think it has to do with how you are raised, along with culture. I was raised and we ate the rabbits, and the pet rooster and pet goats, when we needed to (weren't starving, but we lived in town and were told the goats had to go, and the rooster was noisy, so mom butchered him and got hens, instead, lol). 

Like I said, if I get hungry, my animals are on the list of dinner items. All the feral cats in the neighborhood come first, though, lol.


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## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

I have no problem with bears, lions, panthers etc...eating humans either, we are all just part of the food chain


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## Shrarvrs88 (May 8, 2010)

I agree with animals eating us. I mean, it's the way it goes. We get sick and die, we get hunted and die, and when you screw too much with the food chain (something humans are good at, unfortunately) things get out of whack and go to pot. 

While it is sad to lose people to any cause, artificially keeping folks alive has it's detrimental value. My biggest beef is when things (even humans) die and it doesn't go back into the scheme, somehow. When I die, I hope it is to some greater purpose. If that means to feed another animal, so be it.


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## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

Shrarvrs88 said:


> I agree with animals eating us. I mean, it's the way it goes. We get sick and die, we get hunted and die, and when you screw too much with the food chain (something humans are good at, unfortunately) things get out of whack and go to pot.
> 
> While it is sad to lose people to any cause, artificially keeping folks alive has it's detrimental value. My biggest beef is when things (even humans) die and it doesn't go back into the scheme, somehow. When I die, I hope it is to some greater purpose. If that means to feed another animal, so be it.


My biggest problem...is that humans will hunt down the animal for doing what comes natural....like they are suppose to know the rules....LOL!!


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## Shrarvrs88 (May 8, 2010)

Yeah, and exterminate it. 

I watched this movie about a guy obsessed with bears, he ended up being eaten, in Alaska. Well, they made a huge deal about how there were parts of him found in the bears' feces...well...duh...why would it kill him if not to eat him?


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## Danbo (Feb 2, 2011)

fried grasshoppers kinda taste like burnt popcorn if you ask me. Crickets are kinda sweet(if you can imagine that) Most all bugs are ok when dried, ground and put into the fry-bread. eyeballs are not bad, just gross feeling. I like the feral cats idea it would sure stop the baby ruth bars in the kids play area. I like eating dead stuff...but I'm not too picky.


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## hermy68 (Mar 12, 2011)

My son came home today and said he was feeling pushed out because of his meat rabbit expierience. He was at school and was talking about rabbits and mentioned that he had meat rabbits. He said, everyone one got angry and acted like they were part of "PETA".(because of the fact that he was eating rabbits) He felt so out of place he decided to say "April Fools" and acted like it was a joke. He came home and asked me why people got so bent out of shape I told him that people were just scared of what was different and what they didn't know about.

This is why I think that most people live a grocery store life mentality.
This is a non-realistic life mentality. They do not know where their food comes from.


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## Danbo (Feb 2, 2011)

I feel so bad for your son. My young-uns' get the same reaction here in the 'burbs. As a matter of fact, I get the same reaction here in the 'burbs. Maybe a sudden price increase on prepackaged meat would do folks good.


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## windhound (Mar 18, 2008)

LOL, when our daughter was 3, she was talking about "her" rabbits.
When someone asked her what kind she had, she simply said:
"Eatin' rabbits!"

No issues around here, and we eat a LOT of rabbit.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

hermy68 said:


> My son came home today and said he was feeling pushed out because of his meat rabbit expierience. He was at school and was talking about rabbits and mentioned that he had meat rabbits. He said, everyone one got angry and acted like they were part of "PETA".(because of the fact that he was eating rabbits) He felt so out of place he decided to say "April Fools" and acted like it was a joke. He came home and asked me why people got so bent out of shape I told him that people were just scared of what was different and what they didn't know about.
> 
> This is why I think that most people live a grocery store life mentality.
> This is a non-realistic life mentality. They do not know where their food comes from.


You could provide an excellent learning experience by inviting some of those kids over for a "chicken dinner".


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## sticky_burr (Dec 10, 2010)

simple dont tel them til its well inside


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## Pat Lamar (Jun 19, 2002)

My local rabbit club had a potluck meeting one summer day. I brought a big pot of my tasty "Mystery Stew" because I knew of at least one member who adamantly refused to ever eat rabbit. He went back for seconds and thirds! LOL Yup, it was rabbit stew.

Pat Lamar


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## BoldViolet (Feb 5, 2009)

Is this more of a US thing? I was talking with a friend of mine who lives in France, and he can't believe how difficult it is to find rabbit meat in the store and how expensive it is here.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

BoldViolet said:


> Is this more of a US thing? I was talking with a friend of mine who lives in France, and he can't believe how difficult it is to find rabbit meat in the store and how expensive it is here.


Yep. One thing about the French, they know good vittles when they see them!


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

I think rabbit is about one of the best low fat meats you could eat. It is fantastic, we served rabbit at our wedding along with beef and chicken, not many people knew it was rabbit. > Marc


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## Zeet_Cranberry (Jan 11, 2011)

We raise rabbits for show and for meat. The ones destined for freezer camp don't get named. The show rabbits get names. People always ask "aren't your kid's traumatized?" Nope, partly because of the naming rule...they don't get close to the meat. 

A couple years ago our daughter gave her 4-H Rabbit Illustrated Talk about how to process a rabbit. We took pictures of her doing the "processing" which she used as her illustration. She also talked about how healthy rabbit meat is compared to other livestock. She won Grand Champion in her age group at the Indiana State Fair. 

If you know someone who refuses to try rabbit invite them to dinner and serve a chicken dish. Replace the shredded chicken with domestic rabbit and they will not be able to tell the difference.


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

Ive never had a problem eating something with a name. Our first round was having young goats done. They all had names. One was pretty small. It was kind of cool to know who we were eating by the size of the cuts.
We recently had a beloved buck all ground up. He got a spinal injury so couldnt earn his keep. 
"Hey honey, would you grab a couple of Val burgers from the freezer?"
Kept a doe who never settled, sold her to friends she never settled there either. Friend had her processed. Turned out she didnt have ovaries! I asked for a lb I want to know what old spinster doe tastes like.
Our animals are all loved on. The simple fact is they eventually go for meat, some sooner than others & they get all our best while alive.
It matters not if you dont name yours, its personal preference & how you deal with it. 
Once we had a cooking contest at church. It came down to one of my best friend's chicken dish & my rabbit dish. No one knew the difference.


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## brandkelz (Apr 15, 2011)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> People ARE weird about eating rabbit! They say how could you eat cute fuzzy bunnies? Then I show them the scars on my arms. If I got arrested in a big city, I would probably be accused of shooting up.


I TOTALLY agree to this and this is the exact answer I give people.....my wrists look like I couldn't figure out how to cut myself or something. I have been argued with many times about this and I just keep saying that "you idea is fine. My idea is fine. And you know where to find me when you can't afford the price at the grocery store anymore...."


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## sticky_burr (Dec 10, 2010)

how much could one get for a prey diet dog food is it is it rival to the price for dressed rabbit to the price for whole fresh kill? dogs have no such hang up about fuzzy animals


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## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

shanzone2001 said:


> I teach in a culturally diverse community. A few years ago a student told me that dark rats taste differently than the light rats. They shoot them in their apartments. Their families are Asian immigrants and this is normal for them
> Hey, if my kids were hungry, I would shoot them a rat or two (or maybe 10...they are pretty small!)


When I was in college, I had some Asian neighbors that were trying to catch a duck! I don't think they knew just yet exactly how polluted the river they lived in is.

An independent butcher in my area sells "Tame Rabbit". In other words, it's farmed and they know its provenance, which is the only way it can be sold commercially. If I wasn't about to move, I'd certainly buy one and cook it.

I would also have no problem with eating horse meat, but it's not commercially available in the United States any more AFAIK.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I smelled cooking rat meat once and it was foul. I guess I would eat it if that was the only option, but otherwise, puke!


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## sticky_burr (Dec 10, 2010)

well feild rat that eats seed roots and the like are little different than garbage munchers, i would assume the smell and scent of the meat would match


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## guineatech (Apr 20, 2011)

We too raise meat rabbits and I have been puzzled at the response of most of my friends and family. We are a rural community, many eating seagull eggs in season, catching fish, and killing deer, wild rabbit, and waterfowl for the table. And yet these same people curl their lip at the thought of eating domestic rabbits. Most of them won't eat it no matter what, and give me strange looks like I am some sort of evil vampire for eating rabbit flesh. While I realize it is the society and culture that have created these feelings of aversion to certain animals as meat, logically I cannot comprehend rejecting a meat simply because someone somewhere has such an animal for a pet.

We eat the rabbits, and not just the young ones, but also the cull breeders which we have named and had as pets for years. It is uncomfortable for me to kill those breeders, but once they are meat, that is it and it's fine. 

People are funny...I had someone recently tell me that you can't eat pot bellied pigs because they are toxic to humans. She was dead serious....I never did figure out if she said it so I wouldn't buy a "pet" as a meat animal, or because she actually believed it. Maybe both. I dunno...

I personally am open to most protein sources, within reason. I have tried insects....not much there, but ok if necessary to eat it. Snakes, raccoons, groundhog, blackbirds, bear, deer, grouse, quail, dove, pigeon, goat, turtle, sharks...all have found their way to our table. I didn't care for the turtle actually, but snake is great, and young **** is delicious. Fact is, if hungry, I would eat a dog or cat, and probably a lot sooner than I would try to face a 'possum on my plate. Well, to each his own, as long as nobody tries to tell me what I can and can't eat.


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

'Possum tastes rather lamb like and yes, '**** is yummy!

We were just given a bunch of bunnies from our 4H club, pets that had been left by leaving members over the last year, to do with as we will as long as we dont TELL anyone.

Pet bunny tastes pretty nice :goodjob:

Oh, and my kids have made me promise NOT to eat the dog and keep reminding me of said promise when she steals food off the table or forgets she is house broken. Good thing they remind me, her fat thighs look pretty tempting when I am cleaning up after her - LOL.


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## firelanej (Apr 26, 2011)

I'm starting to raising meat rabbits because its a cheap place to restart but Ive raised all kinds of other meats before and the best way for kids sake was to name them for what they are steak,ham,bacon,ETC so i know and they know what they are
Ive had allot tell me theres NO way they could eat them 

I just tell them Ive learned to much about the chemicals that store meat has in it
because of the people being so blind to what is done to it that they do it

i love my animals to raise as food 

and love them more when there on my plate because i know mostly what they have in them ( Hard to say how many chemicals now days is coming into the corn and hay)
and thats why I'm researching growing barley sprouts indoors just so i know what my meat will have in it 

smart people will stop asking us people question like how can we eat a rabbit and start question why were all lab rats for the government when we go to the store and for the people that need to learn not to be a lab rat look and ill say just off the top my head GMO just because thats the hottest topic this week

if you can raise as much of your own foods just to give your body a break from the chemicals thats in every bit of food in the store because its not just meats


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## ODINSWORN (Jun 8, 2010)

My mom works with a guy that raises three pigs every year. Their names; Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.


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## sticky_burr (Dec 10, 2010)

Zeet_Cranberry said:


> If you know someone who refuses to try rabbit invite them to dinner and serve a chicken dish. Replace the shredded chicken with domestic rabbit and they will not be able to tell the difference.


i prefer to sit the plates on the floor after dinner let the dog lick em then put them i the cabinet or put a old dog collar in a pot of water. oh time to stir the stew .. pull out the collar with a spoon .. and watch em run away


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Please invite your young buck for dinner, you could be saving a person's life. Doesn't happen as often as it used to because most folks have learned of the consequences of keeping bucks as pets. Just Google "pet deer kills" for the latest. They kill with their hooves, not just antlers.



Shrarvrs88 said:


> My grampa made the comment the other day that "you don't eat your pets". It sorta shocked me, as he was refering to a young buck I raised indoors with his sister, and want to find a pet home for, if possible, but if I can't, he will be invited to dinner.


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## Aimee (Nov 8, 2010)

RedDirt Cowgirl said:


> Please invite your young buck for dinner, you could be saving a person's life. Doesn't happen as often as it used to because most folks have learned of the consequences of keeping bucks as pets. Just Google "pet deer kills" for the latest. They kill with their hooves, not just antlers.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

So sorry to everyone for my ignorant blather... :ashamed:



Aimee said:


> RedDirt Cowgirl said:
> 
> 
> > Please invite your young buck for dinner, you could be saving a person's life. Doesn't happen as often as it used to because most folks have learned of the consequences of keeping bucks as pets. Just Google "pet deer kills" for the latest. They kill with their hooves, not just antlers.
> ...


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## calliesue (Sep 5, 2009)

"I would actually eat (or try) cat, dog or any animal, so long as it was cared for and prepared properly. It takes some rational thinking, but an ugly animal has the same rights as a fuzzy cute one I should think"
Dennis Leary has a pretty funny skit about this.lol
My daughter's friend's little girl , under 2 , horrified a PETA college girl at a restaurant one day.
This girl was talking about how terrible it was to eat chicken. Bliss held out her little hand with a chicken nugget in it and said bock bock bock . Peta girl about died, her friends cracked up though.


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

calliesue said:


> "I would actually eat (or try) cat, dog or any animal, so long as it was cared for and prepared properly. It takes some rational thinking, but an ugly animal has the same rights as a fuzzy cute one I should think"
> Dennis Leary has a pretty funny skit about this.lol
> My daughter's friend's little girl , under 2 , horrified a PETA college girl at a restaurant one day.
> This girl was talking about how terrible it was to eat chicken. *Bliss held out her little hand with a chicken nugget in it and said bock bock bock . Peta girl about died, her friends cracked up though*.


Priceless!!!


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## InBox485 (May 13, 2011)

I wouldn't normally eat any carnivore due to bio concentration of toxins. Otherwise, if it tastes good, and is safe to eat, I'll eat it. And the only reason domestic rabbits are cute and cuddly is because the ugly mean ones are too much of a pain in the butt to breed and handle.


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