Rabbit Pie - Cruel or Quaint?

Nobody eats this traditional dish any more. Why not, is it a dish once enjoyed by a social underclass that does not exist any more, or is it just cruel to even consider baking a little bunny?

Originally posted by asromacalcio
Nobody eats this traditional dish any more. Why not, is it a dish once enjoyed by a social underclass that does not exist any more, or is it just cruel to even consider baking a little bunny?

To many of the WW2 generation in Britain, or those growing up in the years of continuing rationing afterwards, they had their fill of rabbit I think. No one eats horse anymore either.

Rabbit is still a traditional Christmas dish here. I don't particularly enjoy it though.

In my youth I quite enjoyed horse meat, but it seems to be harder to get these days. To not eat certain animals because they are cute 'n fluffy, while still eating other animals is staggeringly hypocritical.

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
Rabbit is still a traditional Christmas dish here. I don't particularly enjoy it though.

In my youth I quite enjoyed horse meat, but it seems to be harder to get these days. To not eat certain animals because they are cute 'n fluffy, while still eating other animals is staggeringly hypocritical.

I eat dog a couple of times a month. Same goes for snake. I had cow's cartilage for lunch today.

Originally posted by asromacalcio
Nobody eats this traditional dish any more. Why not, is it a dish once enjoyed by a social underclass that does not exist any more, or is it just cruel to even consider baking a little bunny?

for some reason, the only (non-fish) meat anyone seems to want is cow, chicken, pig (and occasionally turkey).

when it comes to fish & seafood, there's any endless variety of species to choose from -- but when it comes to birds or mammals, there's only a couple of each (and no reptiles, amphibians, or insects at all). Why?

Originally posted by asromacalcio
Nobody eats this traditional dish any more. Why not, is it a dish once enjoyed by a social underclass that does not exist any more, or is it just cruel to even consider baking a little bunny?

There's a pub near me that has rabbit and bacon pie on the menu.

There was also a pub somewhere in England that started putting squirrel on the menu until enough people complained and it was eventually taken off.

Nobody eats this traditional dish any more

I wouldn't say nobody.

Originally posted by Melanerpes
for some reason, the only (non-fish) meat anyone seems to want is cow, chicken, pig (and occasionally turkey).

when it comes to fish & seafood, there's any endless variety of species to choose from -- but when it comes to birds or mammals, there's only a couple of each (and no reptiles, amphibians, or insects at all). Why?

What about lamb / mutton? I don't know about Stateside, but I'd say we eat just as much sheep meat in Britain as we do pork or beef. Roast lamb is still the British meal of choice for Easter Sunday, and mutton is, of course, the standard red meat in Indian restaurants, here as in India itself.

I personally enjoy game, so cook every so often with pheasant, partridge, quail, grouse, venison or wild boar. It's true though that few people know about these meats or what to do with them. I hope this stays the case, as presently partridge can often be cheaper than chicken!

Originally posted by Melanerpes
for some reason, the only (non-fish) meat anyone seems to want is cow, chicken, pig (and occasionally turkey).

when it comes to fish & seafood, there's any endless variety of species to choose from -- but when it comes to birds or mammals, there's only a couple of each (and no reptiles, amphibians, or insects at all). Why?

Depends which part of the world you live in, plenty of insects get eaten in SE Asia. I remember waiting at a bus station in Cambodia where someone had a big basket of fried cockroaches. I didn't fancy that.

for some reason, the only (non-fish) meat anyone seems to want is cow, chicken, pig (and occasionally turkey).

You mean that's all that is on offer at the supermarket. You could add to the list, pheasant, partridge, guinea fowl, pigeon, deer, grouse, duck, goose, woodcock. All are available at certain times of the year, just need to know where.

Originally posted by Proper Knob
Depends which part of the world you live in, plenty of insects get eaten in SE Asia. I remember waiting at a bus station in Cambodia where someone had a big basket of fried cockroaches. I didn't fancy that.

[b]for some reason, the only (non-fish) meat anyone seems to want is cow, chicken, pig (and occasionally turkey).

You mean that's all that ...[text shortened]... uck, goose, woodcock. All are available at certain times of the year, just need to know where.[/b]

You mean that's all that is on offer at the supermarket. You could add to the list, pheasant, partridge, guinea fowl, pigeon, deer, grouse, duck, goose, woodcock. All are available at certain times of the year, just need to know where.

That's my point. The supermarket and restaurants sell the stuff that the people in general want. But I've always been curious about why people are so willing to embrace variety when it comes to fish and seafood while being so boring when it comes to the rest of the animal kingdom.

As for the other options. You do see duck on most Chinese menus. But unless you're specifically searching for it, you never encounter pheasant, grouse, woodcock etc. Even lamb is a rather rare occurrence.

As for deer. PLEASE - I'm begging all the chefs!! Someone in the US come up with a recipe that will make deer meat ultra-popular. Even better if you can make it work at a fast food outlet. The deer population around here is getting WAY out of control.

Originally posted by Melanerpes
for some reason, the only (non-fish) meat anyone seems to want is cow, chicken, pig (and occasionally turkey).

when it comes to fish & seafood, there's any endless variety of species to choose from -- but when it comes to birds or mammals, there's only a couple of each (and no reptiles, amphibians, or insects at all). Why?

In Thailand, fried insects are a popular snack. But I'm not sure why western societies choose the "main three".

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
To not eat certain animals because they are cute 'n fluffy, while still eating other animals is staggeringly hypocritical.

Why?

Originally posted by Palynka
Why?

Because presumably the not-so-fluffy animals suffer equally as much.

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
Because presumably the not-so-fluffy animals suffer equally as much.

Why should I care equally about all animals? I certainly don't care much about the suffering of insects, for example.

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
Because presumably the not-so-fluffy animals suffer equally as much.

But they don't contribute as much to the cute-and-fluffiness of the world, which is an important factor.

(Having said that, I do like rabbit).