Would you eat a sentient animal?

DorkothyParker

Here in Korea, just about every restaurant has a picture of a cartoon animal representing the type of meat the restaurant specializes in. Often times, the animal appears sentient in some way: wears clothes, walks in a bipedal manner, etc. Many of them seem to be aware of their tastiness. I have seen pigs bent over with their hineys in the air, biting their lip as if to say, "look at that. Wouldn't you enjoy me with hoisin sauce?" I've seen cherubic cows, eyeing their brethren, a gleam in their eyes, licking their lips in anticipation.

If animals were bred to be sentient AND had a desire to be eaten by humans (seriously, like a life-long dream), would you continue eating meat?
If you already don't eat meat, would this encourage you to try it or would you disagree more?

Again, I am only curious about whether you would eat sentient animals, let's not talk about the merits of eating animals as they are now.

Lyadeia

Of course I would.

Animals taste good.

Saksgirl1

Thats interesting! I don't know if I could eat an animal with personality and if each animal on the menu is cartoonized, I think I'd have to go vegetarian again.

LilRedRooster

I don't particularly like eating them now, so.. Yeah, no.

Troy67

As it is I can't eat anything that still looks like it did when alive (most seafood, etc). If pork, beef, turkey, chicken, etc. looked like the little animal I probably would have to go vegetarian. I think I was traumatized as a child. My hometown was on the Mississippi River and they brought me fish with the head/eyeball everything included. About the only fish I can eat is fish sticks or stuff from places like Long John Silvers. Sounds stupid, I know. But that's me. lol

emma1488

This is a strange post:indifferent:

I watched a tv show about a lawyer and he was defending a man who was essentially a cannibal. He was an every day man who had a family, good job, but really really wanted to eat a person. So he created a website ad trying to find if anyone was interested in fulfilling his desire...So eventually he found this guy who was very much into it. HE WANTED TO BE EATEN!...He was depressed/suicidal.

So cannibal man ended up hooking up with suicidal man and he killed him by giving him an overdose of sleeping pills, cut him up, cooked him up and ate him up...

Anyway, the story went that even though this man WANTED to be eaten, it was still illegal/wrong to kill and eat another human being...This story just came to mind from this post, so i thought i would share.

I dont eat animals now, and I do not plan to, even if for some reason wanted me to...

Troy67

I watched that same show Emma. I don't know who was crazier the diner or the dinee. I think I kept a light on that night.

whisperingdragon

I wish I could stop eating meat, it's too hard.. maybe someday.

:flowerforyou:

emma1488

i think the show was called 'Rake'? its an australian show...Good old creepy hugo weaving!:devil:

emma1488

I wish I could stop eating meat, it's too hard.. maybe someday.

:flowerforyou:

I thought it would be hard for me too! Before I was vegetarian, I was an avid meat lover...It turns out, it wasn't hard to stop at all :flowerforyou:

taem

Here in Korea, just about every restaurant has a picture of a cartoon animal representing the type of meat the restaurant specializes in. Often times, the animal appears sentient in some way: wears clothes, walks in a bipedal manner, etc. Many of them seem to be aware of their tastiness. I have seen pigs bent over with their hineys in the air, biting their lip as if to say, "look at that. Wouldn't you enjoy me with hoisin sauce?" I've seen cherubic cows, eyeing their brethren, a gleam in their eyes, licking their lips in anticipation.

If animals were bred to be sentient AND had a desire to be eaten by humans (seriously, like a life-long dream), would you continue eating meat?
If you already don't eat meat, would this encourage you to try it or would you disagree more?

Again, I am only curious about whether you would eat sentient animals, let's not talk about the merits of eating animals as they are now.

That is interesting. Korea, since the 1950s, or when the American diet came over was primarily a vegetarian society (they used meat as condiments if they could afford the meat or fish).

I recently switched to a plant based, whole foods diet (I do fail once in a while) but I am trying. I switched for health reasons but I recently learned about the Paleo diet that says evolutionary dietary life is great, so I don't hate meat so much if you can kill the animal, but I know I cannot so I my thoughts on vegan is still intact. I know however, that when I visit my family over holidays, there will be some form of meat.

So no, I will not eat a sentient animal (cartoon or otherwise). I do however, am not a purist (I think you got that), but I am trying. I won't buy leather but I won't throw away my leather shoes or belt. I will no longer support meat plants that slaughter their animals in a cruel fashion.

For those that do eat meat, they should watch this movie (unless they kill their own meat). http://www.documentarywire.com/earthlings

But then again, Americans just adore a rat--Mickey Mouse so who knows, right?

elizwelshman

myfitnesspal does not have a "smiley" to represent the look on my face. :laugh:
Definitely made my day, I like interesting questions!

Never thought about it to be honest. I've seen signs like that also, but never put that much depth of thought into if the animal really really REALLY wanted me to eat it. I guess if it's okay with animal I'll go ahead and bbq it then? ::shrugs:: Guess I would have to experience an animal saying "Eat Me!" to give you an accurate response of how I feel about it.
I'm going to ask my friends that question just to see their reactions.

@emma1488
Oh and the tv show about the man who ate another man... completely and utterly bizarre. Definitely creepy. :indifferent:

TropicalKitty

I sing songs to the cows as we pass them on the highway about how yummy they are. So I don't think that a cartoon is going to change that - Chik Fil A uses those cows to try to convince us to eat their chicken.

I'll take my chicken with a side of cow please.

I already think that animals have personalities and all that good stuff. They taste good, they are food. So I wouldn't be deterred.

Lyadeia

But then again, Americans just adore a rat--Mickey Mouse so who knows, right?

How dare you call Mickey a rat?

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

TropicalKitty

But then again, Americans just adore a rat--Mickey Mouse so who knows, right?

How dare you call Mickey a rat?

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Yeah! Mickey is a MOUSE, not a rat.

Edit: I'm blonde so I had to put the clairfication. And it's almost 1am.

emma1488

Just to clarify, aren't animals sentient anyway?

DorkothyParker

Just to clarify, aren't animals sentient anyway?

There is observational evidence that suggests this is so, but it could just be human projecting and anthropomorphism. I don't believe there is any way of testing it currently.

In any case, I guess I mean "sentient" in the way Star Trek would mean sentient life. I mean, beings that are conscious of their own existence past the point of mere survival and biological needs.

To answer my own question, I think it would take some getting used to, and I might feel bad thinking that the animals have just been socially trained to believe their lives are worth less, but I would probably decide it's best not to think about. I really love meat. I wouldn't eat a sentient animal that didn't want to be eaten, though. That's just rude.

Blackthorne99

Just to clarify, aren't animals sentient anyway?

That's what I was thinking. Sentient means having a conscious mind. Animals are sentient; plants may or may not be.

And yes - I would still consume them. I follow the rules of the animal kingdom. I do not eat "self".

Hearts_2015

I watched that same show Emma. I don't know who was crazier the diner or the dinee. I think I kept a light on that night.

I think I'll do that tonight!! :noway: Keep a light on that is..:laugh:

bigfatbino

Yup. I'd cook 'em and eat 'em. No regrets, pass the BBQ sauce

Hearts_2015

But then again, Americans just adore a rat--Mickey Mouse so who knows, right?

How dare you call Mickey a rat?

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

:bigsmile:

koosdel

I only eat things that can be cooked, unless they taste better raw. I try not to discriminate.

asunshinec

I have to force myself not to think about it. I'm a total meat eater, but I'm also an animal lover. I have to separate the two in my own mind. Meat that comes in a package from the store is much easier to eat because I can force myself to believe that it's JUST meat - it didn't have friends or a family. lol I can't bring myself to eat meat that appears as it did in nature - whole fish, for example.

It poses quite an issue for me when I walk into a BBQ restaurant craving a steak, and they seat us right under a giant, stuffed cow head. ?!?! I don't want those crazy eyes watchin' me while I dig in to what could have been his cousin!

It's hard enough eating M&Ms without thinking of their silly faces on the commercials! ;o)

whitejessamine

Yeah, no. Creepy-weird. One of my dad's novels has sentient cows that want to be eaten. I always found the concept very off-putting. I would be thrilled if bacon grew on trees instead of pigs.

tuneses

There was a Chinese restaurant by my old place and it's logo was a wok with animals sticking out with big smiles. I dont remember what the restaurant is called but me and the hubs called it Happy Burning Animals. We still ate there. :P

suzycreamcheese

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1nxaQhsaaw

phinners

Yup. I'd cook 'em and eat 'em. No regrets, pass the BBQ sauce

Yup, we he says ^

skinnyminimoni

First off, this is the hardest I've probably ever thought before 7:30 AM.

I would probably still eat them if their purpose in life was to be eaten. They would be fulfilling their duty to the universe, right?

On another note, Hindus would have a ball with sentient cows.

skinnyminimoni

argh, double post sorry >.>

TheGoktor

I don't eat sentient animals, full stop. But if my life depended on it, I would. Fortunately I have the luxury of living in a wealthy country where I have a choice of what to eat!

LorinaLynn

I typically only buy and cook meat that no longer resembles the animal it once was, like boneless skinless chicken breasts, but that's mostly because it seems wasteful to buy the bones and skin and dark meat when I won't be using it.

I thought it would bother me to eat from a whole pig at a luau, but it didn't. I did, however, fashion a blindfold out of a napkin to cover the piggie's eyes because it did bother some of the other party guests. "I can't eat him! He's LOOKING at me!"

Circle of life. Cats feel no guilt over eating mice or birds. Dog have no qualms about rabbits they might catch. Dogs also have no qualms about rolling in dead fish, though, so they might not be the best example on how to live a good life.