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Cat-astrophe in China -- Writer's Poke #394


A semi carrying a payload of hundreds of cats crashed on a Chinese highway. These cats, worth a dollar or two a piece, were on their way to the slaughterhouse. Because, even though it’s taboo to eat cats in China, millions of cats end up being served for human consumption annually. This certainly brings a whole new meaning to “eating Chinese,” doesn’t it?

In the U.S., most of us are pretty boring when it comes to the meat we will eat. Most of us stick to chicken and beef and pork. Maybe a few of us restrict our pork intake for religious reasons, and a few of us don’t eat meat at all for personal or ethical reasons. But for those of us that do eat meat, the idea of eating cat probably never crosses our minds. When is the last time you thought, “Man, I’d really like some barbeque cat for dinner tonight?”

What we consider proper to eat is, at least to a great extent, a matter of tradition and culture. Is there anything wrong with eating cats? Although the cats might not like it, there is not anything “wrong” from the meat-eaters’ point of view. After all, cats are meat, and if we are meat-eaters, why shouldn’t we eat a cat now and then?

And who knows? Cat might be very tasty. How do we know if we never try a sample? After all, don’t we tell our kids, “Try it, you might like it”?

Would you be willing to at least try a sample of cat-meat stew? Why or why not?

“I love cats” – Dick Van Patten

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