I think I'm doing it wrong

[oneiriad]

My reaction to the big food scandal of the week? Vaguely thinking that I'd actually sort of like to try horse - you know, knowingly, on purpose. Sadly, preliminary research seems to be discouraging about phase one of that plan* - apparently Danish butchers don't sell a lot of the stuff. Figures. *goes back to sort-of-planning getting around to buying kangaroo at some point*

*Phase one: Buy horse steak. Phase one point five: Find recipe for horse steak. Phase two: Cook horse steak. Phase three: Eat horse steak. Phase four: Put stuff in dishwasher.

Comments

[calvinahobbes]

I know nothing about any food scandals, just like I knew nothing about the Pope resigning, because I am a recluse who never listens to the news. Or something.

I am not surprised horse steak isn't easy to get. I doubt there's much of a market for it, beyond the novelty value :o)

[oneiriad]

The food scandal is this: somebody put horse (and possibly donkey) in microwave lasagna claiming to be 100% beef. Which is false advertizing, certainly, but I think people are overreacting just a bit...

From what I've been reading, one reason for horse no longer being a major type of meat in Dk has to do with the animals getting reclassified as pets in a lot of people's minds. Still, I'd like to at least try it *puts in box next to grand turducken scheme*

[calvinahobbes]

Huh. Well, yeah, the only thing I'd worry a bit about is: where did they get the meat from? As in, I don't think there's a big kødopdræt of horses and donkeys, so were they really old? Intended for dog food?

Gosh, for a second I thought you were planning on including horse in your turducken. Now that would be epic o.O

[oneiriad]

Rumania, apparently. And apparently horse is more commonly eaten in other parts of Europe, so - though it still doesn't explain whyy they'd mix it with beef.

Hmmm, more like turducken in horse, considering the sizes involved. Would that be hourducken? ;-)

[lysanatt]

Because 100K+ horses became redundant in Romania since laws forbade people to drive their horse carriages on roads five years ago = cheap horses = cheap meat. Basically it's standard working horses that were killed in thousands because of the laws. Probably overflowing factories... had to get rid of it, pretending that it's more expensive meat is a win-win for the mafia...

[lysanatt]

Mmm, horses! With chips and salad and mmmm! Try smoked filet if you can get it. There's a butcher in Hedehusene and possibly the one at Holmbladsgade that might have some. Best. Meat. Ever.

[oneiriad]

And here I thought you sold your horses at the end of the day... ;-)

[lysanatt]

No, I ate them! Muahahaha! Well, I did sell. Let's just say that the steaks would have been very, very, very expensive otherwise.

But I love the meat, and I have no qualms eating my own horse in case: I'd know they'd had a great life, compared to the standard cow/pig/chicken.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Horse is high on my list of foods I want to try.

However, I'm a firm supporter of accurate labeling. People have a right to know what they're buying and eating. Some folks have philosophical, religious, or biological reasons to avoid certain foods. It's not okay to lie about ingredients.

Re: Yes...

[oneiriad]

Oh, I'm very much pro-labeling, and when I buy something, I expect it to be what I paid for. But when some of the newssites I watch have as many articles about what is basically a food scandal without anyone having gotten sick as there is about the papal resignation ( and far more than about the North Korean nuclear test), well, it feels a bit - extreme?

Re: Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I have complete sympathy for people going "OMFG how is it okay to feed people one thing and say it's another? This is bad and wrong!"

I have considerably less sympathy for "Waaahhh they fed us HORSE that's gross and sad and wrong!" Tch. It's a prey animal. Those are designed to be eaten. You don't have to eat horse if you don't want to, but saying it shouldn't be eaten is founded on nothing but cultural bias.

And there are far more important things to worry about, like climate change or war, that the media like to distract people from as much as possible.

The label violation is being tracked down, and presumably someone will be punished, and hopefully it won't happen again. That's good enough for me. Now if it happened in America I wouldn't be surprised if nothing was done: our labeling laws are shit. That does bother me quite a lot.

Re: Yes...

[blnchflr]

My understanding is, also from another scandal years ago, that since horses aren't meant to be eaten by humans, you don't know what all medications they've been given, and especially race horses (that was the case I remember years ago), are chuck full of crap you wouldn't want to eat - it's not organically produced horse meat anyone's objecting to, I think.

Re: Yes...

[lysanatt]

I think it's very safe to say that it is considerably less medication than the average Danish pig, for instance. And all horses are chipped; all medicine needs to be registered to the chip and is, since all Danish horses carry a passport. So ... eat Danish, stay healthy! ;0)

And, oi! I'm human! Horses! Mmmm! Nomnomnom! :P

Re: Yes...

[blnchflr]

:)

[neotoma]

A friend had foal sushi on Iceland, so if you ever have a reason to visit the place, that's your opportunity to try horse.

[blnchflr]

There was also once a guy who smoked and ate horse penises, and the last penis he smoked (but didn't eat) is on display in the phallological museum.

[oneiriad]

Did he name it Vølse?

[blnchflr]

I think he often called them Dinner :)