The Conservative Cave
Interests => All Things Edible (and how to prepare them) => Topic started by: CG6468 on April 23, 2013, 08:35:00 AM
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From Pets To Plates: Why More People Are Eating Guinea Pigs
by ALASTAIR BLAND
April 02, 201311:54 AM
Phil Whitehouse/via Flickr
You may best know the guinea pig as a nervous little pet that lives in a cage and eats alfalfa pellets.
Now, the rodents are increasingly showing up on plates in the United States.
South American restaurants on both coasts seem to be pushing the trend, answering to demand mostly from Andean expats for what is considered a fine and valuable food in Ecuador, Peru and Colombia. Middle-class foodies with a taste for exotic delicacies are also ordering, photographing and blogging about guinea pig. The animals — called cuyes in Spanish — are usually cooked whole, often grilled, sometimes deep fried. Many diners eat every last morsel, literally from head to toe.
But there may be more to gain from eating guinea pig than bizarre foods bragging rights. According to activists, eating guinea pig is good for the environment.
Matt Miller, an Idaho-based science writer with The Nature Conservancy, says rodents and other small livestock represent a low-impact meat alternative to carbon-costly beef. Miller, who is writing a book about the ecological benefits of eating unconventional meats, visited Colombia several years ago. At the time, he says, conservation groups were expressing concern about local ranchers clearing forest to provide pasture for their cattle — activity that was causing erosion and water pollution.
"They were encouraging people to switch from cattle to guinea pigs," Miller says. "Guinea pigs don't require the land that cattle do. They can be kept in backyards, or in your home. They're docile and easy to raise."/quote]
I live such a sheltered life; I haven't seen these on the menus at the restaurants I visit......
Yum-YUM! :drool: (http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/03/12/174105739/from-pets-to-plates-why-more-people-are-eating-guinea-pigs)
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So, a thousand pounds of guinea pig meat produces less CO2 than a thousand pounds of steak meat, huh? I don't believe it.
Guinea pig, the new democRAT white meat.
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So, a thousand pounds of guinea pig meat produces less CO2 than a thousand pounds of steak meat, huh? I don't believe it.
Guinea pig, the new democRAT white meat.
Guinea pigs would be much more labor-intensive than beef cattle, per pound of meat.
Slaughter and skin 1 steer, vs. 1,000 guinea pigs.
If the little critters tasted like bacon, they might be worth it.
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I'd rather go to Argentina.
(http://images.smh.com.au/2011/08/30/2590989/art-Argentina-Barbecue-420x0.jpg)
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Have you ever tried to herd those things? I need a shorter horse, for starters. :thatsright:
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I'll stick to burgers and pork sammiches!!!
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Have you ever tried to herd those things? I need a shorter horse, for starters. :thatsright:
And trade in that Border Collie for a Jack Russell, assuming you owned a Border Collie.
:-)
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Disgusting. Some people eat the whole thing? :mental: I hate foodie articles like that, that start preaching environmental shit to you.
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So they're popular in South America, huh? Good. Stay there.
And on that note, probably not a real good idea to show this article to the girl child. Her guinea pig is still buried in the back yard.
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[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QS1POHhKi4[/youtube]
:drool:
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Not just no....but no F'N way!! :puke:
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I'd try it.
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I'd try it.
A Bataaan Death March survivor once told me that anything that moved in the camps was food...I suppose Guinea Pig would have been better than rat.
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South American Guinea Pigs have taken to wearing disguises...
(http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/4448/h25520caa.jpg) Bzz, Bzz. I'z a scary Bee! Bzz.
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For libs the guinea pig is a multi tasker.
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For libs the guinea pig is a multi tasker.
Ask me how I knew this was going to come up. Besides, I saw on South Park they use gerbils.
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Ask me how I knew this was going to come up. Besides, I saw on South Park they use gerbils.
I KNEW you were going to ask me to ask you. Okay, how did you know this was going to come up ?
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I KNEW you were going to ask me to ask you. Okay, how did you know this was going to come up ?
Because you are back Zombie!!!
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South American Guinea Pigs have taken to wearing disguises...
(http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/4448/h25520caa.jpg) Bzz, Bzz. I'z a scary Bee! Bzz.
:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: