# Edinburgh restaurant put horsemeat on the menu



## Cuffey (22 March 2010)

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/818449-edinburgh-restaurant-is-first-in-britain-to-serve-horse-meat


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## BBH (22 March 2010)

I suppose it was only a matter of time and the owner is French so completely normal for him. If you take the emotion out of it its just another source of protein and why shouldn't horses be eaten. Its not for me though and  I'd draw the line at dogs


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## icestationzebra (22 March 2010)

Got his restaurant some publicity which I think was the sole intention here....  I'd be genuinely interested in how much of it he actually takes orders for.....

What's wrong with good local Scottish produce anyway?


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## stencilface (22 March 2010)

Hmm, I don't know how popular frogs legs and snails are either tbh, think most people order it for the novelty.

I am a veggie anyway, so don't eat any meat (but yes, ok, I'm fine with chicken foetus'  ) but the thought of eating horse turns my stomach.  They are very much pets in the UK, and for most horse/dog/cat owners - eating any of them would be not something you'd fancy doing I think.

Does the silly french man not know that we're called le rosbif for a reason?!


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## wizzlewoo (22 March 2010)

Personally I have no problem with the idea of horse being eaten, ditto to the fact that I draw the line at dogs etc but horses are in a sense still livestock. This is provided that they are farmed for meat in a humane environment and not someones once loved first pony!


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## Biscuit (22 March 2010)

I do not have a problem with horse meat either, provided that the horses had good lives and were responsibly kept, transported and put down. I have probably eaten horse meat several times abroad, not steak or anything but who knows what really went into the  salami?  I am not sure I would want a horse steak though.


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## Tormenta (22 March 2010)

I don't have a problem with it either for the same reasons as CJ. However, it is imported and I would have no idea if the horse on the plate was treated inhumanely or not.

I prefer to know that my produce is sourced locally and slaughtered 5 miles down the road.


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## perfect11s (22 March 2010)

Why not Dog ????  lots of far eastern countrys have it on the menu and some far flung pacific islands have  canibals  maybe thats the answer to overpopulation !!!!!!


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## Caledonia (22 March 2010)

perfect11s said:



			Why not Dog ????  lots of far eastern countrys have it on the menu and some far flung pacific islands have  canibals  maybe thats the answer to overpopulation !!!!!!
		
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Chav n' chips.........


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## Fairynuff (22 March 2010)

very high in saturated fats-the chav, not the chips!!! Could lead to clogged mascara


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## JCWHITE (22 March 2010)

I am a bit surprised to learn the country of origin is France though. 
Here ,in SW France, we see horsemeat from all round the world on the supermarket shelves, no kidding, never seen French in my area.
And no, I wouldnt knowingly order any.
JC


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## CorvusCorax (22 March 2010)

You can't just eat ugly animals.

Again, provided the welfare is acceptable, I will eat anything, within reason.

Dunno about chavs, I find some of them a bit hard to swallow...


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## Tinkerbee (22 March 2010)

CaveCanem said:



			You can't just eat ugly animals.

Again, provided the welfare is acceptable, I will eat anything, within reason.

Dunno about chavs, I find some of them a bit hard to swallow...
		
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What she said.

Why shouldn't people be allowed to serve/eat horses?


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## Rollin (22 March 2010)

JCWHITE said:



			I am a bit surprised to learn the country of origin is France though. 
Here ,in SW France, we see horsemeat from all round the world on the supermarket shelves, no kidding, never seen French in my area.
And no, I wouldnt knowingly order any.
JC
		
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You are correct.  My local supermarkets and butcher sell Mexican and Canadian horsemeat - but only in the tiniest amounts i.e. 2/3 pkts on the whole meat counter.

Hilarious when you think about it.  The EU introduced horse passports to protect the digestive systems of those who eat horse...and where does their horse meat come from?  Countries with no passports, where a horse could have any drug in its system.


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## Wishful (22 March 2010)

I would probably struggle to eat it, but largely due to drugs/passport issues.  I wouldn't eat dog, but more due to issues with eating carnivores than sentiment.  One culture's food animal is another's pet (or sacred cow!)

Snails are definitely considered a delicacy in France - never tried frog's legs...


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## ladyt25 (22 March 2010)

Well no, sorry I don't like it. Call it sentiment or what you like but I am not going to pretend I don't have an issue with it. Neither would I call cows, pigs or sheep 'ugly animals'. i think I just have an issue with why us (humans that is) feel the need to eat anything and everything just because we can. Would people have issue if they served human meat? I mean, say if humans agreed that in the event of their death they would give consent to be eaten - would you eat it?

I imagine not.

Sheep and cattle etc are stolen regularly in this country - I wouldn't like to think this could become more common for horses as well if horse meat was at a premium and was being eaten in this country.

Maybe it's just me - I liken horses to dogs and cats and I wouldn't eat them - I know some countries do and I have seen how the dogs are 'farmed' and killed - it's not pleasant. Still no doubt being that I am vegetarian maybe I just hold a different view and no doubt the well loved 'bunny hugger' phrase will get chucked in my direction soon (sigh). Wont change my opinion on this though. Got the restauranteur some advertising though didn't it.


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## perfect11s (22 March 2010)

Rollin said:



			You are correct.  My local supermarkets and butcher sell Mexican and Canadian horsemeat - but only in the tiniest amounts i.e. 2/3 pkts on the whole meat counter.

Hilarious when you think about it.  The EU introduced horse passports to protect the digestive systems of those who eat horse...and where does their horse meat come from?  Countries with no passports, where a horse could have any drug in its system.
		
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hopefully it does..and will cause at least a painfull cancer   anyone who eats mexican horsemeat is condoning the most barbaric 
slaugter methods,...  the whole horse meat buisiness is bad news for our noble friends 
thank god we are civalised in Britain and see horses as our faithfull servants who have 
been with us during our rise though history 

Wherever man has left his footprint on the long ascent
from barbarisim to civilisation, we we will find the hoofprint
of a horse beside it.


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## CorvusCorax (22 March 2010)

Pigeons gave their service in times of conflict and I eat them too.

**Sorry, being facetious and I do not doubt the deep debt we owe the horse**

The term 'ugly' was more in parody of meat eaters who see nothing wrong with eating one animal but get all hysterical about eating another. For me personally, I cannot be hypocritical. 
I might try a baby, how do they taste with ketchup?

**I know, I know**


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## Kallibear (23 March 2010)

With cavecanam on this one - not eating horse but being quite happy to eat cows, sheep and pigs is rather hypocritical. Are cows and sheep less worthy of our sentimentality than horses? They are certainly brighter!

I would have no problem eating horse but only if I knew where it came from and that it led a reasonable life. The same applies to beef, lamb and pork and chicken - I only eat british raised and slaughter animals (where the welfare is the highest in the world) and free-range chicken (which is hard to find!)


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## JenTaz (23 March 2010)

i personally dont like the thought of eating a horse, but then im a veggie which will make my opinion slightly different from any one elses, i can understand the whole happy to eat it if they have had a good life etc but how are you meant to know that with all animals that are eaten as there still be some that dont get kept in as good conditioins, but i dont mind people who do eat meat etc, it doesnt bother  me as that is why most animals are farmed nowadays anyway, some people may like the taste etc of horse meat, so long as taz and molly stay in their fields and dont get stolen for food i'm quite alright


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## perfect11s (23 March 2010)

CaveCanem said:



			Pigeons gave their service in times of conflict and I eat them too.

**Sorry, being facetious and I do not doubt the deep debt we owe the horse**

The term 'ugly' was more in parody of meat eaters who see nothing wrong with eating one animal but get all hysterical about eating another. For me personally, I cannot be hypocritical. 
I might try a baby, how do they taste with ketchup?

**I know, I know**
		
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 I woudent object to you eating one but you should make sure 
its free range!!!!  for taste I bellive  the headhunters of the south pacific call it long pig
so I would guess like pork... would you have a nice cianti with it!!!


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## posie_honey (23 March 2010)

it's actually quite near me - i may go - i like horse meat 
i have no problem eating any meat if it's raised, travelled and killed humanly... i find it odd that people can distingush between one animal being more worthy (or less ) than another to be eaten? to me meat is meat is meat... and yup - i could eat my own horse in a famine - i'd make sure i killed it humanely and respected it enough to eat all that i could rather than throwing away anything left after the steaks. i've also raised my own pigs ( yup named  and in my front garden!) and had no trouble taknig them to be butchered and enjoying the meat. i'd rather do that than eat some of the meat that comes from countries with no welfare laws


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## Kat (23 March 2010)

My french friend whose father was a butcher says that horse meat is very much out of fashion over there. It is considered a meat for the poor and is generally tougher and not as nice as beef. 

Kind of how we think of mutton. 

It is getting harder to find in France as people choose other meats in preference.


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## Caledonia (23 March 2010)

The supermarkets in France buy the cheapest meat, which is that produced in the Americas and Canada. But not a lot is eaten that way.
This is the site giving some clues into the home raised horsemeat, which I guess is what this guy will be using.

http://www.viande-chevaline.fr/francais/points_de_vente/index.html


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## Rafferoo (23 March 2010)

I am with perfect 11's on this one - if you love horses why on earth would you want to eat them?! I also would argue that as I am yet to see a sheep or cow jumping round Badminton or winning Olympic medals that our relationship with the horse cannot be compared with most animals that are kept as livestock.  To me the relationship we have with our dogs and horses is the very reason why we don't eat them and long may that continue!


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## FrodoBeutlin (23 March 2010)

I could never eat horse meat, ever. I am a vegetarian but even if I wasn't (in fact, even when I wasn't) I couldn't touch horsemeat. It's a form of cannibalism to me.

I am actually careful to avoid restaurants who offer horse meat on their menu (not easy in some places in Italy!!). 

Part of it is the way horses are treated -- I am assuming 90% of the restaurants serving horse meat will use horses who have been inhumanely transported. The conditions these horses have to travel in and the length of the journeys are beyond description, and if you buy meat from a restaurant how do you know how it has been transported / slaughtered / whatever?? Do you ask the waiter?? How will they know? I could never do it.


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## PaddyMonty (24 March 2010)

I can think of one or two horses in my past I would happily have eaten.


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## Tiggy1 (24 March 2010)

I am not a veggie but will not eat horsemeat.
Do not agree with it. Cattle and sheep don't care what you say are bred specifically for meat and are not "companion" animals


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## ester (24 March 2010)

but plenty of horses are bred specifically for meat too. 

I don't have an issue with it in theory, some of the practice yes.


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## Caledonia (24 March 2010)

FrodoBeutlin said:



			Part of it is the way horses are treated -- I am assuming 90% of the restaurants serving horse meat will use horses who have been inhumanely transported. The conditions these horses have to travel in and the length of the journeys are beyond description, and if you buy meat from a restaurant how do you know how it has been transported / slaughtered / whatever?? Do you ask the waiter?? How will they know? I could never do it.
		
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The horses slaughtered in France are done locally, there are abattoirs licensed to slaughter horses in every department, they have far more local abattoirs than the UK does. It's the horses going to Italy from the Eastern bloc that have the terrible journeys.


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## Mithras (24 March 2010)

Its a gimmick.  I live in Edinburgh and its full to saturation point of moderate-average level restaurants.  As someone correctly said above, in most countries which do eat horsemeat, it is considered an inferior source of meat, generally when you can't afford to eat other meats.  I personally wouldn't fall for gimmicky marketing which tried to rebrand it as a trendy alternative to good quality traditional cuts of beef, lamb, etc..  But then my father was a butcher and I know my meat.  I'd also be worried about maintaining a market for dubiously raised imported horsemeat.

I won't be going to this restaurant and I've had so many disappointing meals in so-called top Edinburgh resaturants.  The only one I find consistently good quality is the No 1 at the Balmoral.  I've eaten at the Witchery and only the setting was exceptional, I've had to send meals back at both Harvey Nicks and The Peat Inn (not in Edinburgh but nearby) due to them being full of gristle and fat.  As I say, I know my meat!


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## LittleNemo (25 March 2010)

I would probably try it although I have to admit it does turn my stomach a little and I don't think I'd want to eat it more than once.  Aside from the importance of humane treatment, which applies equally to all animals, I don't think that it is any more 'wrong' to eat horse than cow, sheep, pig or chicken etc, or that horses are more worthy.  I don't think its hypocritical to prefer not to eat something on sentimental grounds, a lot of the things we do and choices we make are irrational and part of our larger experience in life, which for me includes seeing horses as companions and, its true, also feeling more protective towards 'cuter' animals.

Having said all that, after watching the documentary 'Earthlings', I would think about becoming vegetarian.  I have no problem at all with eating meat or animal products in principle, if as somebody mentioned above it was a cow who led a pleasant live and was killed locally.  But unfortunately that doesn't seem possible anymore and it is the mass scale of slaughter and the horrific practices which seem to result from some industries which is such a problem.


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## bigears (26 March 2010)

the owner is quite wrong in saying that the steaks/meats he serves up at his restaurant are 'farmed' animals.  the traditional french and belgian meat breeds are also now being joined by shetland ponies, new forest ponies, ex race horses, ex brood mares.  many of the horses at the meat fattening farms in france ARE ex pets and riding horses, not just comptois or ardenne bred youngsters.

there was recently a 15yo shetland pony, who had done all pc activities and was being sent for the meat trade, and there are several new forest ponies there at the moment.

while they are kept there they are not well treated, they don't get veterinary care, farriers, they are mainly all covered in lice, long feet and until they are due to be sent for slaughter, they aren't fed.  

the donkey we imported a month ago is skin and bone and covered in lice and feet so long he could hardly walk, he would have suffered like that for many months before his time came to go.  he is now able to walk, is putting on weight and is as happy as a clam - he was clearly a family pet as he adores people and cuddles.  i suspect he would have been pretty tough to eat!


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## sywell (26 March 2010)

Eat the bad ones ride the good ones


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## Tinseltoes (3 April 2010)

sywell said:



			Eat the bad ones ride the good ones
		
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I do not agree with you,. Horses are pets NOT food.
If you eat Italian Salami your eating horse/donlkey,I read in in a horse magazine.Dont touch it and Id never eat a horse no matter what.


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## mymare (3 April 2010)

sharon1959 said:



			I do not agree with you,. Horses are pets NOT food.
If you eat Italian Salami your eating horse/donlkey,I read in in a horse magazine.Dont touch it and Id never eat a horse no matter what.
		
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But I have 2 pet sheep, and people eat them!

I have eaten horsemeat before, several years ago in France.  I didn't know it was horse until someone told me after I'd finished my meal, and if I'd known beforehand I wouldn't have eaten it.  But, I have to say, it was tasty!  And although I wouldn't choose to eat it, if I was starving I definitely would consider it.

My main concern is the quality of life the horse had, and obviously the death. I always buy British meat mainly because of welfare issues, as well as supporting our economy.

Yes, we all love our horses, but I also love my pet sheep and I eat lamb.. Whatever your thoughts on the issue, we are carnivores.  Simplez.


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## Tinseltoes (3 April 2010)

I do see where your coming from.There are sheep everywhere around here. My daughter is going to France with the school and she said she will  NOT eat any meat whilst shes there.My son put everyone off their steak when he told them its probebly horse.Only one child ate it and it wasnt my son.
I just dont agree with horses being used for meat,they show so much love. Mine licks my face like a dog would. lol


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## Kallibear (3 April 2010)

sharon1959 said:



			I do see where your coming from.There are sheep everywhere around here. My daughter is going to France with the school and she said she will  NOT eat any meat whilst shes there.My son put everyone off their steak when he told them its probebly horse.Only one child ate it and it wasnt my son.
I just dont agree with horses being used for meat,they show so much love. Mine licks my face like a dog would. lol
		
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Thats was awfully grown up of your son,  Maybe it never occured to him or his friends that if they ASKED what meat it was, they would have a choice as to eating it or not 

My friends pet sheep rush up the field to see you. I know a couple of pet cows who are gentle and affectionate. Mind you they aren't allowed to lick your face (disgusting habit!) so they of course they are not as worthy as horses and are fine to eat


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## Tinseltoes (4 April 2010)

We all have our own opinions.The kids were in Disney Land Paris and the staff where they were staying would not of told them its horse anyway. My son took a tiny bit off the end and said it tasted funny and he refused to eat it.


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## Changes (4 April 2010)

bigears said:



			the owner is quite wrong in saying that the steaks/meats he serves up at his restaurant are 'farmed' animals.  the traditional french and belgian meat breeds are also now being joined by shetland ponies, new forest ponies, ex race horses, ex brood mares.  many of the horses at the meat fattening farms in france ARE ex pets and riding horses, not just comptois or ardenne bred youngsters.

there was recently a 15yo shetland pony, who had done all pc activities and was being sent for the meat trade, and there are several new forest ponies there at the moment.

while they are kept there they are not well treated, they don't get veterinary care, farriers, they are mainly all covered in lice, long feet and until they are due to be sent for slaughter, they aren't fed.  

the donkey we imported a month ago is skin and bone and covered in lice and feet so long he could hardly walk, he would have suffered like that for many months before his time came to go.  he is now able to walk, is putting on weight and is as happy as a clam - he was clearly a family pet as he adores people and cuddles.  i suspect he would have been pretty tough to eat!
		
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That's because you at ES are buying from dealers, not the meat farmers........ mostly from the dealers whose animals that do finally go to the abattoir end up as dogfood.
The farmed horses are very different. 
How many of them have you visited?


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## lhotse (4 April 2010)

Oooh, I can see this turning into a franch thread very soon!!

Had it in France once, gave me the trots..........


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## Changes (4 April 2010)

LOL! 

No chance......


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## lhotse (4 April 2010)

Sticking our tongue out?

That's a Bit im-mule-ture...now I feel Glue-me..


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## RachBethan (23 April 2010)

Personally I don't like the way they are killed. It's a horse; used to trusting people, or a new born. Now, foals being slaughtered, that's just sick!


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## E.R.F (24 April 2010)

There is unfortunately a need for slaughterhouses, and the fate of the carcass after death is immaterial.

UNWANTED HORSES


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