I really hope this is 1 food trend that doesnt take off

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first_time_piggie_mum

first_time_piggie_mum

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Working in the food industry I get to see what the new emerging trends are in food in terms of flavours and countries of popularity.

I read today that food from Peru is going to be an emerging trend this year :...

I hope this is not the case as the national dish of Peru is Pot Roast Guinea Pig....:)>>>

I ache to think of all the pigs that are going to be bred to end up on the menu of some fancy restaurant across the world.....disgusts me beyond belief.

it will be one trend that I will NOT be promoting in my job
 
Hopefully it won't take off.

The animals bred & eaten in South America are quite different to what we consider guinea pigs, but if there was a rise, unscrupulous people looking to make a quick quid or two would undoubtably just start breeding the domestic/pet variety.

Not good.
 
I can understand why people think eating animals we see as pets is disgusting (I for one would not want to eat a guinea pig).

But I always wonder why we find it acceptable to eat some animals and not others. It isnt really any different to breeding sheep, cows and pigs and them killing them for food. After all they are still animals that experience the same emotions as animals we keep as pets.

Please dont think I am trying to start an argument, I agree with your point I just find it strange that some people will happily eat sausages, roast chicken, beef etc and then be appalled at the thought of eating certain types of animals.

I doubt this is something that will start here, guinea pigs as classed as pets in this country so hopefully it will be unlikely

x
 
I totally agree with the above points, what concerns me is like whats been said - "unscrupulous people breeding to make a quick buck"

Its the whole "new foodie trend" thing that upsets me...

Food like sausages, burgers etc albeit it wrong in the eyes of non meat eaters, are things that will be eaten for years to come not some flash in the pan "Dish of the Season"

I know this is going to generate some passionate replies, so keep it nice people! :))
 
As a none meat eater myself, the thought of eating guinea pig or any animal disgusts me. However, I can also appreciate that for some people, eating a guinea pig would be now different to eating rabbit, chicken, turkey, pork, lamb and beef. At the end of the day, these animals are bread for meat so for some people, why should it be any different for guinea pigs?
 
Thats true, they don't usually have colours past brown because our pigs are bred the way they look. It'll be like having a pet rat and a pest controller killing a wild rat. Most people can seperate that... xx
 
claire8234 said:
I can understand why people think eating animals we see as pets is disgusting (I for one would not want to eat a guinea pig).

But I always wonder why we find it acceptable to eat some animals and not others. It isnt really any different to breeding sheep, cows and pigs and them killing them for food. After all they are still animals that experience the same emotions as animals we keep as pets.

Please dont think I am trying to start an argument, I agree with your point I just find it strange that some people will happily eat sausages, roast chicken, beef etc and then be appalled at the thought of eating certain types of animals.

I doubt this is something that will start here, guinea pigs as classed as pets in this country so hopefully it will be unlikely

x
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I understand this point of view I wont eat any animal, fish or derivative thereof. I think cows are beautiful creatures and so are sheep. Funny old world isnt it?
 
I personally believe, and practice that if an animal is raised happily and healthily, is provided with care and love and is killed humanly then i have no qualms with eating it. I will always practice this, the meat i eat is from a local farm (which also supports and gives work opportunities to young adults with down syndrome and other mental health issues) the animals aren't over bred, they are given a wonderful life with fields to roam, a warm comfy bed, people to clean and care for them. Okay so when i visit once a month, the butcher at the farm might only have pork or chicken this month but its because they dont raise their cattle and livestock to be a constant supply for the table.

I would eat any animal that has been raised this way, knowing that they have had a happy healthy life and in turn giving me a happy healthy life too.

I wont eat however animals that are bred in tiny cramped cages, their purpose in life is to eat, and keep eating so they can grow and be produced in a mass scale. I only eat meat once a week, and the rest of the time my food source comes from veggies, beans etc.

Anywhoos I'm straying from my point, in england our meat food source comes from, for example, cattle and its been a way to eat for many years and is seen as the norm.

However in other countires, cattle isn't found in 'their backgarden' so to speak, so over the years they have relied on other food sources such as guinea pigs, goat, deer, rabbit etc which is the norm to them, but alien to us.

:)
 
Btw....i dont think I'm trying to say i'd eat a guinea pig, i'd just personally prefer to stick to chicken as my meat option!
:)
 
The majority of food in Peru is not actually guinea pig. Mostly it is like Spanish and Mexican food. Guinea pigs are most commonly only eaten by the native people who live in the Andes. Japan allows whaling but very few of its people would actually eat whale, the same seems to be true of Peru and guinea pigs. Personally I would never go to the Andes simply because if someone offered me guinea pig I would feel bad if I refused their hospitality and bad if I ate it so best just to not go there.
 
One of my lecturers at university worked in Papua New Guinea for a while trying to improve the nutrition of mothers and children. They were looking for an easy to rear protein source that was small, robust and could live on vegetable scraps and grass. So they brought in guina pigs for the families to rear. Ideal - snall, easy to keep and pot sized for a family. Only problem was that they got so attached to them that they wouldn't kill them. 1-0 to guinea pig kind.

Disclaimer - this is how I remember the story from a few years ago and it may be apocryphal if not highly innacurate. :))
 
I can understand both sides of this argument and I cannot ever imagine me even considering eating guinea pig but then I also worry that I want to keep chickens for eggs and will that put me off eating chicken? I hope not :( Like someone said its eating what is locally available, England is prime for rearing cattle and poultry hence our large intake of beef, pork and chicken. My boyfriend is going to be working in Peru later this year so I think I will get him to investigate how readily available it is on the menu/in the shops. Personally I try to think if I would eat part of an animal I shouldn't be picky... to that end I will eat faggots but haven't the stomach to even try tripe
 
paulag said:
One of my lecturers at university worked in Papua New Guinea for a while trying to improve the nutrition of mothers and children. They were looking for an easy to rear protein source that was small, robust and could live on vegetable scraps and grass. So they brought in guina pigs for the families to rear. Ideal - snall, easy to keep and pot sized for a family. Only problem was that they got so attached to them that they wouldn't kill them. 1-0 to guinea pig kind.

Disclaimer - this is how I remember the story from a few years ago and it may be apocryphal if not highly innacurate. :))
Click to expand...

I think I had the same lecturer!
 
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