Cats, dogs, bears, owls, weasels. Most of them could seriously injure/kill an average human with minor difficulty and yet we find them adorable?
Does not compute.
Cats, dogs, bears, owls, weasels. Most of them could seriously injure/kill an average human with minor difficulty and yet we find them adorable?
Does not compute.
You just listed a bunch of mammals, not a representative sample of predators. You think lobsters and spiders are cuter than cuter than deer and koalas?
edit: oops, 4 mammals and a bird
Jumping spiders are kinda cute.
Owls are not mammals. Also many people think certain spiders are cute and same with many lizards and amphibians.
Frogs are cute, jumping spiders are cute, geckos are cute. They’re all predators but they’re still cute
Good point.
Which raises another paradox: attractive does not seem to be a proxy for appetizing.
At least for most people. Personally I find lobsters creepy as hell and would never even touch one much less eat it.
Spiders of the sea. Crabs too. I wouldn’t want to touch one that wasn’t cooked.
Although I find the comparison discomforting to think about, the sea spiders both go well with butter and are generally regarded as delicious.
That introduces the question: if there were a land spider large enough to nullify the risk/reward/deliciousness equation, would I give it a try? My gut answer is no, but I think the realistic answer is, “I’ll wait and see what my fellow apes do with it first. If they have any good recipes, probably yes.”
Fascinating subject. I seem to be out of the ordinary here. To me it is completely unignorable that crustaceans are arthropods, i.e., close cousins of insects and spiders, which I would never be able to eat. Ergo, I find the idea of eating crabs and lobsters and shrimps just as gross as the idea of eating tarantulas and would never touch any of them.
Similarly, it is completely obvious to me that rats and mice are close cousins of hamsters and squirrels. Hence I find them all equally cute and cuddly.
My guess is that my mind is abnormally literal. In other words I’m probably a bit autistic. Most people are just more socially conditioned than me. Waiting to see what their fellow apes do first, as you put it.
What’s funny is that I also think I’m on the spectrum.
And to continue the conversation - my husband and I have been talking about visiting a South American country this summer where roasted guinea pig is on the menu. I honestly think I could give it a try even though I try to save any mice that my cats corner.
Food choices are both weird and personal. I’ll always respect that.
Think of it as a small rabbit rather than a large mouse!
Not many eat rabbits these days, but it’s long been thought of as human food compared to most other rodents.
Yeah I could eat guinea pig. At a pinch.
I read once that all mammal flesh is roughly indistinguishable in texture and taste. Yes, including humans. Chimps think nothing of chowing on monkeys. The reality is that we’re all extremely close cousins.
It’s basically all just culture, as you say. Enjoy your guinea-pig stew.