In Kansas City, some raccoon fur trappers are making a second killing off
raccoon meat. One coon, which feeds four to five, goes for anywhere between $3 and $7. And while the game isn't USDA inspected, some scientists are saying it's one of the healthiest meats to eat.
Have you ever eaten raccoon meat? Do you think the practice of eating raccoons should be considered any differently from eating other game, like squab or elk?
Vivienne Westwood
Mexx
Single Dress
no way! this just sounds wrong!
1I've had squirrel, rabbit, deer, etc. before, so I'm sure raccoon meat can't be all that different. As long as it's farm raised or something...wild coons eat garbage and all sorts of other crap.
2Yeah, let's make factory farms with raccoons too. They struggle so much, it would be difficult to get them to hang upside down in their leg shackles and be successfully knocked out in the electricity bath. I can't imagine what they'd have to do to slaughter these poor things. If COWS struggle enough to still be alive come skinning time, it would be about a hundred times worse for raccoons.
People are sick.
3Maybe Pizza Hut could put some raccoon sausage on their "All natural" pizza!
4Mmm rabies!
5total violation of my cute food rule
6More than likely I would not eat raccoon or coon as its affectionately called.
Why? Because a baby raccoon could kick my ass in a fair fight.I tired to eat only things that I can beat in a fair fight. Mano a Hoof or Mano a claw.
Nah, truly raccoons are evil cleaver buggers and they probably could smell it on your breathe if you ate their Cousin Bob and they probably wouldn't hesitate to break into your house and show you their displeasure at you eating their Cousin who still owed them $20.
7sick.
8I'm guessing foxie is a hard core vego.
9I'd try it, maybe once.
Obviously. Usually those of us who are educated in slaughter/factory farm practices become veg. Weird.
10I'm not afraid of trying new foods or anything ... but raccoon? A little more hillbilly than I can handle.
11One person said that they've tried us -- I'd be curious to know how it tasted.
Factory farm practices are sick -- and with a raccoon, you'd get so little meat from the little guy.
12"You have to admit that those raccoons in the picture are pretty darn cute," Party said to me. I have to agree. They are adorable!
13I'll eat anything deep-fried. Bring on the coons!
14I know what they eat and I am NOT consuming them as an entree, except as a last resort! Definite EWWWW factor.
15I'll stick with pizza. Thanks!
16no way i'm a vegetarian
17i probably wouldn't, no.
i mean, i don't even like pork or lamb (or duck, or goose, or veal, or venison, etc.), and i only eat beef about once a month. chicken maybe once a week.
i'm just not crazy about meat.
and yeah, raccoons are adorable. i have one who visits my patio every so often looking for cat food. i love watching him use his little "hands" to dig around in the empty flower pots.
18Eh...I'd probably try it but it wouldn't be my first choice. For example, if a steak and a raccoon were both on the menu, I wouldn't choose raccoon. They eat trash. And wackdoodle is right - they're pretty vicious.
19Never ever...
20People have been eating raccoon for ages.
People have been eating every kind of meat that exists for ages.
*shrug*
I do, however, worry about the rabies factor. It's common in raccoons.
21I've been there and done that. I can't do it now but I use to live on a farm and we hunted our own food and cooked it.
22no! i'll go with the no cute food rule cited above, lol. no deer, bunnies, duck, quail, that type of thing either.
lol, wackdoodle. funny!
23When my boyfriend pulled into my driveway to drop me off after our second date, we found two raccoons eating out of my garbage that they've knocked over.
and rabies ??
24I do try not to judge others however after the fact that so many voted "maybe" and the comments made... ugh, makes you wonder about others. Also, those that said "well if the raccoon was farm raised..." Watch a video on how "kind" they treat farm raised animals. Poor little creatures. Obviously I voted no.
25"Mmmm rabies" cracked me up! I saw a racoon eating dumped baby diapers once. Gross.
I wouldn't eat it but I don't eat meat.
26Educated. I've watched the "videos" of slaughterhouses. Moreover I've been to slaughterhouses for pigs, cattle and chickens. My mother used to actually get our meat at a butcher who resided at the slaughterhouse. I always went with my mom. I watched the butcher slit a cows throat and then watched him butcher the cow and give my mom the cut of beef that she requested. Then I went home with my mom and ate the meal that she cooked.
I still eat meat - because I do not personify other creatures. Personally, I love cows. I find them adorable, docile and just the sweetest things ever. I hope to one day have my own Holstein as a companion. However, I also enjoy dining on beef.
My perspective is given a chance and more evolution on their part we may be the ones in the slaughterhouses being served up by cows.
I was far more grossed out watching this female chef in an Moroccan restaurant stir and fluff my cous cous with her dirty bare hand after she had cleared another table of their dirty dishes and wipe the sweat from her nose. That I found beyond disgusting.
One animal killing another - nature. I am an animal. I am an omnivore because because biologically I evolved that way those who are herbivores are herbivores by choice. And many herbivores have superiority complexes and believe themselves to be better than other animals IMO.
27My only concern would be about eating a potentially rabid animal.
28No. Just, no.
29No. It would just remind me of road kill cafe.lol.
But Wack, I'm with you on that one (the animals eat animals theory). After all, how much does PETA complain about the poor little kitties eating cat food that is mostly meat?
30I'm a vegetarian, so no way! But even if I did eat meat, I don't think I could eat a raccoon -- and I consider myself adventurous!
31Hard to evolve when you're being kept in a slatted-floor cage that's filled with your excrement. Sounds like you and your mother used to go to family farms. That's not at all the same as a factory farm.
And what is a "video"?
32UM HELL TO THE NO. I cannot even eat deer meat. Gross gross gross.
And for the record, I do not at all think raccoons are cute! eeeuwwww.
33The thought of it turns my stomach.
34There is a HUGE difference between a farm and a factory farm. I used to be vegetarian (11 years, 2 of which was vegan). I recently started eating meat again for my own reasons and will now only eat the humanely raised and slaughtered kind of animals that did in fact live out there lives in open spaces, pastured fields and clean, fresh, natural foods. I will NOT eat meat that comes from factory/industrial "farms" (if you can even call them that). So I do take some offense at people who assume all kinds of things about people who make different choices than others. Not all meat eaters are uneducated (because yes, I've seen and read about it all too). And to be extra sure, YES I am totally and utterly against factory farms (and don't mind paying top prices for quality).
35And to answer the poll: Yeah, I'd probably try it once at least. Assuming its from a safe and reliable source (that uses humane practices).
36I never use absolutes, if you were referring to me.
37I'd like to add that just because an animal is raised on a family farm and let outside does NOT necessarily mean that it doesn't go to the very same slaughterhouse that every other animal goes to. Plenty of family farms kill their animals using the same unreliable, painful processes. It really requires some research to make sure your meat is... ahem... "humane."
38I am educated in factory/slaughter farm information, its why I either buy locally, or kill it myself.
I have eaten raccoon, its okay. I dont go after it to hunt.
39Well, yes again. I know my local farmers. Most have their whole slaughter houses because they don't slaughter so many animals daily that it would make driving all the way to a big slaughter house feasible (as well, most farmers I spoke with don't like to make their animals travel so much because it stresses them out so they do it locally.) Most farmers I know only process a few animals a day which is why prices are higher, but quality is still better. For me as the consumer and the animals themselves. Quick slaughter ensures less stressed and unhappy animals (meaning not alive for the skinning and other things) and cleaner meat (less chance of things leaking or getting into places they shouldn't).
I only made that comment about a big difference between factory farms and family owned because even though another commenter said local butcher (not even discussing the farm, but rather the slaughter house) you still discussed it as a factory farm (slatted concrete floors and such) and I want to make sure people know the difference. I've personally had PETA reps (and a long list of other animal rights groups) tell me that family farms do not exist in today's society and that they are lies (after asking about eating something humanely raised). Then I read some books and met with some local farmers at my Greenmarket and made my own choices.
No disrepect was intended in my comments and I apologize if you felt any. Everyone has a right to their own choices, vegetarian or omnivore.
40Smacks83, very well put! Kudos.
41I meant to say "most have their OWN slaughter houses" not their "whole". Typo!
And foxie, I agree that everything requires more research and highly encourage it for anything and especially anything as important as what goes into (or what doesn't go into) ones body. But your "ahem" really just comes off as a superiority complex.
42Weird. There's a squirrel-eating trend going on in the UK, too. Hmm...
43Em1282... I've been reading about that too. I wonder what sparked it off? That would be really interesting to find out. Like did some big-time chef one day put something made with squirrel out and everyone else was just like, "Sure, why not?"
Hmm, I wonder.
44It's not superiority, just that I almost want to laugh/cry when people suggest that there is a humane slaughter. Less-ugly-painful-sad slaughter? Sure. But humane? Not so, in my opinion. I doubt the animals would think so either.
45I commend you for researching where you get your animal foods, that's certainly more than the vast majority of people can say. While ultimately I disagree with the choice to eat meat, I am willing to give credit where credit is due.
All I can think of is that episode of It's Always Sunny where Sweet Dee and Charlie eats raccoon meat and ends up getting a parasite which makes them humgry all the time. The episode is hilarious but I wouldn't want that to happen to me in real life!
46Can't eat racoon. I had a traumatic experience with one as a child.
47But, my husband would be all over it. He loves trying new stuff.
I choose the kosher approach on this one...
48Soulight - I LOVE that episode of Sunny! I should watch that again.
49Soul- That was so freaking funny when they went to the morgue and were deciding which guy to eat!
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