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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| You'd be right to smell a rat about Venezuela's favourite 'fish' dish |
| 2007-04-01 |
| AS DUSK fell on the tropical wetland crawling with iguanas and small crocodilian caimans, Jose Ismael Jimenez pointed his harpoon at a rodent about the size of a Labrador retriever. With aim that comes from years of hunting, he landed his spear on the back of its head. Good grief... But this hunt was not about ridding the country's southern plains of vermin. It was about what's for dinner. I think I'll stop right there, thank you. More at link... |
| Posted by:Dave D. |
| #5 Squirrels and rabbits are also rodents, and lots of people eat them. Uuummmm, squirrel gumbo! |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-04-01 23:28 |
| #4 Squirrels and rabbits are also rodents, and lots of people eat them. Uuummmm, squirrel gumbo! |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-04-01 23:22 |
| #3 emmmm! capybara emmmmm! |
| Posted by: mhw 2007-04-01 18:22 |
| #2 Bah. If I want rats the size of Labrador retrievers I'll hang out in the Philly subway system. |
| Posted by: Jonathan 2007-04-01 12:40 |
| #1 Unlike other South American countries, including Argentina and Brazil, where capybaras are raised mainly for their hides, in Venezuela the rodent's meat is a delicacy, fetching prices almost double those for beef. Shows what they know. No rat steaks for me, thank you. That may have something to do with the taste of salted capybara - it resembles a mixture of sardines and pork - and the fact that the animal spends much of its time in the water. "High in omega-3 acids!" "Less filling!" "We're conditioned poorly to think of rodents as rats in sewers and such things," Well, yes, at 140 pounds or not, theyÂ’re still rodents. Capybara aficionados include President Hugo Chavez CANNIBAL!!! Â… never mind that capybaras have some unusual habits, such as eating their own faeces, and that the method used to kill them usually involves clubbing the animal's head. Yoo hoo, Hugo, weÂ’re looking at you! "Capybara is an exquisite meat that deserves prominent status." Unlike Mr. Chavez. The hunt also poses risks for the hunters: piranhas and small caimans swim in the same waters. And adult capybaras are known to bite when threatened. Just as with Chavez, IÂ’ll worry more about the piranhas and caimans, thank you. "Capybara is a product with a bright future ahead of it." Unlike Hugo Chavez. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-04-01 01:23 |