How'd the dogs like it Kate?

I wouldn't feed it to dogs.

Without exaggeration - it was absolutely the most revolting thing I"ve ever tasted. After spitting it out, I actually rinsed my mouth with vinegar to try to cut the persistant rancid, smoked rotten fish aftertaste.

Given its putrefactive taste and disgusting odor, it seems like it is in dire need of a Liberal advertising agency contract and, perhaps, Senate seat.

Heh! Animals taste like what they eat, to a point.
When I was a kid my family was invited over for a roast Black Bear dinner. Only problem was the goofball shot himself a bear at the dump! Ever smell burning plastic? That was the taste.

That said, the seals are a sustainable resource under proper management. By law, they're killed as humanely as possible. I don't see any problem with it.

To us real sailers, newfies are dramatic at best surreal the rest. Its just their nature. They're a loveable type but ya can't blame the messenger or the culture. Its not somethin to get deny their rum rations oer, but admit it bye... they eat weird sh**. they do.

Feed this ol salt the odd dolphin in his tuna any day but it seems common dog that a sea critter with fur can't be gastronomically trusted.

I be warnin ya and the rest of the crew Katie --unless you've been to sea, you dont know what goes on in Davy Jones' locker. I heard fish f*** in it !!

Heh, thanks Kate. I'm not surprised it's so bad: it was never even on the Iron Chef. Apperantly, even Chen Kenichi and Hiriouki Saki, the masters of turning marginal sources into food, realized they couldn't accomodate it.

Perfectly descriptive Kate.

I once worked with a Newfie who used to rhapsodise about flipper pie. Somehow, he got a handle on the necessary ingredients and invited me to join him in a feast. Fortunately, he had the other necessary aliment - a bottle of good rum with which to wash away the gawdawful taste. Rum was never more appreciated.

I have a humble proposal: capture Bardot, McCartney and other well-heeled twits, and force feed them some good old Newfoundland fare. Turn them from seal lovers to seal haters it would.

McCartney et al. are all likely in New Zealand protesting the bunny hunt during Easter, n'est pas?

Let us not forget, though, that Newfoundland has never been rich in non-aquatic sustinence resources, much like the Japanese, so like the Iron Chefs, they maximize the value of what they do have. Eschewing waste is a noble tradition; that's why I celebrate sausage.

my aunt fed me seal one day. it wasn't rancid. killed and butchered the same day. it didn't appeal to me either. it tasted too much like cod liver oil and i couldn't get over the mental aspect of red meat that tasted like fish oil. she also introduced me to beef tongue, which i thought delicious until i discovered its origin. i also eat eggs.

Vitruvius:

Our cat Buster comes in with mice, birds, and the odd rat. How about some sausage?

Now you know why Krauts always keep a stein of beer around.

I don't know why I would want rancid cod laden sealmeat, when I can get fresh cod from some fine Newfie fishermen.

I always thought seal pre chewed fish, half way down the digestive tract wasn't particularly inviting.

I like to skip the middle predators myself, and dine on the whole fish before some other beast gets to it. Sloppy seconds just doesn't cut it in most fine restaurants and the Canada Food Guide may have something to say about letting other carnivores pre chew your meal, not to mention getting the odd snarl from the aforesaid carnivore.

Truly canadians are not often seen dining with seals; although they may share the same skin on a cold winter's night.

The polar bear sleeps in his little bear skin

He sleeps very well I am told.

Last night I slept in my little bare skin;

And I got a heck of a cold.

Coats for everyone and alpo for the carcasses!
They eat salmon so we can't.

This is gastronomic fuu ny!
http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/cat_steve_dont_eat_it.php

"Without exaggeration - it was absolutely the most revolting thing I"ve ever tasted. After spitting it out, I actually rinsed my mouth with vinegar to try to cut the persistant rancid, smoked rotten fish aftertaste."

Your supposed to cook it first. LOL

Horny Toad

Thanks, but I don't like cat sausage, Hans. It's never even been on Iron Chef either.

Kate,
God bless you , you couldn't be politically correct (right-wise) if you tried! You've just given us the rawest truth in advertising! We know you support the hunt but can't be suckered into egregious approval for the edible aspect when you in fact find it revolting. Balanced fair accurate reporting-right?

Walked past the New Zealand High Commission on Haymarket today.

Again, no sign of Sir Paul or Heather or any other eco-vego-animal-rights person protesting the annual lamb cull in the Antipodes...

When I get older
Loosing my head
Those years are now
Will you still believe me
Will you still feed me
Seal meat from a can
When I'm a big bore.

You probably just had a bad serving of the stuff.

Heard on the radio driving in to work yesterday - yes, it was CBC radio - interviewing an 80+ Newfoundlander. She said they had flipper pie every day and then one day her mother picked up the flippers "pa" had dropped off, went into the backyard, dug a hole, put the flippers in and buried them. She it was the best damn flipper pie she ever had.

Ted
Cerberus

You're brave Kate, I couldn't get past the smell. I'd say describing the aroma of cooked seal as "rancid cod fish" is flattering.

JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE FROM OKKAK,
ON THE COAST OF LABRADOR,
TO UNGAVA BAY, WESTWARD OF CAPE CHUDLEIGH;

Undertaken to explore the Coast, and visit the
Esquimaux in that unknown Region.

By Benjamin Kohlmeister and George Kmoch,
Missionaries of the Church of the
UNITAS FRATRUM or UNITED BRETHREN.

...

Excerpt: Chapter XI

...
Jonas went out in his kayak, and shot a seal. We saw many, and fired at them, but got none. Whitefish were likewise seen at a distance. Uttakiyok and David were out in their kayaks, and joined us in the evening loaded with geese.

On the turn of the tide we proceeded, and at ten P.M. cast anchor among the Nocharutsits, under a pretty high island, about three or four miles in circumference. All our people remained on board during the night, which was calm and pleasant.

24th. David roused us about five o'clock, by firing at a seal, which he killed. The women went on shore to cook it with some geese. When they returned, we all breakfasted on the contents of their pot.

The Esquimaux want no books of cookery to manage their kitchen affairs. The meat is boiled with the blood in it, and the addition of some water. When it is sufficiently done, that is, according to the Ungava custom, when half warm, the women take it out of the pot, and serve it upon a piece of stone, if on shore, and on a piece of board, if at sea. Then the person, who has caught the seal or game, proclaims with great vociferation, that the MEN may come and sit down to eat. Such exertion of voice, however, seems hardly necessary, /69/ as the Esquimaux are very acute at hearing, when they are invited to dinner. When the men have done, the women sit down, having taken good care, beforehand, that their share is secured. The Esquimaux customs never permit men and women to sit down together at a meal.

It sometimes happens among the heathen Esquimaux, that several having had good success, one huntsman's-feast is hardly over, before another proclaims the invitation to his banquet. This is never suffered to pass unnoticed, while the power of cramming down another morsel remains. Thus they will continue eating, till they are scarcely able to breathe, and then lie down to sleep off the effects of their gluttony. Indeed their excessive voraciousness on such occasion produces, especially after long fasting, all the symptoms of drunkenness. They forget, under its sensual influence, all moderation, and abandon themselves to the most disgusting abominations. +
http://www.mun.ca/rels/morav/texts/ungava/chapter11.html

I ate it when I worked in the eastern arctic. It's an acquired taste. (I never quite acquired it.) But when I asked the Inuk woman sitting down to eat it across the table from me what the Inuit felt it went best with, her eyes brightened with an enthusiastic smile as she answered "ketchup!".

Richfisher, Thanks for the link to "Steve don't Eat That". I haven't laughed so much in a long time.

If animals taste like what they eat then maybe it is a good thing that we don't harvest whales (at least the seal eating kind) anymore.

BTW: The usual wink wink nudge nudge jokes not withstanding, I've also eaten beaver tail and that old water rat tastes like what you imagine a rat would taste like.

Had BBQ Muskrat once, it was iether pretty good, or I was prtty drunk...

THANK YOU to the person who posted the Steve, don't eat that! link.

It's almost better than beavertail...

Seal hunt supporters confront protesters
Apr. 13, 2006. 02:30 PM
CANADIAN PRESS

BLANC-SABLON, Que. — Police were called after supporters of Canada’s East Coast seal hunt made life miserable, and potentially dangerous, for animal rights activists who insisted Thursday they were only trying to document the start of the annual slaughter off the coast of southern Labrador. +
http://www.paulding.net/bin/url.cgi/13252.2

Maurice Strong flipped on a seal flipper today; broke his coccyx, jaw, and cane. Animule leftists actuaries gave odds for his recovery; however, they refuse to kyoto along with the media and left in a huff. VDusen jumped overboard... glug...glug..glug...

The seals swam, laughed, and flipped among the orcas for hours; the dish ran away with the spoon.

Swing that axe; chop, chop, chop, lop, lop, lop. +

Novelist scientist silenced as Harper Tories quietly axe 15 Kyoto programs

OTTAWA (CP) - A scientist with Environment Canada was ordered not to launch his global warming-themed novel Thursday at the same time the Conservative government was quietly axing a number of Kyoto programs. +
cnews

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060411/nytu106.html?.v=50

'Don't Wait for the Olympics!' Friends of Animals Tells Tourists, 'Boycott Canada Now, 'Til Seal Hunt Stops'
Tuesday April 11, 2:02 pm ET

DARIEN, Conn., April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- With Canada preparing to go full- speed ahead on its annual seal hunt, Friends of Animals today unveiled an international tourism boycott to press the Canadian government to stop the kill.

Friends of Animals president Priscilla Feral states:

"We ask people everywhere to avoid travel to Canada until its government stops this miserable seal slaughter. The government sets the kill quotas. Government funds assist the kill. These resources must be redirected to build a real economic foundation for Canada's coastal residents.

"Don't wait for the Olympics: Stay away and end this now."

The Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment reports that over $20 million in Canadian federal dollars supported seal processing between 1995 and 2001. The funds also maintain plants, cover ice-breaking support, and sustain research and marketing for seal products. In short, the seal-killing industry is propped up.

The World Tourism Organization ranks Canada among the world's top dozen travel destinations. It attracted 20 million tourists in 2002, but by 2004 was down to about 19 million. (1) To boost the industry, Ottawa spent $78 million last year on the Canadian Tourism Bureau. (2) "Obviously," Pricilla Feral stated, "Tourism, which generates tens of billions each year, is vital in a way the heavily subsidized, $16.5 million seal-pelt business is not."

Adds Feral, "Effects on the Royal Canadian Pacific Railroad, cruise lines stopping in Canada, and hotels and attractions from Niagara Falls to Calgary will ripple throughout the economy."

The boycott will place emphasis on Canada's top visitor markets -- people from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, and Australia. As hundreds of thousands work in the travel sector, the boycott will impact the Canadian people. But Canada's populace, after all, must be moved to hold its own government accountable.

Friends of Animals called on environmentalists, students, animal advocacy groups, and people on the streets to support the boycott. Says Feral: "Groups have documented and monitored the kill for too long. Forget marine mammal regulations and pretending that enforcement can make it humane. No matter how many seals are killed, it's immoral. Dying is one by one."

Once this killing ends, the group will avidly support ecologically sound travel.

"Seal watching and ecotours, launched in the 1980s through businesses such as Habitat Adventures and Travel Wild Expeditions, are a much better bet to address the province's 15% jobless rate," said Feral.

I had seal once, and I loved it. Flipper pie, mmm-mmm.

I have to disagree. I had seal meat given to me by a friend and in a stew it was delicious. Though I still can't handle Fish 'n Brews, I have found places that can cook some mean Cod Tongues!

Lost your sense of smell in the war, did you, son?

As with many foods not in common consumption, knowledge of how to cook them properly can be in short supply, and result in a bad taste (which is a subjective thing in any case). Both my parents are widely regarded as excellent cooks (ie, have a perfectly fine sense of smell), and make a fantastic flipper stew. You MUST clean all the fat deposits to prevent the flavor you encountered. Many people would still not like it, of course (and I care not a whit), but that's true of most foods, and is no reason at all to call it swill.