38 replies to this topic

[mamagirl]

I'm very happy for the people of Peru that they were able to breed a larger guinea pig. It is excellent that the people have a reliable food source that they can grow and breed in thier own home. Personaly i don't think i could eat a Guinea Pig, but our world's population is growing and there is only so many food sources. Rodents breed prolifically and can be raised in reasonably small enclosures, they are a great idea for a food source. Especially if you were to compare it to a cow, cow's produce more air pollution in canada than cars do (they produce a very large amount of methane gas). They need incredibly large enclosures, eat an enormous amount of food and produce a very small amount of meat for the amount of feed fed to them. Eating guinea pigs would be much more enviromently friendly than eating cows.

I also admire people of other country's and backgrounds which utilise rodents for food. I cannot think of a more prolific breeder or easier to raise food animal, and although to me my rodents are family, i can accept that to others they are food.

About them importing guinea pigs to america for food. I'm pretty sure they were saying they import to Peruvians who live in America who like to eat guinea pigs. I doubt they are trying to make guinea pigs a popular meat in America, besides only people who want to try it will.

I also feel that us 'North americans' are really stuck up about food. In europe people have realized that the cow is a poor source of food and the people eat much more goat and sheep. Goat and sheeps are 2 of the best meat sources based on meat produced for feed given. If we want to be able to feed everyone in 100 years we are going to have to change our ways, we eat way to much beef! Even if we were to produce more chicken or ducks as food it would make a huge difference in the amount of waste produced, grains eaten and methane gas produced.

Ok i'v babbled alot, all i'm trying to say is the world needs easier to produce meat sources. Our population is growing at an incredible rate, if we don't find new easier to produce food sources than alott of people will be going without. Also i don't care what other people eat, if it is raised and slaughtered in a humane way than i have no objections no matter how much it looks like one of my furry's.

On a semi- side note; i recently watched a special on tv about the rat problems in Hong Kong and how the government encouraged the people to catch them and eat them. At first i kinda shuddered at the thought of people hunting rats and eating them but when i saw the 'fried rat' for sale and how many peole were eating it i actually realized that it provides more food for everyone, new income for those who catch or breed them, more income for those that prepare and sell them and probably is one of the smartest things that the government could have done.

[missPixy]

the problem is that the world doesn't need more meat sources~~ the process of producing meat from animals is a procedure which creates tons of pollution, and uses up at least 2 or 3 times the amount of natural resources used in raising vegetables and grains.

plus, ppl have been brainwashed to think they need tons of protein; actually, most humans need complex carbs, not a lot of protein. meat is just second-hand vegetables. and we are not carnivores. a carnivore has a short intestinal tract, meant to quickly digest food. humans have a long digestive tract, like an herbivore's. the reason so many of us get colon cancer and other intestinal problems is that the meat basically sits and rots in our intestines before finally getting passed out.

our teeth? flat and meant to grind plant food. we don't have fangs, or talons. the more protein we eat, the more we overextend our kidneys. that's why ppl on the atkins diet have breath and sweat that stinks. the meat is rotting in their bodies, and the kidneys aren't able to process all the stuff out fast enough. it creates ketones in the urine~~ anyone on the atkins diet can stick a urine strip in their pee and they'll see their ketone readings are off the charts.

and the population growing at such a rate? gee, how abt ppl not mindlessly reproducing so that all these food sources must be found to stuff into mouths? as the "most intelligent" species, maybe we can figure that out first? i reject the belief that humans are entitled to unchecked population growth and unrestricted consumption of natural resources. let's apply the principle of self-management on ourselves, since we seem so eager to apply it to every other species...

[missPixy]

i just want to make one more comment abt animals and their sense of self...

i have 2 dwarf sisters who are just abt 1 year old now. today one of them had to go to the vets for surgery, and she won't be back until tomorrow.

her sister, who normally sleeps with her up in their "bedroom," has decided today to move her bed down in the sandbox. she's filled it up with carefresh and is sleeping there now. she can't sleep in her old bedroom without ginger.

so i think if i could communicate with my hamsters and ask them whether they'd mind being killed by humans for food, they'd say no, they were happier being alive.

[Janice]

Wow, misspixy, I find that your message abt meat rotting in my intestines very infomative. Good thing that I eat more veggies than meat. Time for me to tell my hubby about the harms of eating too much meat (he loves meat which I think is bad for his health). Hope that ginger recovers soon.

While I respect Peruvians' culture of eating guinea pigs, but I'm definitely NOT going to Peru, ever. I wouldn't want to accidentally eat a guinea pig. I couldn't bring myself to eat such cute animals. Also, though I'm Chinese, but I abhor the fact that those people in China eat dogs, monkey brains, cats, turtles, rats, camels, squirrels, snakes, human foetus and many other animals no other people can imagine eating. So there's no way am I stepping into China either. Even if I'm not eating those meat, the thought of eating food that is cooked in same utensils used to cook those meat, disgusts me.

[wiffy]

mP, i wish ginger a speedy recovery and that her sister will cope well in ginger's absence

I enjoyed reading your views, as always do

[mamagirl]

Very good points missPixy , unfortunetly though we have no control over others breeding and eating habits.

I agree that usually producing vegetables is more enviromentaly friendly than meat but the world will never be vegetaian or vegan, and i would prefer they were producing a meat animal that used less resources and was more prolific than your typical meat animals. Personaly i'll never give up meat either. I must say that i am sometimes bothered by the 'vegan/vegetarian movement', for people who choose that lifestyle its wonderful but alott of them feel they need to force thier ways onto us.(just so you know i'm not intending this against anyone here, i just am tired of people insinuating that meat eating peole aren't respectful of animals(again not here but alott of other places)) Humans aren't meant to have a diet of strictly meat or strictly vegetables, if we were then we could be healthy on that diet without supplements or man made foods.

Besides, 100's of acres of jungle are destroyed every year in south america for farm land, if these people could raise small animals for meat and produce less vegetables then there would be less destruction of the rainforests (although a large part of the farm land created is also used for grazing animals so in thier cases because these people are going to raise animals either way it would be less harmfull if they were raising animals that ate less food for meat produced) . Also alott of 'meat animals' can eat foods that we cannot so we are not using foods which we could eat to produce them.

About the breeding; Most of the areas of our world that are heavily populated are 'developing' countries, in these places your average woman doesn't have access to medical care nevermind birth control. It would be easy to say they should substain from sex but unfortunetly in alott of these places a woman doesn't even have the right to say no if she wanted too. Although some western countries also have populations that are spiraling out of control, but i honestly don't know a way that i could prevent that, If you know a way then i hope that you can share it with those in charge.

I must say that i don't think any animal would choose to be food, but if they are raised humanely and slaughtered humanely than i have no problem with it.

Sometimes we have to look at the big picture, there are humans all over the world who right this second are starving, more than 1 child a minute dies everyday in developing countries from starvation and related illnesses. All of us sitting at home infront of our computers with our bellys full, saying that they shouldn't eat this or that there parents shouldn't of had them (because there is not enough food) does nothing for those that are suffering right now. It's easy to judge but the right thing to do would be to come up with ideas that could viably feed these people, and unfortunetly farming (ie. growing veggies) is usually not the only answer.

Again nothing i'v said is intended against anyone here, but rather a general statement about us humans. I love having thought provoking discussions like this and i wouldn't want it to be locked because i unintentionally insulted or angered someone. If you are bothered by something i'v wrote then please share your views aswell.

missPixy: I'm sorry to hear about your hamsters, i hope Ginger recovers quickly and gets to keep her sister company again. I agree that your girls wouldn't want to be food for anyone.

[angel56]

wHAT????wHAT'S Wrong with them culture or not thats just wrong how can they do something like that this article just ruined my day.

[foxxyy]

That is really sad! I can't believe they actually do that.. I wouldnt have the heart to do something like that

[Nelson]

and the population growing at such a rate? gee, how abt ppl not mindlessly reproducing so that all these food sources must be found to stuff into mouths? as the "most intelligent"  species, maybe we can figure that out first? i reject the belief that humans are entitled to unchecked population growth and unrestricted consumption of natural resources. let's apply the principle of self-management on ourselves, since we seem so eager to apply it to every other species... 

I like your post mP! I think humans think themselves are the boss of everything, true about the fact that we are ever increasing in numbers. I think we should (If Humans are clever enough) to make "man" made foods/products to eat, to balance out the fact some of us (like "tiger" eater, there are ppl that eat tigers..) the destruction we do to the world....

mamagirl also has good points, we have no control over other people, BUT we all have control of ourselves, if so and so ppl can change, then we eventually can balance out... Also, I think we are wasting too much resources, a used tissue paper, doesnt get recycled. Everybody i know discard it when they are finished with it, How many harmless (innocent) trees are we harming by just by throwing a piece of paper in the bin?

wHAT????wHAT'S Wrong with them culture or not thats just wrong how can they do something like that this article just ruined my day.

I eat "sharkfin", so different cultures think different foods are gross, like my post before, some Muslims may think us eating pork is yuck... respect other cultures..

Edited by Nelson, 28 October 2004 - 02:16 PM.

[Essie]

Poor guinea pigs
I'm over that comment!!
I wish the peruvians could stop.. *sigh*

[hamzter]

cool, I'm not very fond of guinea pigs, hammies are my thing

[missPixy]

the world will never be vegetaian or vegan, and i would prefer they were producing a meat animal that used less resources and was more prolific than your typical meat animals.

the idea that protein = meat is a very western concept that, like mcdonalds and coca-cola, has found its way all over the world. in fact, meat is hardly the only source of protein, and many other cultures have survived just fine with very little meat, instead using either tofu, beans/legumes and other food sources for protein.

Personaly i'll never give up meat either. I must say that i am sometimes bothered by the 'vegan/vegetarian movement', for people who choose that lifestyle its wonderful but alott of  them feel they need to force thier ways onto us. Humans aren't meant to have a diet of strictly meat or strictly vegetables, if we were then we could be healthy on that diet without supplements or man made foods.

15 years ago, when i first became an herbivore, i was one of these ppl who felt she had to let everyone know how much better it was to not eat animals. nowadays, i'm very happy that i can go into any restaurant, order something that's not meat, and nobody realizes i'm an herbivore. the only time i talk abt it anymore is here on HH because i think it's an acceptable forum (especially in these kind of posts.)

i'd rather nobody knew i didn't eat meat, because otherwise ppl automatically become defensive, or want to debate. instead, what happens at a restaurant is that i'll order my non-meat dish, and 9 times out of 10 those i'm with will say, "what's that? it looks really good~~ i wish i'd ordered that instead!" not knowing my reason for ordering what i did!

in the spirit of this discussion, though, let me ask: since it's clear that meat is only one source of protein and other equally nutritious protein sources exist, is a person's tastebuds more important than an animal's life?

I must say that i don't think any animal would choose to be food, but if they are raised humanely and slaughtered humanely than i have no problem with it.

you have no problem with it, because you're not the one being slaughtered. personally i can't comprehend spending several years raising an animal, caring for him or her, then going into the barn or the field or whatever and ending that animal's life so i can have a barbecue that night. because to do that means lying to yourself that this isn't another living creature who sees me approaching and thinks, there's my friend! maybe she has a little treat for me! instead, it means telling yourself that this animal is just an object like a rock or a piece of cloth.

i sometimes wonder if animals could learn to talk to us~~ if they could say, please don't kill me! i'm afraid! i don't want to die! would we still think our lives weren't complete unless we could have our burger? especially in light of the fact that there are other sources of protein.

just because we as humans can do something, doesn't mean it's the moral or right thing to do. let's face it, if it's strictly an issue of starvation, why isn't killing other humans for food acceptable? why is it okay to do this to animals but not other humans?

missPixy: I'm sorry to hear about your hamsters, i hope Ginger recovers quickly and gets to keep her sister company again. I agree that your girls wouldn't want to be food for anyone.

ginger and pashmina had a very happy reunion the other night... lots of rolling and tussling and grooming.

Edited by missPixy, 30 October 2004 - 09:21 AM.

[berrylux]

Yeh, It kind of depends on the countries......many other countries eat really really weird food! Philippines eats quail eggs and underdelvoped duck eggs, and duck feet......Echhhh my mom's from there....

[Viral]

I'm Peruvian, and most of my family loves eating Guinea Pigs . Even though I tried it once when I was 7 I didn't really like it much. Guinea pigs were first domisticated around 2000 BC by the Inca, so they have been eating it for around 4000 years already.

[Emmie]

Oh my word! Just read a couple of the posts and was shell shocked in finding what is really is about, ohhhh !! i couldnt eat guniea pigs, ohh im a big lover for them, i have 4 of them as pets