Restaurant Offers Lion Meat Tacos

I really am sick of "Neat-o-rama" thinking things like this are neat. They are not. They are sick. Humans are not endangered so why can't we eat them? I think animals are allot more humane than human beings. Humans are more animal then any other living thing on this planet.

@Ihatejesushahahaha

How then would you define something that's ok to eat and something that isn't?

I think lion meat is disgusting, but at least I'm honest enough to admit that it's only because I've been exposed to the idea that things we already eat are "ok" and things we don't, aren't.

Neatorama is about weird, cool and interesting things. just because you disagree with what is being shown currently does not mean that it is not interesting. certainly the only reason you appose this is because you just learned about it on Neatorama! Is learning not the coolest?!?!?

"According to the Food and Drug Administration, lion and other game meat can be sold as long as the species isn’t endangered."

...yet.

jermH,

There is a very clear distinction between meats that are "right" for us to eat as humans and meats that aren't. Eating carnivores is NOT okay. Eating herbivores IS okay. Humans eating carnivores is very close to cannibalism. It has more to do with biology (food chains & the digestive system) than it has to do with psychology.

Lions are endangered, they are listed as vulnerable, anything less than vulnerable is not endangered. I just find it silly that people feel the need to kill and endangered animal because they feel like making food out of it regardless of how many animals we already cultivate. What I find disgusting is that they more than likely received this lion meat from a person who unnecessarily houses multiple big cats and wild animals in very poor conditions, which is a large problem in the western united states. Many people have been hurt and killed from this type of activity but it is still legal in some states; it's controversial.

Here is some further information about what I was talking about with diet:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomagnification

& Randi, I completely agree with you. It's sick. I mean, ideally we'd all be vegetarians, but whether that happens or not we COULD avoid eating the animals we don't "need" to eat. What do we benefit from eating a lion? "I ate a lion"? That's it? People are really stupid. And those animals - they're not objects. I hope a lion ends up eating the person who decided to sell lion meat as a delicacy.

I feel as though i also need to throw this out. people are freaking out over a lion, while you would not think so much as swatting a mosquito. Did you know that Mosquitos are one of the only polinators of the taundra? They actually serve a purpose. I think for many individuals the reason they feel this way about this is that a lion is A. not normal food and B. it is cute and fuzzy. It also depends vastly on where you are from. just remember that while you can throw your opinions out into the open, you cannot force it down throats. swollowing is volentary :D

It seems like a really impractical thing to do for a kick.

Headbanger - it's "voluntary"

Nuts - I agree. They aren't endangered currently. Most endagered species become endangered due to hunting & trade. The lion population could well be on its way, due to taco consumption.

Man, you guys are trippin'. If you're not a vegetarian, you will never convince me that this isn't anymore right than eating other meat. As if this kind of stuff isn't happening in other parts of the world on a daily basis and is perfectly part of the norm, geez.

Besides, I guess I'll try anything once...

Lol @ all the drama

I remember when Bison meat was considered exotic. Now you find it in every grocery store.
I'd be interested in finding out the actual source of the lion meat. I have a feeling some place is raising these so called exotic animals just far this type of purpose. Just like we raise cattle here in the states.
Go to India and try to find beef on the menu. Each culture has its own sources of meat. Lion just happens to be weird here in the states.

On a culinary point of view, I find this awful.
If one gives you the opportunity to eat exotic meat, you should eat it with as little preparation as needed. Medium rare grilled lion steak, simple roast, etc...
What would you be able to taste in a taco ?! Certainly not the real taste of the meat.
But I guess it's a trick to hide the fact that lion meat is, in fact, uninteresting on a cooking point of view.

When I checked this morning, America was still a free nation - though it is changing rapidly. Lion-eaters, eat some lion. Non-lion-eaters, don't. If you're worried about the living conditions of the lions, please visit a veal or chicken farm and check out those conditions. Yet people eat lots of veal and chicken. Some of these folks deplore hunting. If you don't hunt, you must either buy meat or go veggie. We were designed to eat meat, though. If you don't want to eat meat certainly you don't have to.

Worst Caturday story ever :(

You owe us four cute videos, a hero cat story and an Ape Lad comic in the upcoming month to repent

I find it a bit strange, but then again I find eating deer & rabbit strange as well and those 2 animals are on a lot of folks' menus.
At least they're using the meat instead of letting it go to waste?

Idil,

You're right about biomagification, but eating carnivores is ok as long as you avoid the toxic concentrations of vitamin A in the carnivore's liver.

Where'd you get the idea that eating carvnivores is like cannibalism? Man, that was dumb. We eat pigs all the time- pigs are frequently used as models in GI and heart medical research because their hearts and digestive system is nearly identical to that of a human's. And on top of all that, they're omnivores, just like humans. Are we cannibals when we eat pigs?

The real reason people typically don't eat carnivores is because they're too expensive to farm economically. In some countries people eat dogs, though. Westerners find this practice vile, but it's certainly not cannibalism.

Maybe someone over-reacted, but it's still pretty disgusting. Why? It's not well regulated. It reminds me of puppy mills, people who grow animals for pet stores. This only provides an market for people who will treat the lions horribly in order to produce as many as possible for consumption.

meat industry's got enough problems without adding another species just to gratify some "I ate a lion" ego trip.

Ihatejesushahahaha wrote: "I think animals are allot more humane than human beings. Humans are more animal then any other living thing on this planet."

Lolers. You know that lions occasionally eat their own cubs, right?

I wish to take the side that was bashed in the comments section that wasn't brought up in the article. Ahem, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH CABBUBALISM?! It is a practice that serves/served many groups for many years with no real downside.

Lions sometimes eat their own cubs and when a lion takes over a pride, he goes through and kills all of the little cubs left over from the previous leader of the pride. Sounds nice, huh?

But anyway, being on the menu is probably the best thing to happen to lions as a species in a long time. Should it be successful, their numbers will probably increase dramatically and more attention will be given to their conservation in Africa.

The lion IS endangered. This should be illegal. It has nothing to do with the idea of eating lion; it has to do with the fact that if this kind of poaching is allowed to be legal, then soon there will not be any more lions. Big cats are apex predators and beautiful creatures, and almost all of them are endangered or already extinct. If we allow this to happen, there will not be any more big cats left in the world, and that is quite a bleak future.

Speaking of which, I'm getting hungry.

Having eaten dog at one point in my life, lion just does not sound like it will taste good at all. Probably very string-ey, which is why they chose to put it into something as pedestrian as tacos.

Lol @ the drama +1

Wow! These posts really bring out the kooks, eh!!
Cannibalism? Wrong to eat carnivores??? Psych-ward much?

-Well try this on for size: PLANTS HAVE FEELINGS, TOO!
Think about that the next time you kill a spider plant that could have jump-started your car from 10 yards away if it liked you well enough!

-
anyway:
@Frau: Agreed. Lulz at the eco-mentalist drama.

I thought the idea of the Carnivores Club, or whatever it was in the movie, "The Freshman" was kinda fun.

But God; it's a free country. I wouldn't eat Lion b/c it seems too much a disservice to a majestic-looking animal. *But if you guys want to, and it's legal, knock yourselves out! It's your life; make your own choices.

@Scotchdrnkr: Exactly. The meat is nothing unless you know its provenance. Without some kind of known-good source/habitat or food-safety methodology, you've got nothing.

-
Question: If anyone's still here in the comments, what kind of exotic game meat have you tried? -I had Bison once or 2x. Not sure if I had Alligator.

to: Will L
Question: If anyone's still here in the comments, what kind of exotic game meat have you tried? -I had Bison once or 2x. Not sure if I had Alligator.

Depends on what you call exotic:
Bison, Rabbit, Squirrel, Elk, Deer, Bear, Snake, Opossum, Raccoon, Frog, Alligator, Shark, Pigeon, Quail to name a few.
Needless to say I'll try just about anything once.
But I have to agree with the person that mentioned using Lion as Taco filling kind of defeats the purpose of trying the meat. If your going to try something new. Try eating it in a manner using it like a person whom doesn't consider it an exotic ingredient.
And very few of the above list taste like chicken.

How much for a liger taco? I will gladly accept tigon meat if they are out of liger.

Some more info on lion meat tacos can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRYfCxyTSD4

After I have my liger taco I'm heading to Minnesota for some bearBQ.

Sigh. It is Tucson, not Tuscon. It isn't like we haven't been in the news lately.

This is wrong. Everyone knows it. Period.

who ever decides to eat lion meat burn in hell, how can someone justify eating lion meat?? a majestic beautiful creature.