Eating live animals: Difference between revisions

[[File:Korean.cuisine-Sannakji.hoe-01.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[Sannakji]] is liveLive octopus that has been cut into small pieces and served, witha itspopular armsdelicacy stillin squirming.South Korea]]

Several television game shows such as ''[[Fear Factor]]'', ''[[Survivor (franchise)|Survivor]]'' and ''[[I'm a Celebrity]]'' feature segments where contestants must eat live animals including [[spiders]], [[cockroaches]] and [[grub (larva)|grub]]s. On his show ''[[Man vs. Wild]]'', host [[Bear Grylls]] is sometimes shown eating various insects alive. There have been calls to ban eating animals alive on these shows.<ref>{{cite news |title=It's time to ban eating live creatures on I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here|authorfirst= Alice |last= Wright |date=22 Nov 2017 |newspaper=Metro |url=https://metro.co.uk/2017/11/22/its-time-to-ban-eating-live-creatures-on-im-a-celebrity-get-me-out-of-here-7080860/ |access-date=2019-09-16}}</ref> A [[YouTube]] channel called "Food for Louis" shows [[Louis Cole (YouTuber)|Louis Cole]] eating live animals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/apr/17/the-man-who-eats-live-animals|title=The man who eats live animals|author=Tring, O.|year=2012|publisher=theguardian | work= [[The Guardian]] |access-date=January 4, 2014}}</ref>

[[Goldfish swallowing|The swallowing of live goldfish]] iswas sometimes practiced within the United States.

Another fish dish invented by a Taiwanese chef from [[Chiayi]], is called [[Yin Yang fish]] (also ''dead-and-alive fish'') in which the fish's body (but not the head) is rapidly deep-fried and served while the head is still fresh and moving. It is prepared extremely quickly, with care not to damage the internal organs, so that the fish can remain alive for thirty minutes.<ref name="7 animals">{{cite web|author last= Nelson,| first= B.|url=https://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/photos/7-animals-that-are-eaten-alive-by-humans/down-the-hatch|title=7 animals that are eaten alive by humans|publisher=mother natureMother Nature Network| website= mnn.com network|access-date=January 4, 2014}}</ref><ref name="10 animals" />

In an interview, celebrity chef [[Raymond Blanc]] stated that in Japan, he had eaten live [[eels]]. He was advised to add [[vinegar]] and [[sake]], which made them jump around, and then swallowed them whole.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/raymond-blanc-these-little-live-eels-jump-from-the-bowl-and-down-your-throat-2202415.html| title=Raymond Blanc: 'These little live eels jump from the bowl and down | interviewer= Hugh Montgomery| first= Raymond| last= Blanc| authorlink= Raymond Blanc |date=2011-02-06|website= [[The Independent]]|language=en|access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref>

In 2012, a video showing a woman in Japan eating a live frog was posted on [[YouTube]] and went viral. In the video, a live frog is seen stabbed alive, stripped of its skin, and its inedible innards removed to be served as fresh sashimi on an iced platter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/viral-video-of-live-frog-sashimi-sparks-protest|title=Viral video of live frog sashimi sparks protest|publisher= Fox News| website= FoxNews.com|year=2013|access-date=23 February 2020}}</ref>

[[Andrew Zimmern]] of the [[Travel Channel]]'s ''[[Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern|Bizarre Foods]]'' ate [[frog]] sashimi in restaurant seafood namerestaurant called Asadachi in [[Shinjuku]]. Though most of the frog is served dead (and raw), the meal begins by eating the frog's fresh, still-beating heart.<ref name="7 animals" />

Consuming the beating heart and blood of live snakes has been a reported practice among some locals and tourists in certain parts of Vietnam, particularly [[Lệ Mật|Le Mat village]] in Hanoi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/da/article/yv4yzm/drinking-snake-blood-in-vietnam|title=I Ate and Drank Cobra in Vietnam's Snake Village|last=Phillips|first=Jak|date=2013-03-11|website=Vice|access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/snake-village-hanoi-vietnam/index.html|title=Hanoi's most popular snake restaurant beckons adventurous diners|last=Diroy |first=Text by Stacey| last= Lastoe;| videoothers= Video by Diana Diroy |website= CNN.com |date=25 October 2019 |language=en|access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref> The practice was documented on ''[[Gordon's Great Escape]]'' when celebrity chef [[Gordon Ramsay]] swallowed the beating heart of a cobra at a [[Ho Chi Minh City|Ho Chi Minh]] eatery.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.foodnetwork.ca/fun-with-food/photos/foods-eaten-alive-that-may-shock-you/#!cobra|title=11 Foods Eaten Alive That May Shock You {{!}}|publisher= Food Network Canada|website=foodnetwork.ca|language=en|access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Jamieson|first=Alastair|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/8514221/Gordon-Ramsay-eats-beating-heart-of-a-snake.html|title=Gordon Ramsay eats beating heart of a snake|journal=The Daily Telegraph|date=2011-05-15|access-date=2020-03-16|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> It was also consumed by celebrity chef [[Anthony Bourdain]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-09/anthony-bourdain-weird-things-hes-eaten/9852966|title=Anthony Bourdain took us on a journey of the world — often by eating really strange things|last=Collett|first=Michael|date=2018-06-09|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref> in the same city.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/adventures-in-the-food-trade/article25294617/|title= Adventures in the food trade | first= Shawna| last= Richer |work= [[The Globe And Mail]] | date= April 6, 2002 |access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref> But these are considered adventurous food according to Vietnamese standard.

In Korea, [[Sannakji]] is the preparation of live octopus that has been cut into small pieces or prepared whole, and served with its arms still squirming.<ref name="7 animals" /> The octopus from which the tentacles are cut is usually dead by the time of serving; however, the animal's highly innervated limbs continue to writhe due to continuing nerve activity.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-05-14 |title=Clash of culture? Sannakji angers US animal activists |url= https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2022/06/419_65910.html |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=[[The Korea Times]] |language=en}}</ref>

[[Sea urchin]]s are prized as a delicacy in many places worldwide (particularly in [[Japan]], [[France]], [[South Korea]], [[Chile]], [[New Zealand]], the [[Philippines]], [[Italy]], [[Spain]], the [[Mediterranean]],<ref>{{Cite report |authorfirst1= Guðmundur| last1= Stefánsson |author2 first2= Holly |last2= Kristinsson |author3 first3= Nikoline |last3= Ziemer |author4 first4= Colin| last4= Hannon |author5first5= Philip |last5= James| display-authors=3 |date=October 2017 |title=Markets for Sea Urchins: A Review of Global Supply and Markets |url= http://www.matis.is/media/matis/utgafa/10-17-Sea-Urchin-Market-Report.pdf | website= matis.is |publisher=Matís |id=10-17 |pages=3, 11}}</ref> and [[North America]])<ref>{{Citationcite journal |last1=Sun|first1=Jenny |last2=Chiang |first2=Fu-Sung |title=Use and Exploitation of Sea Urchins|date=2015-11-01| url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315759136 |workjournal= [[Echinoderm Aquaculture]] |pages=25–45|doi=10.1002/9781119005810.ch2 |isbn=9781119005810 | via= researchgate.net | access-date=2020-03-18|last2=Chiang|first2=Fu‐Sung}}</ref> for their briny-flavoured [[gonads]]. The gonads are often eaten raw, such as in [[sushi]] (typically called [[uni (food)|uni]]),. and someSome people prefer to eat them immediately after they are cut open.{{cn|date= February 2023}} Scissors are often used to avoid the protective spines whilst cutting the animal open. The gonads do not move, even when taken from the live animal.<ref name="7 animals" />

In China, [[drunken shrimp]] is a dish that can be served live, although it can also be prepared with dead shrimp.<ref>{{Cite web| url= http://shanghaiist.com/2013/03/23/off_the_beaten_palate_live_drunken/|title=Off the Beaten Palate: Live drunken shrimp|date=2013-03-23|website=Shanghaiist.com |language=en-US| access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref> When served live, the shrimp, usually 10 per serving, are first doused in a strong liquor which makes them less likely to struggle while being swallowed and also creates a flavourful [[Marination|marinade]]. A plate is typically held over the bowl to prevent the shrimp from leaping out as they are much more active than when served as [[Odori ebi]].<ref name="7 animals" /><ref name="10 animals" />

[[Odori ebi]] ("dancing shrimp") is a type of Japanese sashimi that contains young shrimp, usually only one individual per serving. The shrimp has its shell removed and sometimes its head as well. These can be deep fried and served alongside the rest of the shrimp, which is still moving its legs and [[Antennae (biology)|antennae]] while being eaten. The shrimp only dies when chewed.<ref name="10 animals">{{cite web|url=https://listverse.com/2013/03/06/10-animals-that-people-eat-alive/|title=10 animals that people eat alive |access-date website=January 4,listverse.com 2014|authorpublisher= | last= Griffen,| first= S.| year= 2013 |access-date= January 4, 2014}}</ref>

[[Oyster]]s are the most common animal eaten alive, as it is generally their state when served raw.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/raw-oysters-still-alive_n_592582f3e4b0ec129d31130b|title=Just FYI, Raw Oysters Are Alive Until You Eat Them|date=2017-05-25|website=HuffPost.com |language=en|access-date=2020-03-18}}</ref><ref name="7 animals" />

[[File:Casu Marzu cheese.jpg|thumb|[[Casu marzu]] is, a traditional [[Sardinia]]n [[sheep milk]] [[cheese]] that contains insect [[larva]]e.]]

[[Casu marzu]] is a traditional Sardinian [[sheep milk]] [[cheese]], notable for containing live insect [[larva]]e. It is found almost exclusively in [[Sardinia]], Italy. Casu marzu goes beyond typical [[fermentation (food)|fermentation]] to a stage most would consider [[decomposition]], brought about by the [[digestion|digestive]] action of the larvae of the [[Piophilidae|cheese fly]] ''[[Piophila casei]]''. These larvae are deliberately introduced to the cheese. The cheese received attention on ''[[Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern]]''. Zimmern described the taste of the cheese as "so ammoniated" that "...it scorches your tongue a bit." The cheese is known to leave an aftertaste for a duration of up to several hours.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfzPzPkSX3s |title=Video "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Sardinia season 6" |publisher=YouTube.com |date=2011-07-15 |access-date=2014-08-01}}</ref> Similar milk cheeses notable for containing living insect larvae are produced in several Italian regions.<ref>{{cite web|author publisher= Comuni italianiItaliani|url=http://www.comuni-italiani.it/14/enogastronomia.html|title=Cacie' punt|access-date=30 April 2011|work=www. comuni-italiani.it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author publisher=Prodotti tipici |url= http://www.prodottitipici.com/prodotto/0188/formaggio-saltarello.htm|title=Formaggio saltarello|access-date=30 April 2011|format=PDF|publisher website=prodottitipici.com|work=www. prodottitipici.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Prodotti tipici|url=http://www.prodottitipici.com/prodotto/10368/Pecorino-Marcetto.htm| title=Pecorino marcetto|access-date=30 April 2011|format=PDF|publisher website= prodottitipici.com |workpublisher=www.prodottitipici.com Prodotti tipici |access-date=30 April 2011}}</ref>

According to the [[Talmud]], the sixth [[Noahide Law]] ({{lang-he|שבע מצוות בני נח}} ''Sheva mitzvot B'nei Noach'', |lit. "=Seven Laws [of the] Children [of] Noah"|translit=Sheva mitzvot B'nei Noach}}) sets out a moral and religious imperative not to eat of a live animal. The [[Tosefta]] contains more explicit language on the subject, stating not to eat "a limb torn from a living animal".

As a [[Noahide Law]], this law is said to apply to all the "children of [[Noah]]"—that is, all of humanity—as a requirement to ensure a place in the [[World to Come#Jewish eschatology|World to Come (''Olam Ha-Ba'')]]. The laws of [[Kashrut]], on the other hand, set out additional regulations which are binding upon Jews only.

* [[Goldfish Swallowingswallowing]], a school fad in 1930s American high schools and colleges