NOT for guinea pig lovers...

[moosmom]

I overheard a woman at work talking about her trip to Peru. She said that the delicacy in Peru is guinea pigs!!! She also said that Peruvian people have a whole lot of them running around their homes, not as pets, and they don't name them either.

EEEWWWWWWWWW!!!! I can't even IMAGINE plucking one up from the living room floor saying, "Okay, here's dinner".

[Miss Z]

Sad fact. What many keep as pets is a delicacy to others. In a way, I suppose it's no different to chickens or sheep, some people keep them as pets and others farm them. But I couldn't imagine keeping guinea pigs to eat either When I go to other countries and see delicacies like that, I often think 'thank God I'm vegetarian!'

BTW, if you type 'guinea pig' into Google Image Search, one of the first images you get is a picture of roast guinea pig

[Kfamr]

Some people eat cats, some people eat dogs, some people eat chickens. Some people think it's a sin to eat beef! Different strokes for different folks. I can safely say I could never bring myself to eat what we see as domesticated pets here in the US.

[cyber-sibes]

What I want to know is...do they taste like chicken? (sorry, bad joke, but I couldn't resist! )

I'd have a hard time eating them, too. I did illustrations for a book about really wierd things people eat, like scorpions, bugs, spiders, & crickets, yuck!

[animal_rescue]

It's there preference I guess, all I can say is I will never eat one!

I have a peruvian guinea pig, Squishy, could you eat this face?

[cyber-sibes]

I have a peruvian guinea pig, Squishy, could you eat this face?

He's adorable, and, NO!

[CathyBogart]

I could never eat Squishy, of course! He's one handsome fuzzball.

HOWEVER....I do have a lot of family from Peru, and I don't condemn the eating of GPs...I don't know that I would eat one myself, but I don't find it gross, it's just a different part of the world.

[Karen]

From the television shows I've seen on that part of the world, guinea pigs are an important protein source for many of the indigenous people. And while I could not eat them, I do not begudge them that. And if it were not for that. they'd never have been domesticated, and then become the pets we know and love!

Mind you, Paul, who has watched the television shows with me, knows full well that I'd probably dump all my belongings out of my suitcase and fill it with guinea pigs to bring and back and save from becoming someone's dinner.

"Uh, no, officer, my suitcase isn't wiggling - didn't you feel that earthquake? And those squeaks - well, must be my asthma kicking up again, sorry!"