Horse meat - to settle an argument!!

[beachbum]

Back in the 1970s I lived in Cardiff, Wales when I was in my early to mid 20s. I rapidly became a curry fanatic - there were and probably still are some incredible BIR restaurants and I cut my teeth on Biryanis, Dopiazas etc, and having a Kenyan Indian student flatmate was a bonus - he was an ace cook.

Now in those days a typical menu would read "beef dopiaza, lamb dopiaza, chicken dopiaza, mushroom dopiaza, meat dopiaza" and so on through the variants. I always went the "meat" option because it was lovely and rich and, well, meaty. I asked a couple of waiters what meat it was and the general reply was "well it's not beef, it's not lamb...(trailing silence)....".

Aha. There used to be a huge Irish horse meat trade in those days, horse was definitely on the menu around the place and there wasn't anything illegal about it, in fact whenever I went to Europe on holiday, you could always tell the horse butcher because they would hang a sign with a horse's head outside.

People nowadays, when I mention it, reckon I'm being racist against South Asians, sort of alongside the myth that Chinese restaurants serve kidnapped cats.... however I'm adamant that I ate and enjoyed horse meat curries back in those days.

Anyone on this forum old enough to remember those days?

[Les]

Hi beachbum
I was born in barbarian country (Scotland) and yes I can remember one of our butchers selling horse meat, (50s/60s) Although I have never eaten it myself, we used to buy it for our dog's, and some of the villagers used to make a stew out of it, Curry's I don't know about, But it wouldn't supprise me one little bit, But boy does it stink when you boil it ;D

Les

[Peripatetic Phil]

Hi beachbum
I was born in barbarian country (Scotland) and yes I can remember one of our butchers selling horse meat, (50s/60s) Although I have never eaten it myself, we used to buy it for our dog's, and some of the villagers used to make a stew out of it, Curry's I don't know about, But it wouldn't supprise me one little bit, But boy does it stink when you boil it ;D

Are you /sure/ that was horse meat, Les ?  50s/60s, meat for dogs, stinks when you boil it, all bring back memories of whalemeat to me (I am now ashamed to admit that we used to feed whalemeat to our cat).  And going vaguely off-topic, I don't think it is racist to recognise and accept that stray dogs are indeed rounded up and sold to restaurants in China, Viet Nam, Korea, etc., -- I feel sick to the stomach when I see video footage of those poor creatures being carried by the neck in iron tongs.  I don't /know/ that cats are also abused in this way, but on the basis of my wife's assertion that "we eat anything that moves, and most things that don't", it seems more than possible.

[Les]

Are you /sure/ that was horse meat, Les ?  50s/60s, meat for dogs, stinks when you boil it, all bring back memories of whalemeat to me (I am now ashamed to admit that we used to feed whalemeat to our cat).  And going vaguely off-topic, I don't think it is racist to recognise and accept that stray dogs are indeed rounded up and sold to restaurants in China, Viet Nam, Korea, etc., -- I feel sick to the stomach when I see video footage of those poor creatures being carried by the neck in iron tongs.  I don't /know/ that cats are also abused in this way, but on the basis of my wife's assertion that "we eat anything that moves, and most things that don't", it seems more than possible.

Positive Phil, definitely Horse Meat. Used to see the poor buggers going to the slaughter house,
I'm in total agreement with you as well on the dog issue, Being brought up with dog's all around the place, I love dog's, (All animals really) and I detest anybody that mistreats them, let alone cook and eat them, Watched a cooking programme not long ago on the food channel about Vietnam and in the market there was 3 or 4 skinned dog's on the stall, Really upset me, But it's there way of life and nothing will change that. Some people would probably call us hypocrites, because we do eat meat, but some things are just not done

Les

[ELW]

"we eat anything that moves, and most things that don't",

& "the only thing with 4 legs we don't eat is the table" was another I was quoted.
Couldn't agree more with your post here Phil(Cha006), It's a way of life I'm not comfortable with at all. Seeing the 'humane treatment' of cattle  in the Abbatoir in Glasgow was bad enough, but like most I will have lost the association by the time it gets to my plate. Some of the Chinese t'a's have a reputation of buying from poachers & there will be recurring warnings here about the trade of puppies brought from farms in Ireland in car boots, often suffering from illlness. I don't remember the horse meat trade, but I'd say it was seen as as common sense


Regards
ELW

[Aussie Mick]

I was born in '62, and I remember my dad talking about "The Knackers Yard" down the road. I'm sure most of you would recognise this name as a horse abbatoir.

There was also a glue works, which apparently used horse by-products (bones) in the manufacturing process. Now that place DID stinkl!!

[Stephen Lindsay]

will I ever knowingly eat horse meat? - neigh chance 

[naga dave]

 Dont know about horse meat but back in the 60's the Finchley Press reported the case of a waiter from a local Chinese appearing in court after being caught shooting street pigeons with an air rifle close to the restaurant early one morning. . . . !
                          D.