Kids forced to eat whale in school (10 tons of unsold meat for "traditional school lunch week")

[Barrett808]

Source: Daily Telegraph

JAPAN'S whaling researchers dumped 10 tonnes of unsold whale meat into primary school lunches last month, labelling the event "traditional school lunch week".

In a desperate attempt to revive the flagging market, the Institute for Cetacean Research (ICR) supplied the research by-product to 254 Yokohama schools over two days, hoping to give their young palates a taste for whale meat.

Faced with a reported 3000 tonne inventory of unsold meat from last year's cull, the ICR contacted the Yokohama City Education committee, suggesting the department include research meat in their school lunches.

A total of 200,000 lunches of whale meat salad marinated in sesame sauce were served on January 21 and 22. Yokohama children have not eaten whale meat as part of school lunches in 26 years.

The ICR refused to comment on its controversial programs.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23285739...

[LostinVA]

1. This farce of a whalehunt needs to be stopped

All those whales dying for nothing.

[0007]

2. Yummy yummy .......Whale blubber is indeed tasty. (Like chewing gum)

Muckahigh muckahigh Red Lobster doesn't serve this. Yuk!!!!

[Maeve]

3. Ah, stop your blubbering!

Sorry, couldn't resist! More seriously, whaling is a commercial venture that should be consigned to history.

[Steerpike]

4. The Japanese could have UPS them to Alaska.

The Natives up here love their muktuk! I've actually tried it during Fur Rondevous a couple of years back...brrrrrrrr...nasty stuff!

[superconnected]

34. Unfortuately if they don't consign it to history it will be consigned to history

anyway.

Apparently they didn't get the memo that there are that many whales left.

[CabalPowered]

5. Quick question

When I visited Norway several years ago, whale was on the menu at several upscale restaurants. Why is it that Norway gets a pass on hunting? Not looking for flames, just curious.

[Barrett808]

6. I think there are two reasons:

Norway doesn't slaughter in a whale sanctuary, and Norway doesn't hide behind the "scientific" loophole -- they openly defy the whaling ban.

Also, it may be a strategic decision on the part of activist organizations. Get the big (rich) guy, and the little guys will fall soon after.

[CabalPowered]

8. Thanks

[LeftyMom]

10. There are threads about that as well.

There was just one recently when they announced this year's quota. But mostly the threads right now will be about Japan because they do their hunt in the southern summer near antarctica, while Norway does theirs in the northern summer in waters near Norway.

[Indenturedebtor]

7. Disgusting

I mean seriously why do people have such a hard time giving up one specific food? Just have some more fish for fucks sake!

Eating whale is like eating dog. Far too intelligent of a creature to be a meal

[sybylla]

9. Speaking of intelligence

A whale is not a fish. Not even close to the same kind of meat. That said, I agree - it's ridiculous in this day and age, knowing what we know about the intelligence of whales, their life span and our terrible effects on their population, that anyone thinks they should eat whale when there are plenty of other tasty protein sources in the world.

[formercia]

12. Like grain

It takes many pounds of grain to make one pound of meat protein.

Smart Japanese, feeding toxin contaminated whale meat to their kids. I have nothing against them. It's a few die-hards that keep pushing the whaling agenda.

The same people that push Bushido.

[Freddie Stubbs]

18. So intelligence is the deciding factor? If it ok to eat a retarded cat?

[dysfunctional press]

21. what about pork? pigs are very intelligent animals.

[Solon]

27. I prefer long-pig myself...

Google is your friend, and you probably don't want to look that up.

[alfredo]

30. I could go into the gutter on this, but I won't.

BTW, one writer said long pig tastes more like porcupine.

[dysfunctional press]

32. mmmm...mmmm...good.

"Here the caution in choosing your meal must be mentioned. It is VERY IMPORTANT to remember that animals raised for slaughter are kept in tightly controlled environments with their health and diet carefully maintained. Humans are not. Thus not only is the meat of each person of varying quality, but people are also subject to an enormous range of diseases, infections, chemical imbalances, and poisonous bad habits, all typically increasing with age. Also as an animal ages, the meat loses its tenderness, becoming tough and stringy. No farm animal is ever allowed to age for thirty years. Six to thirteen months old is a more common slaughtering point. You will obviously want a youthful but mature physically fit human in apparently good health. A certain amount of fat is desirable as "marbling" to add a juicy, flavorful quality to the meat. We personally prefer firm caucasian females in their early twenties. These are "ripe". But tastes vary, and it is a very large herd..."

[Nutmegger]

11. This is unacceptable.

Japan should receive worldwide condemnation for their fake whaling research program.

[Lorien]

13. It's not "culling" when you are talking about an endangered species

Culling is done when a species becomes so overpopulated that the environment can no longer sustain it (like what nature will do to our species soon enough). The whole thing is absurd; murder hundreds of highly intelligent endangered animals then force your kids to eat it's meat because you've slaughted more than the market will bear. SICK!

[montanto]

14. you should see what kids are forced to eat

in the U.S.!

[slampoet]

16. I'd rather eat whale than those disgusting "DOWNER COWS"

though either is a good case for PB&J

[redqueen]

15. Ugh... 3000 tons leftover?

And wtf do they mean by "cull"? Are whales overpopulated now?

[Buns_of_Fire]

17. Ummmmm... Blubber! It's What's For Dinner!

(I swear, I'm getting closer to becoming a vegetarian every day, and I don't care WHAT Bear Grylls eats!)

[KamaAina]

19. Whale. The other white meat.

[The Stranger]

20. Stop killing the whales, Japan.

[Pogue.Mahone]

22. Man...

i luuuv whale meat! being half japanese and having lived there, it was a treat and kind of felt like i was getting in touch with my heritage. but that was then and this is now. killing whales is like killing flipper or mr. ed or the family dog. and hiding behind such an obviously bullshit excuse as "science" just shows a guilty conscience.

maybe this is the death throes of a dying industry?

[Barrett808]

23. Welcome to DU, Pogue!

[Pogue.Mahone]

26. Thanks!

du is the friendlies place i've ever been to! i feel like i'm stepping into a big irish family, everyone yelling and fighting each other but sitting down to supper together!

[Barrett808]

29. Heh. Nice comparison.

We do get into some white-hot arguments, but it still feels like family.

[NickB79]

28. I actually heard an interesting story on NPR about Japanese whaling history

According to the report, outside of a few whaling villages, there was very little whale meat consumed by the Japanese until after WWII. At that point, they were encouraged by the US to begin whaling as a cheap source of protein to help rebuild their economy.

[JuniperLea]

24. If so much is unsold...

Why are they killing these beasts? Is there another product other than meat that they are after?

[Barrett808]

25. The slaughter is subsidized.

It's basically a jobs program.

[Sabriel]

31. I'd eat anything dipped in wasabi and soy sauce.

And with a side of miso soup, of course.

[pinniped]

33. They're fishing the oceans out of big fish, such as tuna.

This situation will probably just get worse

[Nihil]

35. There's no "probably" about it. (n/t)

[SKKY]

36. "Today on Iron Chef!"

[Barrett808]

37. LOL!