Here Comes Peter Cottontail...
They're a good source of protein. They don't take up much room. They're easy to raise, easy to breed, easy to butcher. They're delicious. And they're cute.
I'm talking about rabbits. Darling little fluffy bunnies.
And yes, I've eaten it, in Europe, in some sort of tasty stew. I haven't seen it much in the US - the occasional fancy-pants French restaurant will have it on the menu. But once upon a time, rabbits were a common food source here in the US, as recently as World War II. The meat fell out of favor but it could be making something of a comeback - Whole Foods has started selling whole butchered rabbits at certain stores.
As a meat source, rabbits make a lot of sense. They're better for the environment, as they require much less land and water than cattle; they're better for us health wise, rabbit meat is lean and low in cholesterol.
But there's a problem here for a lot of people, especially Americans. Bunnies are cute: they're soft and furry and they have those adorable little noses. They're one of the most popular pets in the country. And a lot of Americans are not too keen on the idea of eating them. A number of rabbit advocacy groups (37! There are at least 37 rabbit advocacy groups!) recently held a protest outside Whole Foods stores around the country,
I get that the idea of eating a pet makes people uncomfortable. People freaked out about the possibility of horse meat in their IKEA meatballs last year - not because horse meat isn't good (it is) but because we don't like the idea of eating horses (especially ones that have been secretly slipped into our meatballs). Same thing with dogs - almost everyone I know here is opposed to that idea, but they do eat dog meat overseas.
Here in the US? Well, we want pets and food to be completely separate from one another. We don't want to think too much about what we're eating or where it came from. And because we're so familiar with fluffy little bunnies, we don't like to find them on our dinner plates. But those same feelings don't apply to the cows, pigs and chickens that we happily gobble down.
Here's my thought - there's nothing that says you have to eat rabbit. People who want to eat it can eat it and the people who want to have pet bunnies can have pet bunnies. There might even be people out there who end up doing both - much like with backyard chickens. But it shouldn't be taken off the table. For those of us who want to continue eating meat, while also keeping the environment in mind, rabbit is a pretty good option, even if it is a cute one.
I'm talking about rabbits. Darling little fluffy bunnies.
And yes, I've eaten it, in Europe, in some sort of tasty stew. I haven't seen it much in the US - the occasional fancy-pants French restaurant will have it on the menu. But once upon a time, rabbits were a common food source here in the US, as recently as World War II. The meat fell out of favor but it could be making something of a comeback - Whole Foods has started selling whole butchered rabbits at certain stores.
As a meat source, rabbits make a lot of sense. They're better for the environment, as they require much less land and water than cattle; they're better for us health wise, rabbit meat is lean and low in cholesterol.
But there's a problem here for a lot of people, especially Americans. Bunnies are cute: they're soft and furry and they have those adorable little noses. They're one of the most popular pets in the country. And a lot of Americans are not too keen on the idea of eating them. A number of rabbit advocacy groups (37! There are at least 37 rabbit advocacy groups!) recently held a protest outside Whole Foods stores around the country,
I get that the idea of eating a pet makes people uncomfortable. People freaked out about the possibility of horse meat in their IKEA meatballs last year - not because horse meat isn't good (it is) but because we don't like the idea of eating horses (especially ones that have been secretly slipped into our meatballs). Same thing with dogs - almost everyone I know here is opposed to that idea, but they do eat dog meat overseas.
Here in the US? Well, we want pets and food to be completely separate from one another. We don't want to think too much about what we're eating or where it came from. And because we're so familiar with fluffy little bunnies, we don't like to find them on our dinner plates. But those same feelings don't apply to the cows, pigs and chickens that we happily gobble down.
Here's my thought - there's nothing that says you have to eat rabbit. People who want to eat it can eat it and the people who want to have pet bunnies can have pet bunnies. There might even be people out there who end up doing both - much like with backyard chickens. But it shouldn't be taken off the table. For those of us who want to continue eating meat, while also keeping the environment in mind, rabbit is a pretty good option, even if it is a cute one.