Chewing the Blubber!

[chappie]

During summer 1997, after my junior year in college, I worked on a surimi (processed fish paste; think Crab Delights) processing vessel in remote Neah Bay, Wash. — the home of the Makah. We were the only large vessel in sight, and the company had purchased a percentage of the Makah's quota of hake. One of the conditions was that the catcher-boats would employ as many Makah as possible, and we also employed them on the processor.

It's too bad I didn't ask any of my Makah coworkers about whaling.

[zora]

Getting back to the original topic of the thread... I was in Oslo several years ago and cooked up some whale meat myself. Friends advised we cook the hell out of it--it's no good medium-rare. We did a braise with onions and wine--we did taste the meat after a bit, while it was still rare-ish, and it was nastily fishy and strong tasting. We let it simmer a while longer--maybe 45 mins total? In the end, it had mellowed out substantially and was quite good: rich and only faintly fishy. The oddest bit for me was the texture--a lot more like liver (with a little liver flavor, too) than any grained piece of flesh.

Probably wouldn't go out of my for it again, but I'm glad I ate it, and I don't begrudge other people eating it. I think the number of people left in the world who have a strong taste for whale meat is now so relatively small that they alone won't be putting a big dent in the whale population. But of course I could be grossly misinformed...

[dankphishin]

I've never had the chance to eat whale, though I'd wholeheartedly imbide if given the chance. As long as the species isn't endangered, who cares? I am as much an environmentalist as anyone else, but I really can't see a logical argument against eating a (non-endangered species) whale. I mean, we are not using the whale for pet food or makeup, we are using it for the same thing other humans have, i.e. sustenance. I don't like people using arbitrary moral judgements to tell me what to put or not put in my body (be it whale, pot, tobacco or alcohol). Using the "whales are smart" argument is the same slippery slope fallacy used by the people that tell me they won't eat venison or small game because it's "cute." As long as the animal isn't endangered, I'll eat it, and I'll eat an extra serving for all you vegans.

[Kapuliperson]

When I went to Greenland a few years ago we were also fed whale - while I didn't like it, the shark was even worse! Maybe it was just the way it was prepared though.