Eating animal food and other weird food.
By topffer
@topffer (42155)
France
November 6, 2015 7:47am CST
@boiboing started a funny discussion today about a shopping order of cat food and noodles. It remembered me a scientific article where the authors tested on 18 human guinea pigs "the palatibility of dog food"
.
I don't start many discussions, and I am trying to catch up with a multi-questions discussion
. The first question is : would you agree to do a blind test where you would have to eat animal food ? Remember : it is for science 
!
These people were served five different meat reduced in a mousse by a food processor and "garnished with parsley to enhance presentation"
. Among the 5 mousses, there was a canned turkey and chicken for puppies/active dogs. If 13/18 people gave the lowest rank to the dog food (the best rated was duck liver by 10/18), only 3/18 identified it as dog food, and they concluded that "although human beings do not enjoy eating dog food, they are also not able to distinguish its flavor profile from other meat-based products that are intended for human consumption."
Coming from economists I asked myself what is the purpose of this article ? Should we reduce in mousse dog food and send it in canned boxes to people starving as a gourmet mousse 
?
The introduction is also interesting : the food we eat is defined by our culture, and I have learned that lobsters, which are so expensive today, were used as fertilizers or slave food in 18th C North America
. Being French, I enjoy to eat snails and frogs' legs. The last question is : are you eating an uncommon meat in your culture ?
.
I don't start many discussions, and I am trying to catch up with a multi-questions discussion. The first question is : would you agree to do a blind test where you would have to eat animal food ? Remember : it is for science !
These people were served five different meat reduced in a mousse by a food processor and "garnished with parsley to enhance presentation". Among the 5 mousses, there was a canned turkey and chicken for puppies/active dogs. If 13/18 people gave the lowest rank to the dog food (the best rated was duck liver by 10/18), only 3/18 identified it as dog food, and they concluded that "although human beings do not enjoy eating dog food, they are also not able to distinguish its flavor profile from other meat-based products that are intended for human consumption."
Coming from economists I asked myself what is the purpose of this article ? Should we reduce in mousse dog food and send it in canned boxes to people starving as a gourmet mousse ?
The introduction is also interesting : the food we eat is defined by our culture, and I have learned that lobsters, which are so expensive today, were used as fertilizers or slave food in 18th C North America. Being French, I enjoy to eat snails and frogs' legs. The last question is : are you eating an uncommon meat in your culture ?
Can People Distinguish Pâté from Dog Food?John Bohannon, Robin Goldstein and Alexis Herschkowitsch
37 people like this
40 responses
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
7 Nov 15
frog legs...double battered 'n deep fried... sigh, wish i could still partake in such! these days i'm limited to chicken 'n turkey 's i continue to battle food sensitivities. so, i reckon to answer yer query, that'd be a no?
6 people like this
@topffer (42155)
• France
7 Nov 15
You cannot eat frogs any more ? It is a white meat like chicken and turkey, maybe you should give it a try again. I would not eat frogs everyday, but I enjoy them times to times.
You are the first one to present a medical certificate to not do the test
4 people like this
@topffer (42155)
• France
8 Nov 15
@crazyhorseladycx You are giving me the desire to eat frog legs
. I also use a bit of flour to prepare them (usually with butter, garlic and parsley). They would stick to the frying pan without flour if they are cooked with butter, but it is not sure if you cook them with oil.
. I also use a bit of flour to prepare them (usually with butter, garlic and parsley). They would stick to the frying pan without flour if they are cooked with butter, but it is not sure if you cook them with oil.3 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
8 Nov 15
@topffer there aint many frog legs in these parts 'n those ya find're battered in wheat flour...i've celiac disease 'n can't partake in such. but, if'n i e'er make it back to the hills, i'll be doin' me a bit 'f giggin' 'n batter me up some with prolly sorghum flour? 'n see how that treats the gut. now ya got me droolin' 'gain....happy?
3 people like this
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
6 Nov 15
Science Needs Sacrifice...
My belief on the questions is - many a times, they do not tell you what goes into those canned or packaged foods. And as long as you do not know, all sound yummily delicious. Then someone with a grudge against a product takes it to the lab, gets it tested and reveal that all this time you were eating laced stuff
My belief on the questions is - many a times, they do not tell you what goes into those canned or packaged foods. And as long as you do not know, all sound yummily delicious. Then someone with a grudge against a product takes it to the lab, gets it tested and reveal that all this time you were eating laced stuff6 people like this
@marguicha (224655)
• Chile
20 Nov 15
@topffer It seems we have to learn how to read labels.
4 people like this
@topffer (42155)
• France
20 Nov 15
@marguicha When I want to try something new I read the label carefully now.
.4 people like this
@topffer (42155)
• France
6 Nov 15
It is not easy when it comes to a pâté or a terrine. I remember to have bought when I was young and naive a terrine of pheasant with a splendid pheasant on the cover. It tasted like pork (My grandfather was a hunter and I know the taste of pheasant meat)
. I looked at the small print and read : "Pheasant (2%), Pork (98%)" for the meat
. Their pheasant terrine was made with one pheasant and one pork. Now I look first at the fine print. It is not always easy to detect. If one puts 20% of pork in a duck mousse, it will be difficult to find a pork taste...
. I looked at the small print and read : "Pheasant (2%), Pork (98%)" for the meat. Their pheasant terrine was made with one pheasant and one pork. Now I look first at the fine print. It is not always easy to detect. If one puts 20% of pork in a duck mousse, it will be difficult to find a pork taste...4 people like this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
6 Nov 15
I am quite sure that if you reduced dog food to the same consistency as paté, that I could not tell them apart, either. Which rather says more about the kinds of foods we hold as desirable only by reputation instead of flavor than it says about dog food. Besides, how many people have eaten dog food before and would know what it tastes like? There are too m any by-products in dog food that I would not eat, so no, I wouldn't sign up to taste test it.
5 people like this
@topffer (42155)
• France
6 Nov 15
There are a lot of different dog food canned boxes and the article does not tell if their choice was only made by hazard. The other meat products were pâté de campagne, duck liver mousse, liverwurst and spam : only duck and pork. A turkey/chicken meat has definitely not the same taste than a pork or duck mousse, and I am surprised that only 3/18 persons identified it as dog food !
Well, I believe I am not better than others and I would perhaps have made the same mistake. And I will eat dog food only if there is nothing else to eat, and I have to do it to survive.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (472433)
• Switzerland
6 Nov 15
I like frog legs, I like the taste of snails but they are very "slow" on my stomach. In Italy we eat tripes, but I know that also you do in France (tripes a la mode de Caen). As per dog and cat food I have to say that the smell is so disgusting that I do not care to know how is the taste.
5 people like this
@topffer (42155)
• France
6 Nov 15
The "tripes à la provençale" are probably not far from your Italian tripes (they are prepared with tomatoes, onions, olives, garlic, thyme, etc). I prefer them to tripes à la mode de Caen.
My cat would not authorize me to eat his canned boxes, and I agree that it does not smell good. The only animal food that I have tasted was powdered milk for baby goats. A goat is very difficult on its food, and they add vanilla into the powdered milk : it was not bad at all.
.4 people like this
@topffer (42155)
• France
6 Nov 15
I have to thank you to have started this discussion. Your response offers me the opportunity to give the link. I would have already given it if we were not limited to one link only when we start a discussion
.
.
Yesterday evening the delivery van brought my online grocery shopping order. It contained about £90 worth of cat food, 6 boxes of vegetarian stock cubes and 6...
2 people like this
@1hopefulman (45114)
• Canada
12 Nov 15
Only if I was starving and it looked and smelled appetizing. There are some things I wouldn't want to do unless I was desperate.
There are some things I wouldn't want to do unless I was desperate.3 people like this
@purplealabaster (22085)
• United States
14 Nov 15
Ummm ... no, I would not voluntarily eat dog food. On the other hand, some of the dog food that I have seen looks and smells better than some people's cooking, so perhaps it is not that bad of an idea for some.
4 people like this
@purplealabaster (22085)
• United States
14 Nov 15
@topffer 
I am still going with the fact that the food they normally eat is worse (there are some really bad cooks that I have seen), so the dog food was more palatable.
I am still going with the fact that the food they normally eat is worse (there are some really bad cooks that I have seen), so the dog food was more palatable.2 people like this
@41CombedaleRoad (5968)
• Greece
25 Nov 15
A can of dog food that looks and smells good would be so expensive that it would be cheaper to buy a tin of meat prepared for humans.
4 people like this
@much2say (56883)
• Los Angeles, California
8 Nov 15
How much would they pay me? 
I figure if it's a food study, they're not going to give me something that would make me sick (I think). So it would depend on how much they paid! 
It's only a taste, right? My sister tried dry dog food a couple times - ha ha.
I don't eat any meat pâté, so honestly I probably wouldn't know the difference either. Yes, why would economists have an interest in such a study? Should gourmet meat mousse that does not sell be relabeled and sold as dog food?
I don't think we eat any kind of meat out of the ordinary - although I did cook up some baby octopus the other night - that's probably not a common one!
I figure if it's a food study, they're not going to give me something that would make me sick (I think). So it would depend on how much they paid!
It's only a taste, right? My sister tried dry dog food a couple times - ha ha.
I don't eat any meat pâté, so honestly I probably wouldn't know the difference either. Yes, why would economists have an interest in such a study? Should gourmet meat mousse that does not sell be relabeled and sold as dog food?
I don't think we eat any kind of meat out of the ordinary - although I did cook up some baby octopus the other night - that's probably not a common one!3 people like this
@topffer (42155)
• France
8 Nov 15
Not sure they were paid, they probably did it for the sake of science. Anyways, if you do not eat pâté, you would probably have not qualified for that test.
I am asking myself if they do not relabel dog food as gourmet mousse times to times ? I bought some pâtés where you could ask the question.
Octopus
? I have eaten squids and cuttlefishes, but never an octopus. How do you cook them ?
. Anyways, if you do not eat pâté, you would probably have not qualified for that test.
I am asking myself if they do not relabel dog food as gourmet mousse times to times ? I bought some pâtés where you could ask the question.
Octopus? I have eaten squids and cuttlefishes, but never an octopus. How do you cook them ?3 people like this
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
7 Nov 15
I have eaten squid, rabbit, conger eel, etc., not ready for cat food yet though, pigeon yes - dog food no.
4 people like this
@topffer (42155)
• France
7 Nov 15
@arthurchappell Very nice. I have been to some Roman and Medieval dinners, but they never served pigeons.
3 people like this
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
7 Nov 15
@topffer pigeons - you can get them frozen in some supermarkets - we had them done as an authentic 17th century meal at a re-enactment show - very nice actually
3 people like this
@41CombedaleRoad (5968)
• Greece
25 Nov 15
I read an article once about a tramp who lived on dog food. He must have been desperate and his breath would have been terrible!
1 person likes this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
6 Nov 15
Eat animal food? No. Something feels off-key about it.
Eating weird food. Yes. I've eaten things like chicken feet, pig trotters, pig ears etc things considered very weird but normal in Asia.
3 people like this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
6 Nov 15
@topffer No it's not a lot of meat you can tuck into.
3 people like this
@dorianna (509)
• United States
13 Nov 15
I have eaten shark, squid, moose, elk, beef tongue, tripe, pigs feet & rabbit. None of these are particularly weird in some areas but many have put their nose up at me when I mentioned consuming some of these. I have eaten chocolate covered bugs as well. I have also eaten dog food, but quite by accident. I often make the same food as my own for my dog, except for the spices. Sometimes I will blend in some dog food into her portion. Having consumed all of mine the next day, I reached into the dog's to take a few bites forgetting she had dog food mixed in hers. It was bad tasting, just different.
With the diminishing quality to American food and the over abundance of dangerous additives, dog food might not be any less nourishing to the body, and the taste was not offensive.
@birjudanak (14320)
• India
13 Nov 15
@dorianna I am from india so I just eat eggs and chiken not other because I eat this thing hinding from my family because they are vegiterian. In our house not permission to eat nonveg
1 person likes this
@birjudanak (14320)
• India
13 Nov 15
How the test od rabbit becuse I have not eat ever but while watching show man vs wild bears eat it like yummy food and also look so nice.
1 person likes this
@dorianna (509)
• United States
13 Nov 15
@birjudanak When my kids were young and we lived in the country we bred rabbits for food. They were good eating. Did you actually eat a bear or it just looked yummy to you.
1 person likes this
@41CombedaleRoad (5968)
• Greece
25 Nov 15
There is a label on the tins of cat food that I buy, it says 'not fit for human consumption' - there must be a good reason for this and unless I know what is in that tin there is no way I am going to experiment with it.
2 people like this
@Sheilamarie78 (2586)
• Canada
26 Nov 15
I'd rather eat less meat than try the dog food. I don't think it's necessarily bad for us, but our stomachs are not the same as dogs' stomachs. I think I'd prefer to figure out better ways to serve local vegetables.
2 people like this
@shellyjaneo (1081)
• United Kingdom
16 Nov 15
I think I would have more of a problem eating meat in a mousse form than I would have eating dog food. I don't think this is scientific experiment I would be too keen to get involved in x
2 people like this
