[Gpdd] MISC: Guinea Pigs as food

[Ana-Luisa Franco-Garay]

Having being originally born in Central America (although i have not lived
there for 20 years now!) i must agree with other's who have identified the
guinea pig as a delicacy in these countries. I have never, and probably will
never eat guinea pigs. However i am aware that members of my family have
eaten them, although they were certainly not pets. My family has kept guinea
pigs as pets for years and would never use one of them for food. It is also
not a common food, at least for my family. In many of these countries meat,
be it cow, sheep, pig is expensive and so guinea pigs provide a good,
affordable alternative to the protein needed in the diet.

I understand the person who was worried that if guinea pigs became a popular
food in the US that shelters may be in danger, but i dont believe that
people would want to buy their food from a shelter. I don't believe many
people would go to a shelter or a pound to choose any other animal to eat...

I understand some people would still feel strongly about this issue,
especially if they are vegetarian but i tend to think that it won't be an
appealing addition to the diet for AMericans, just as i believe that
Australians would shudder at the thought of eating a cute little guinea pig.