Somehow, the other night, Rick and Faisal got into a discussion about "strange food," and Faisal mentioned that his grandmother doesn't mind eating brain now and then -- goat brain, mostly (and a quick Google search will bring up recipes that include such)... but he also mentioned that it's not unheard of for people to eat cat brain in Pakistan. This, of course, elicits an immediate American response along the lines of, "What?!? Cats?? Adorable little kitties?? Cute, cuddly kitties?!? Partaking of such cuteness must not be tolerated!!"
And yet a more thoughtful reflection on the topic makes me wonder -- why? Why do we not bat an eyelash at the idea of eating a cow or a chicken, but a cat or a dog as "food" is like culinary blasphemy? Yes, cats and dogs are generally "cuter" than most of the animals we eat... but it has to be more than that. I mean, I think rabbits are pretty darned adorable -- all fluffy and cute with their big ears and little twitchy noses. But even I managed to eat rabbit once -- it wasn't bad. Tasted like chicken. So perhaps it's the fact that cats and dogs are such a huge part of our pet population -- we bring them into our homes, and buy them toys, and feed them treats, and teach them tricks -- maybe our culture of "American pet owner" causes a visceral aversion to the idea of eating these animals. In fact, when Faisal first mentioned the "cats as food" fact, the first thing I asked was whether cats are a common pet in Pakistan -- and it turns out, no one keeps them as pets. It's much harder to eat something that you raise to be a part of your family -- if you've never had a cat as a pet or even KNOWN anyone who's had a cat as a pet, it's probably not as difficult to think of them as a food source... And I know some people keep rabbits as pets, but I've never had one myself... maybe if I had, I wouldn't have been able to try that rabbit stew...
Of course, that doesn't explain why we (and by "we" I mean Americans in general -- not ME, as I have a serious fish aversion) have no problem eating salmon, while at the same time we'll keep tanks full of goldfish in our living rooms. Are fish just really difficult to bond with, even as pets? (Honestly, I can't imagine ever bonding with a fish... and yet I can't imagine eating one, either... :))
It's just strange how we always jump to conclusions about what's "wrong" or "disgusting," based only upon our OWN experiences. If someone half a world away grows up thinking that their mom's goat brain roast is the best dinner ever, who's to say they wouldn't think WE were weird for eating twinkies or nachos or hot dogs?? (Honestly, at least you KNOW what's in a goat brain -- it's a goat brain. A hot dog could be goat brain, hyena lung, armadillo tail, lead paint chips and rat droppings all rolled into one...)
This is not to say that I, personally, would ever eat a cat brain... actually, I wouldn't eat ANY kind of brain. But that's more because I have weird food issues, not because I find fault with anyone's idea of a delicacy... or even anyone's idea of a plain old Saturday night dinner. Tonight, mine just happened to be chicken and pasta salad... :)
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