Why does it matter which bits of the animal you eat?

[BroccoliSpears]

This is partly prompted by that Disgusting Food programme that was on last night. I don't understand. Why is it yummy and delicious to eat flesh, but abhorrent to eat connective tissue? Liver - fine. Kidneys - fine. Bladder - noooo. Why? It seems pretty arbitrary to me.

"Yum, I am really enjoying this sausage because I think it consists of arms, legs, back and neck... what's that? It contains ears?? I think I'm going to be sick!"

It meks noh senze.

I prefer to know what I'm eating and take some responsibility for it.

Lots of answers and most people thinking the same as me. I suppose it really is just squeamishness. Silly really, when you consider that most people who are squeamish about what they eat will happily eat supermarket ham which has all sorts of rubbish in it, but is 'okay' because it comes from a recognisably sliced part of the pig.

Another question which I've often pondered along similar lines - many people who would be horrified at the thought of buying anything but free range eggs will then cheerfully buy all sorts of products containing battery eggs, and are happy to buy battery chicken.

Well I don't buy processed foods if I can avoid it and I NEVER buy battery chicken. I would prefer to feed my dd the bollix and innards of a free-range hen than the breast of a battery bird. I haven't bought a non-free range egg for about 25 years.

Carmenere do hens have bollix though?

True OMDB -Cockerels do though and apparently that is the best thing to use for a coq-au-vin as they are allowed live to a ripe old age (in order to shag around lots presumably) and they have lots of muscle which translates into flavour when cooked for ages in wine.
I wonder are they available commercially now or all male chicks just killed?

That is a good point Broccoli, I bet people don't even think about what eggs have gone into quishe, cakes or yorkshire puds that they buy ready-made for example, if they do indeed buy these things ready made.

We should judt be thankful we have the luyxury to be squeemish if it pleases us, considering most of the world's population live in severe poverty and are probably greatful of any food, regardless of where it has come form.

I bet a cockrel's bollix wouldn't be big enough to fill your kiddies up though Carm

"Pepperami - it's a bit of an animal"

They don't tell you which bit, though...

I've always thought it a bit insulting to be fussy about which bits you eat. Poor animal is dead, surely you should eat whatever is available. I boil my chicken carcasses to get the last bits of meat and stock from it - no different from doing that in a factory I suppose.

If I ever get too squeamish to accept that I think I would have to finally make the break and become a vegetarian.

In some countries (esp France) they remove a cockerels bollocks to reduce the amount of testosterone it produces as this can affect the flavour. They're then known as capons and are apparently an amazing flavour.

My chicken-rearing book has instructions on doing it yourself, but fortunately it's illegal in this country I think!

We've reared pigs before and have tried to use as much of them as possible - liver for pate, bones for stock and the head for brawn. Apparently the bladder makes a great football!

I think it's arrogant and selfish to insist and animal dies for your consumption, then to be picky about the bits of the dead animal you are going to keep.

I'm not a vegetarian, I am a rampant carnivore. I believe it is sinful to take a life and waste the result of that death.

There is a list of battery egg free products if thats any help to anyone.
I think if I got too squeamish I would have to become vegan as it would seem hypocritical to me to be a vegetarian for those reasons. I won't though

Bronze- Makes it her mission to look for the balls when she does the next one

Chicken bollocks are actually inside their bodies Hence the difficulty in telling whether chicks are boys or girls!

I have for some unknown reason lived with vegetarians most of my adult life (brother, bf, dp (well I have since cured him) dss and dsd) So I have my own personal morality well worked out on this subject.

I only buy meat occasionally, I use everything I buy, I buy from the best possible source available and that I can afford. I make sure that my dd knows where meat comes from and that we are duty bound to care for animals compassionately. I feel strongly about it. I think that it is a really important issue regarding diet, nutrition, parenting and morality.

Oh yes, in Ireland they are called crubeens and you used to be able to get them deep fried in a chip shop near where I used to live, they were very tasty.

DaisySteiner it isn't illegal in this country and lots of supermarkets now sell capons. Sheep and pigs have theirs removed too ~ delicious fried

No, I mean illegal to do it yourself at home!

It doesn't really matter to me, I'll try just about anything once though I hate kidneys and could live quite happily without ever trying brain.

And I'm not squeamish at all, I can't be, I hunt,with hawks/falcons, and have to kill the game we catch, but I can't imagine that brains taste good hence my lack of interest in eating them.

I don't much care which bit I eat, except I don't much fancy eyes, brains, anal sphincters or genitalia. I'm funny like that.