We need to accept other customs and cultures
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (346488)
Rockingham, Australia
January 19, 2025 2:16am CST
I sort of promised to write about this but I hope it doesn’t upset too many. Remember, I’m just stating facts.
The fact is that, in Peru, guinea pigs are considered a delicacy. They are known there as ‘cuy’ and have been a part of Andean culture for over 5,000 years. Cuy are rich in protein and low in fat, and is seen as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. It’s most often eaten on special occasions.
Peruvian guinea pigs are often allowed to run free in their owners’ kitchens, feeding on vegetable scraps and herbs. They may be baked whole, or flattened out and deep fried.
I think it is important to be tolerant of other cultures, even if we can’t or don’t agree. Some Asian countries eat crickets, grasshoppers, etc which would turn my stomach but to each his own, don’t you think?
25 people like this
24 responses
@xFiacre (13218)
• Ireland
19 Jan
@judyev plenty of people baulk at the thought of eating pig, I eschew the notion of ingesting snake although I did so once unwittingly. The Bible has something to say on the matter, as is its usual wont. Peter’s vision recorded in Acts 10 has him refuse to eat things forbidden to Jews but the angel told him to kill and eat because nothing made by God is impure. Maybe this raises more questions than it answers but there we go. Today is Dolly Parton’s birthday.
6 people like this
@Fleura (31008)
• United Kingdom
19 Jan
I suspect that in the main, the rules in the Bible and other holy books are to do with hygiene and disease prevention. But if you tell people what to do 'because it's good for them' they won't do it. Tell them what to do 'because they will go to Hell if they don't' and they will blindly observe the rules and even force them on others. Some things never change.
3 people like this
@DaddyEvil (141745)
• United States
19 Jan
I was once served dog and cat by a Mexican friend. Of course, he didn't tell me what he was serving until after we ate it. I will admit it both dishes were delicious but I don't want to eat a dog or cat again if I can help it.
I've eaten cricket flour made into a cake... It was good but I think the icing on the cake covered up the taste of the cricket flour. I'd rather not eat insects again, either.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (141745)
• United States
20 Jan
@JudyEv I've eaten crocodile several times. It is delicious! I know what camel smells like when cooking. I'd rather not eat it, though. (I worked in a dog good factory for years and cooked all kinds of animals that got labeled as "whole meat" and sold in the retail dog food industry. There are a lot of animals I won't eat.)
Other people can eat whatever they want but that doesn't mean I want to eat it.
1 person likes this
@Beestring (14921)
• Hong Kong
19 Jan
I agree. We need to tolerate or respect other cultures. But in some cases, I just cannot accept, such as eating dog or cat's meat.
3 people like this
@much2say (57200)
• Los Angeles, California
20 Jan
Right. There are many cultural differences in this world . . . their standards may not be the standards that we grew up with and are used to - and vise versa. I certainly don't see cute, little, furry guinea pigs as a delicacy on a plate . . . but maybe they see our treatment of guinea pigs as pets as ridiculous.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (346488)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jan
You're probably quite right but, as @snowy22315 said, to each his own. We don't have to join them, just let them 'be'.
2 people like this
@rebelann (113232)
• El Paso, Texas
21 Jan
Way back in the 1960s some of our enlisted men that had married Korean women found out that their wives were capturing stray pets and making food out of them, they didn't know any better, but one of the men my dad knew got really sick after eating something his wife had made. Those were really different times though.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (52278)
• Canada
19 Jan
I had relatives that lived in Peru for many years, decades actually, and that culture is unique.
But it reminds us that all cultures are unique.
I think that we all need to be mindful and respectful of other cultures, not be too quick to judge, but also not too quick to force our cultural views and ways onto anyone else.
2 people like this
@sallypup (62869)
• Centralia, Washington
20 Jan
@JudyEv Dogs like Pugs pay for the cuteness factor by having a hard time breathing. My Beau Teak is a Siamese cat. I am not sure why but the Siamese have a tendancy toward bad teeth. Beau is for sure not doing well due to his genetics.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (346488)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jan
I understand. We have funny ways of justifying our actions sometimes.
The guinea pig in the photo was being groomed for judging. Humans always have to alter an original species, don't they and start breeding more and more bizarre creatures.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (31008)
• United Kingdom
20 Jan
@JudyEv not long ago I was reading about cockchafers - big beetles that lay eggs in the soil and the grubs eat the roots of plants. Before the recent development of pesticides they were a serious pest of arable crops - so much so that in some areas of Europe including England the beetles were cooked in various ways and eaten. Obviously turning our noses up at insects is a recent trait.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (346488)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jan
I can't say rows of fried insects in shop windows attracted me but if push came to shove I'd try them. I've eaten bardie grubs in a restaurant that served indigenous foods. Three grubs were served sticking out of an apple!! 
And did you hear about the worm in the apple that met another worm and said 'you're a good-looking doll. Care to come out for a drink?' And the reply was 'don't be silly. I'm your other end'. 
And did you hear about the worm in the apple that met another worm and said 'you're a good-looking doll. Care to come out for a drink?' And the reply was 'don't be silly. I'm your other end'. 1 person likes this
@RevivedWarrior (3569)
• India
19 Jan
We do need to respect other cultures and their customs. Although most countries have chicken as meat options , there are other options in some countries. These options may or may not be impressive to us. There are Asian countries where they eat mice and dogs! I have heard of others but I have not verified. I do not want to verify as I may throw up. Apart from food , there are customs where you would be shocked. For example, you are not permitted to wear black or drive black car in Turkmenistan. They have most buildings in white marble as their former leader believed black attracts evil. Funny world!
@pumpkinjam (8861)
• United Kingdom
20 Jan
I have actually eaten crickets, and I know a couple of people who have eaten guinea pig. One of those people is my husband, who also ate dog meat when he was in Korea. People will say it's a horrible idea but I don't see any difference between eating one animal and another. You might keep a rabbit or a pig or a chicken as a pet but most people in our culture would accept that they are eaten. There is no reason not to eat dog or gerbil or horse other than people think they're cute or something.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (346488)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jan
I agree completely. It's just what you're used to really, isn't it?
@GardenGerty (162227)
• United States
20 Jan
Eating guinea pig is probably a lot like eating rabbit or squirrel. When I was much younger and my uncles hunted we would, on occasion, have squirrels and dumplings at my grandparents. I would not be wanting to do so now, though. I do not think I have ever eaten rabbit, although it has been available in some stores as a healthy meat alternative. If I had to live off the land, I would likely become vegetarian.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (346488)
• Rockingham, Australia
21 Jan
I'd probably be the same as you and go vegetarian. A lot of it is about what you're used to, isn't it?
@allknowing (140944)
• India
19 Jan
I will not go anywhere near those who have cultures that make me feel sick all over.
1 person likes this
@Manasha (2863)
• Pondicherry, India
20 Jan
You're absolutely right that it's not about agreeing but respecting traditions that may differ from our own. Just as crickets or grasshoppers might be a no-go for some of us, others might be equally baffled by dishes we consider normal. At the end of the day, food is as much about culture and history as it is about sustenance. To each their own, indeed!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (346488)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jan
Yes, I agree with you completely. We don't have to like it but we should respect it.
@RasmaSandra (82537)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
19 Jan
Well I can't imagine anyone eating those darling mop-like creatures but as you say to each his own, My dad was delighted when he discovered that you could get any kind of food you wanted in New York, He and a friend shared a can of chocolate covered grasshoppers one Christmas,
1 person likes this
