Buying Groceries at the Pet Store

[Peter the eater]

An old friend from high school recently shared with me her travel piece about eating in Peru. I never heard of cuy -- aka Guinea pig -- or how popular it is in South America. Since I'm not likely to fly to Lima any time soon, I began to wonder how I could experience such a delicacy. Turns out, there are people raising "meat cavies" in Montreal and New York City, to name just two.

As I was browsing critters with the kids at Petcetera -- the cleverly named Canadian retail chain for pets and pet supplies -- I began to think of the possibilities . . .

[maggiethecat]

You'd have to buy all the fish in the store to feed one person a tiny serving.

[Peter the eater]

You'd have to buy all the fish in the store to feed one person a tiny serving.

My Petcetera stocks a carp-like fish that appears to be a good 3/4 lbs.

And they've got rabbits.

[maggiethecat]

I'm not eating a canary.

[Fat Guy]

My guess is that petstore animals aren't very good eating. They haven't really been bred or raised for that. But that's just a guess. I'd be up for a blind comparative tasting.

[maggiethecat]

My guess is that petstore animals aren't very good eating. They haven't really been bred or raised for that. But that's just a guess. I'd be up for a blind comparative tasting.

You first.

But we did sort of brush this topic at The Daily Gullet a few years ago:

Edited June 11, 2010 by maggiethecat (log)

[Peter the eater]

My guess is that petstore animals aren't very good eating. They haven't really been bred or raised for that. But that's just a guess. I'd be up for a blind comparative tasting.

You first.

But we did sort of brush this topic at The Daily Gullet a few years ago: Um, puppies,,,

I don't think I'll ever forget that great story.

What's the difference between produce and pet? Geography? Need?

[Blether]

...

What's the difference between produce and pet? Geography? Need?

Emotion ? Hunger ? Time spent in the Essex's whaleboat ?

You'd have to buy all the fish in the store to feed one person a tiny serving.

Whitebait ! Premium whitebait, even.

Nice thread, Peter.

[djyee100]

Many years ago, a bill was introduced in the California legislature that forbid people to eat their pets. I can't remember the exact wording of the bill now, but the gist of it was, you couldn't consume your pet for food.

And why would you need a law to keep you from doing that? (The topic of this thread notwithstanding.) Someone told me the bill was a reaction to the the SE Asian immigrants here who kept cute little piglets as pets in their households, then slaughtered the animals for food when the pigs became too expensive to feed and too big to keep in the house. That policy made sense in SE Asia, but in urban-suburban California it, um, distressed the neighbors. In any case, the bill didn't pass.

[Scargo]

What's the difference between produce and pet? Geography? Need?

I (we) have a "virtual pet store" outside our house. Rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, red fox, woodchuck, deer, birds (including dove and broadtail hawk).

There are at least three large rabbits living on our property, but after one lapin dinner my SO wouldn't let me kill another for food. Deer are not going to be killed on our property either, according to her.

[Peter the eater]

Crickets and meal worms and scorpions?