I think you bring up a very interesting point about “racism in our food choices.” It is true that most Americans feel a certain aversion to the idea of eating horses, dogs and cats, probably because we’ve always been taught that these are farm animals or pets, whereas chickens, pigs and cows have traditionally been considered food and food-related animals. (At least for me) Why don’t we eat these animals, indeed?

Perhaps the biggest issue I would think of off the top of my head would be the fact that the consumer assumes that he or she is getting 100 percent beef or pork in the sausage purchased. However, inferior meat has been substituted. Moreover, this meat is not one that has regulations regarding its cleanliness, etc. The main problem here is less a matter of “why can’t we eat horses?” and more a problem of “How can we trust Texas standards if the quality control can let non-approved meat get through?”

Probably the main reason we don’t eat horses, dogs and cats is, as mentioned, the fact that they are typically viewed as pets. However, go beyond that and we come to another issue – are they actually good to eat?