I guess everybody draws their own line somewhere. Only Vegans hold the real 'moral' high ground when it comes to food and animals. "Vegetarians" who don't want to harm animals, but who eat dairy products fail to understand that there is no difference between the dairy industry and the beef industry. Dairy cows who's production declines are not "put out to pasture". They are put into burgers. And dairy cows must give birth before they begin milk production. Those calves, veal.
I visited the Thrir Frakkar restaurant in Reykjavik specifically to eat whale [minke whale I believe]. My wife and kids were a bit put off at first, but they all tried it. I thought it was great, like beef with a mild marine character. The appetizer with that meal, puffin, served raw.
And of the smart creature issue, dogs are dumber than dirt compared to pigs, but here in the western world, dogs are off limits but pigs are a staple. Go figure.

Definitely a voting box. My fraternity had one. Used for voting on whether or not pledges would be admitted to the brotherhood. One black ball and the candidate would be, well, blackballed. This system ensured uniformity among the brotherhood, giving the each fraternity a unique character.