Walden Cabin: Observations typed on an old Underwood

Wednesday, January 07, 2004

Puss 'n Bowl
The world has gone mad. In North America its cows, in Asia, cats. So confusing. Now that the US has confirmed through DNA that their one case of bovine ensephalopy came from Canada, we can never be sure if they are talking about Sheila Copps when they complain about "that mad cow from Canada." Damn Americans! We love our Sheila for defending our culture (even though she's now spayed on the back bench), and Canadians are consuming more beef than ever. So there! But what's all this talk of civet cats? Forget Patches or Fluffy. Civet cats are definitely wild, cool things. Long-nosed and sleek, they'd tear the bell off surly Smudge.

The ancestors to our Western housepets were worshipped by the Egyptians, but the poor early civets were strangled in narrow cages and squeezed to release their "civet" from glands in their butts. The yellowy-brown pasty ooze was decidedly stinky, and was used as part of a cream on facial masks during the Bubonic plague to ward off the disease. Didn't work.

Tonight the civet cat is under attack! 10,000 will be put to death in China's Guandong province by Friday in an attempt to blunt the return of the SARS virus. The cat is connected with the plague, again! The Chinese civets are being locked in cages and dipped in vats of boiling insecticide until their flesh liquifies. No cuddles and needle for these feline friends. It's dunk and die. But the Chinese have no illusions about their cats. To criticise them would be somewhat hypocritical of us. Like our Bessies and Clara Bells, the civets were headed to the table anyway. Cat soup is a favourite food in Guandong Province. I wonder if they serve it at McDonald's there.

The UK Guardian says, "Civet cat soup is one of the main ingredients in the exotic wildlife dish "dragon-tiger-phoenix soup", for which wealthy Chinese in Guangdong province will pay large sums. The soup is flavoured with chrysanthemum petals and includes shreds of civet cat and snake."

I'll stick with steak, thanks. Moo.

>> Some Civet info:
Click here.

posted by Stuart Hickox | 7:52 PM