WeirdMeat.com hosting issues

Hi friends of WeirdMeat.com!

Sorry for the crazy long delay in getting the website back up. We are almost there...

Due to issues with Blogger changing their service method + some countries blocking our hosting service = we've had a real pain of a time getting this blog back up and running. As you can see, the text is back, but the photos are missing. Might be a few weeks before those are back, so stay tuned...

We have about 50 new stories to tell.

Org. wants to ban dog / cat meat in China

Dog meat in Yangshuo, photo by M. Scott Brauer

This story has been popping up in the press here recently, the Chinese Animal Protection Network (CAPN) is lobbying to outlaw dog and cat meat in mainland China.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a very strong argument from them about exactly why dog and cat meat should be banned. They fail to answer why these animals shouldn't be eaten, while pigs and cows can, etc. etc. I know I've beaten down this topic a bit much, but these people are sure going to a lot of effort -- for what reason? -- and I'm still hoping to see a good argument.

This comes at the same time that PETA is making moves to voice their views in China. I should add, I'm completely in favor of the fundamentals -- ethical treatment of animals -- but don't always understand their tactics or philosophical inconsistencies.

Alas, bring on the hate mail...

More Cock and Balls

We'd already eaten rooster testicles in Taiwan last year, but we encountered them again on a recent trip to Hangzhou. After a night out corrupting the youth with danger music and too much drinking, we hit a hot pot place with some local friends.



This always seems like a good idea. Fill the belly with food after drinking too much. But then, what to drink with the food? More beer!



We ordered a bunch of stuff -- vegetables, starches, meats, and cooked them in the large pot of boiling oily water. The table next to us ordered a plate of something weird I'd seen before -- chicken testicles -- so I had to challenge my friends and see if they were still drunk enough to agree it was a good idea to eat cock balls at 4am.



We ordered them and cooked them just right, so they were full of juicy goodness and not overdone. I prefer testicles medium-rare.



Read more about eating chicken sexual organs here.
.

Polar Bear Liver BAD

Stumbled across this article about over-consumption of Vitamin A. Turns out if you eat too much polar bear liver you could DIE. With polar bears running out of habitat, maybe the news is a welcome deterrent for people who want to eat them.

"If eaten in one meal, 30 to 90 grams of polar bear liver is enough to kill a human being, or to make even sled dogs very ill." [source]

Too much beta carotene. It's like eating thousands of carrots in one sitting. That can't be good for you.