This is a photo of a horse-butcher’s shop in Fontenay-le-Comte. I simply had to take a photo. Monsieur didn’t get it, but he didn’t grow up in a country where eating horse would be like eating the family dog. Kiwis just wouldn’t ever consider it. Because of that, for me, seeing horse butchers is half novelty and half horror. Thank heavens I can’t eat red meat. Now I’ll never have to consider eating Black Beauty’s cousins.
At our Christmas party last year, an Italian colleague explained to us what horse meat tastes like. She thoroughly enjoys eating horse and waxed lyrical about her favourite horse preparation methods. Meanwhile, a strictly ethical vegetarian colleague gagged and had to excuse herself.
If you think eating horse is bad, I suggest you pop across to Epicurienne, where I’m currently discussing the more bizarre items to be found on a Vietnamese menu. Monsieur and I are in Vietnam right now, studiously avoiding the consumption of anything involving monkey, dog or snake meat. Wish us luck! The Vietnamese motto is “if you can catch it, you can eat it!” Does that include me?
I actually tend to enjoy horse. Though my favourite food is rabbit, which I love telling my students here in Korea just to see the look of horror on their faces.
I agree, rabbit is delicious when done well, but probably not good to tell kids what they’re eating if you make a bunny casserole. Have you told them you eat horse? If so, how did they react?!
One of my favourite restaurants in the world is “Le Lapin Sauté” in Quebec City. Almost everything they serve is rabbit-based. My favourite is glazed in a sauce made from maple syrup, served with small red potatoes, and carrots.
I have in fact told them I have eaten horse, as well as frogs, and snails, and all those other tasty things the French eat that seem to horrify others. Their reactions tend to be along the lines of “You ate WHAT?!”. Then again, I point out to them that while they think that it is an atrocity that I count their fuzzy bunnies as a favourite food of mine, that I find it repulsive that they count my beloved canines as one of theirs.