meat! MEAT!!

[emmelinemay]

So, I brought back some Ostrich Biltong for my office.

So far, only 3 people have been brave enough to try it, they've all pronounced it delicious, and beefy. There are only 2 veggies here, including me, and NO ONE else will try it!! And it doesn't seem to be the dried meat that offends, so much as that it is ostrich.

Why do meat eaters see some meat as ok and some as not? what is 'frightening' about ostrich? I am genuinely interested!

It looks like there's going to be a lot left, and of course i'm not going to eat it, so the question is - would you like some meat?

[Poll #976613]

If you would like some, i will save you some until i see you next, or alternatively post it to you. Meat By Post!

Comments

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

People are weird; I know people who will happily eat lamb, but go "eewww" if you mention goat. What, precisely, is the difference? They're almost the same animal!

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

i don't get it at all! Surely meat is meat? If it's not actually endangered and therefore illegal to eat it, what difference does it make?

On a taste front, fair enough, some people don't like some meats for the taste. But to not even try it to see? I find that weird!

My theory is that people see some animals as 'pets' or 'dirty' or 'cute' and so arbitrarily assign them 'ok to eat' and 'not ok to eat' labels. It's cultural, perhaps? Ostrich is a pretty normal meat in South Africa. I saw HUNDREDS of them just wandering about by the roadside.

[miss-soap.livejournal.com]

It's usually just fear of the unknown. Plus people get very odd about eating animals that they normally see as pets, viz. horse, cat and dog.

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

that's why i think it must be cultural as well, as some cultures do it horse, dog and cat, and would find it DISGUSTING that we eat, say, rabbits or cows.

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

I would be wary of eating cat or dog because they're meat-eating animals, and apparently carnivores taste bad. Mind you, a lot of supposedly herbivorous animals here are fed a not-entirely herbivorous diet, so who knows...

[miss-soap.livejournal.com]

See BSE for details.

Having said that carnivores taste bad, some carrion-feeders are reknowned for their taste, specifically armadillo, of all things.

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

crunchy on the outside...

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

I forgot to account for the fact that my friends list is possibly not the best representation for general opinion. No one has given me their address to post them the meat though...

This is the group of people that hold 'whole animal meat club'.

Hmm. I wonder if you could get somewhere that would do a whole ostrich?

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

i'll save you some of this. I'm told it tastes like 'beefy cold bacon'.

[http://users.livejournal.com/pablo___/]

LOL!
I think why everyone is so.. "eurgh" about the ostrich biltong is that it's fairly new.
..
Stick to dry wors (droee wors)
SCRUMDIDDLYUMPTIOUS!

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

i am meanwhile happily eating my montagu dried fruit. yum!

[publicansdecoy.livejournal.com]

Dude! Come to poker on the 25th and we can have some ostrich antipasti!

-x-

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

if there's any left ;) I'll try save you some!

[load-of-flannel.livejournal.com]

See most people would object to it being Biltong cos like... thats basically sun dried meat.

Or is it anymore...?

Is proper Biltong now unexportable?

Is it all factory made now?

anyhow id eat it.

Side effect of having SA friend from Jo'burg at Uni.... taste for biltong.

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

Well, i bought it in south africa and brought it back in my hand luggage. I'm assuming it's ok to bring back, as i bought it at the airport...

[jaketherat.livejournal.com]

Meat by post sounds like a great idea! I'm at Houseboat MTB219, 106 Cheyne Walk, SW10 0DG if there's any left after the ravenous LJ hordes descend!

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

well, you're the first person to offer an address, so if you really want some i'll post it out!

wait.

you live on a houseboat? for real?

[jaketherat.livejournal.com]

Yus yus, myself and theacidfairy and lilmisstutti and Kate the Luddite wot don't use LJ! Summer is party season on the boat, I shall see to it that you are at the next one as it would be great to meet you IRL.

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

party on a boat! party on a boat! party on a boat!

hurrah!

Then you shall have some biltong directly.

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

ok, it on it's way addressed to 'Mr Ostrich Biltong'. Keep an eye out ;)

[jaketherat.livejournal.com]

Haha, that'll confuse the guys in the wharf office! Thankyou!

[miss-glitch.livejournal.com]

Yum! I got addicted to the stuff when in SA last year :) The boy is from there and has been bouncing up and down like a crazy thing since I told him you had some - if you'd like to swap a bit for some wine or something that would be wicked :)

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

first come, first served ;)

There's plenty here, so first people to give me an address get some!

[miss-glitch.livejournal.com]

Hee - In that case, 110 Myddleton Ave, Finsbury Park, N4 2FH :)

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

done :)

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

ok, it on it's way addressed to 'Mr Ostrich Biltong'. Keep an eye out ;)

[miss-glitch.livejournal.com]

Haha! Thank you so much :)

[pygar.livejournal.com]

im with you on the whole meat eater shouldnt be fussy thing. the only thing that would stop me eating an animal is if it tastes bad, and the only way ill know that is by trying it.

the proviso being i wont eat anything that is still alive - well i havnt yet anyway ;0) - but you never know, when needs must and all that.

i cant see that carnivore meat would taste worse/better than herbivore meat, possibly tougher - more muscle tissue (on that vain i ate horse once - taste like steak, but a bit stronger flavour - man was it tough!).

it maybe as a hunter we are programmed not to go after stuff that could fight back, maybe its just a waste of energy and therefore on a genetic memory level dog/cat/wolf and tiger arnt on the menu.

as for ostrich, no clue. i say eat it - unless the flavour sucks ass.

[cx650.livejournal.com]

I'll try any food once!

Hedgehog baked in clay by REAL Gypsies is not bad at all. Python tastes like chicken. Squirrel is like tough chicken leg meat. Cat (I am reliably informed) is just like Rabbit. Dog, I have been told by a full-blood Cherokee, is a very greasy meat and is best eaten boiled. Kangaroo is virtually indistinguishable from Venison. I've never had the opportunity to try Ostrich though. Biltong is like 'Jerky', right?

Just in case you hadn't guessed, I am a confirmed Omnivore with a prediliction for dead things.

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

yeah, biltong is dried raw salted and spiced meat, so the african equivalent of jerky i guess.

dave would sell his grandmother for biltong

[crazymeandave.livejournal.com]

help me emulate the late great professor william buckland and i'll be in your debt
70 alexandra road, n8 olj

Re: dave would sell his grandmother for biltong

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

if there's any left, i'll send you some!

Re: dave would sell his grandmother for biltong

[crazymeandave.livejournal.com]

woo and yay :)