Why is it that we have to rename land-bound animals when we eat them? You don't eat a cow, you eat beef. You don't eat a pig, you have pork. Sheep become mutton when we eat 'em. Tortured baby cow? Not when it's on the plate - then it's veal.
This doesn't happen for birds. Chicken are chicken no matter if they are on the plate or in the coop. Same with turkeys, duck, geese, and the rest of them. Fish too - perch stay perch and a humuhumunukunukuapua`a stays a humuhumunukunukuapua`a. We don't suddenly call shark flesh by some new moniker just before we eat it.
Now that I think about it though, it's not every land animal. Bedouins eat camel, Argentinians enjoy llama and the tribes of the steppes never ever let horse go to waste. It's only the traditional western feedstocks that get renamed when they become food. Why is that?
1
You forgot about Dolphins - sad to say is Mahi Mahi.
Posted by: Tiffani at March 04, 2004 09:08 AM (xpNFK)
2
Fear not, Tiffani. Mahi Mahi is
Dolfin, not dolphin. It's an actual fish.
Posted by: Jim at March 04, 2004 09:17 AM (IOwam)
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Chicken is neither land-bound nor traditional western feedstock?
And it's an *adult* sheep that becomes mutton; baby sheep remain 'lamb' when eaten.
Posted by: Victor at March 04, 2004 09:46 AM (L3qPK)
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I just realized something else: Anything becomes 'dinner' (or lunch, or breakfast) when eaten.
There! I've run rings 'round you logically!
Posted by: Victor at March 04, 2004 09:48 AM (L3qPK)
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Chicken's a bird and is only land bound 'cause we bred them to be that way.
Good point with the lamb though. I think that goes with the Biblical exception - lamb, oxen and camel remain lamb, oxen and camel when eaten.
Almost forgot deer becoming venison! How did that one slip by?
Not everything becomes dinner, ya know. Sometimes it's breakfast or lunch. Or brunch. Or elevensies. Or second lunch. Or snack.
Posted by: Jim at March 04, 2004 09:52 AM (IOwam)
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Jim - give yourself a Snooze Point for the Hobbit reference :-)
Posted by: Harvey at March 04, 2004 11:46 AM (tJfh1)
Posted by: Jim at March 04, 2004 12:37 PM (IOwam)
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This is another case where you can blame the French. The food name comes from the French name for the aminal it comes from. Or from latin in the case of pork (porcine anyone?) Thats not to say all French are bad, there are probably some ex-pats that are ok.
Posted by: Tommy at March 04, 2004 01:37 PM (MhJXW)
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By Jove I think he's got it! Ox=boeuf, sheep=mouton, pig=porc.
Why only the landbound mammals, though? And why only when we're eating them?
Posted by: Jim at March 04, 2004 01:46 PM (IOwam)
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Actually, it's a fascinating piece of history. The names for the eaten form of barnyard animals are Norman French in origin, while their "live" monikers are derived from their Saxon names. After the Conquest, take a wild guess as to who was tending them and who was eating them.
This extends to birds, btw. Think of "poultry" dishes.
Posted by: Robert the Llama Butcher at March 04, 2004 03:02 PM (XQmyz)
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