Top Chef Canada to Air Episode focused on Horse Meat

Kathleen K · Well Schooled

Top Chef Canada to Air Episode focused on Horse Meat

Barbara F · Grand Prix

Blech! That's disgusting!

Goatgirl · Advanced

that is just disgusting. WHY???

time to write a letter...

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

I'm not even disgusted by the fact that horses are being used for consumption; it's a widely accepted custom in many countries throughout the world. Just like many places accept and encourage the consumption of dog, cat, guinea pig, etc. What I am disgusted by is their apparent ignorance to the fact that horses in slaughter plants in North America are very much not raised to be meat animals as in other parts of the world. I'm a firm believer that although horses are great companion animals, they are just another animal, just like humans (not to say that I would eat a human or by any means partake in a situation that encourages the consumption of humans, but there are cannibalistic tribes...).

I think people get too uptight about emotional/sentimental value. Once an animal is dead, it's dead. What I am disturbed by is the ignorance regarding the origin of the actual meat. I am the same way about any meat I consume (I don't want to eat beef full of medications/fillers/etc, same with poultry, and the like). If you're going to eat something, know what's in it and where it came from. But maybe that's just my hippie side speaking LOL

Thanks for sharing, Kathleen.

darkhorserunning · Well Schooled

I fight this arguement over and over again i am a pro slaughter person always will be, why should anyone beable to take aways ones right to sell and or eat the meat they prefer i draw the line at the smoking bann, that right was taking away what else can we let the goverment away? as for horses most of the horses at auction are took to some one that backgrounds them (feeds them out, for a six month or so period), the slaughter industry is not that different as cattle, you do not always get a straight answer from the seller and if you are oin the other hand buying meat from the local store you have no idea what you are getting most fast food and chain resturants do not know what they are getting, and for those who need to know, the 21 year old horse that cant walk etc is not going to go for human comsumpation horse is graded like cattle and the younger ones will be the prime meat, now just if they could find a better killing method that was not a shot in the dark.

Goatgirl · Advanced

I am not opposed to the slaughter of horses - nor am I for it. It is a fact of life. Having spoken with a few horse people in the U.S. after horse slaughter was stopped there --- well - the people I spoke to said with the economy etc...things became bleaker for horses -- in some-ways slaughter would have been preferable to what some horses have gone through --

- people eat horses - people eat dogs -- people eat cats and all kinds of critters. - That's not an issue - the thing is these animals should not be in feed-lots - should not go to industrial slaughter-houses - and should not be raised in factory farms. -but that's a whole nother can of worms

the issue with eating horses - is that horses in North America are companions - for the most part they are raised to trust and depend on their human care-givers - dumping horses at auction knowing that they are too old, wild, lame etc to find a new home is heinous. -
-- again another can of worms --

The notion of watching people cook old 'dobbin' on television -to me is repulsive --upsetting-- I imagine it would be to even some of the most enthusiastic carnivores --here in N.A. because horse to many is like eating Rover or Fluffy -- I question the program producers wisdom in creating a program in which horse-meat is prepared...I imagine they'll get more than a few letters -- there are many other sorts of meats they could have 'used' - ostrich - boar - etc...animals that are not generally viewed as 'pets' -

But....whatcha gonna do...

darkhorserunning · Well Schooled

i think that the us is really rethinking their stand on the slaughter bann, you could have the same arugement over rabbit meat their is tons of people that have them as pets, and there is a high end industry for it... people have pet cows and pet pigs there are rescues for all of this animals why is one animal so much more important than another you are still taking a life.

Goatgirl · Advanced

Really - it's a cultural thing..-- I am a vegetarian on the grounds that 'animals are my friends I do not eat my friends' - george bernard shaw

But - I'm not one of those who jumps up and down and condemns carnivores - my son and hubby are enthusiastic carnivores

In North America - in general - horses are not seen as food - cows, pigs, chickens are seen as food - we had a rooster whom I loved very gentle - beautiful but the neighbour complained - so Bruce - my pet was made into soup -- it was quick - he didn't suffer - but I know chickens are food animals...

Soooo- yes pigs, chickens etc are kept as pets - but they are largely seen as food - it's sort of like 'i'll spare this one' --

Horses are pets --

It makes no sense - but people don't make much sense to me most of the time --

Jackie Cochran · Advanced

I hope I never end up eating horse meat. To me horses are people.

Having said that I do not think it is right to allow horses to starve to death, or end up without basic care. When horse slaughter ended in the USA my reaction was that the floor for horse prices had disappeared. Except for the top tier of horses ALL horses are worth less because there is no slaughter for meat in the USA. And it is not just humans consuming horse meat, dogs, cats, lions and all other carnivores are fed horsemeat. That has never ended. So now we have lots of excess horses, both feral and domestic, and many of these horses' sufferings last for years. Or they get sent to Mexico for absolutely horrible deaths and end up as meat anyway.

Our ancestors ate horse. The first domesticators of horses ate horse. Eating horses is an ancient human tradition. Work for humane slaughter. There is always room for improvement there.

darkhorserunning · Well Schooled

Agree agree, i grew up on a farm we raised all the food we ate most of the time if caring for something 24/7 naming and spending time with everything even to the point of bottle feeding animals, and hand raising them isnt considerd having many pets we still ate the animals that were raised as such my motto is i rather KNow where my meat came from then buy it at a store, The point being if it cant be used, isnt managable lame and or is not a viable asset, said animal is ate, sold, traded. or shipped so as is life. love the point about making slaughter more humane, as i see it i rather see an animal off to the meat market, than seeing it starve to death. then which is more humane?