Xtreme Cuisine

While reading Xtreme Cuisine, by Stephen Lemons, I couldn’t stop thinking about the correlation of this satirical commentary and how the upper echelon of the culinary world has had the tendency to become more concentrated on the ability to serve flavorful but extremely rare, and endangered delicacies over the ability to have a quality, flavorful, and sustainable food source and the history of our food. An entire sub culture of foodies has flourished around the desire for the items in this fictitious article.
What may seem normal to some may be extreme for others like Spice Encrusted Bear Tenderloin Roast, served with Seahorse soup. Dishes like these are quite common in China, but you won’t find it in the western world. Or can you? According to This article you can find foods like Penguin, Seal Sushi, Whole Pygmy Owls, Endangered Sea Turtles and their eggs, the center of the protected Saguaro Cactus, Dog Meat, Sea Lion pot roast, Monkeys, and even Human Flesh right here in America, these are just a few of the controversial ingredients mentioned in this article, but of course you have to know someone like chef Kaz Yamamoto to prepare them for you at an establishment like Le Menu. They seem to correlate to some of Americas real and current culinary controversies over the wide spread use of items such as Foie Gras, Kobe Beef, Quail, and Veal.
Personally I believe that so long as the food source is not endangered and we are not doing harm to our environment, we can utilize this source as long as it does not becomes endangered or harm the environment. I have no reservations about eating Quail, Donkey, Veal, Sheep, Snake, Dog, Seahorse, and Foie Gras just to name a few. These food sources are not endangered, and the “level cruelty” is the same as any other domesticated livestock. They taste great without sacrificing any quality. But I have to draw the line with Sea Turtles, Monkeys, Penguins, Sea Lions, Owls, and Human Flesh is definitely out of the question. What gives someone the desire to want to eat another human is beyond me, and another short paper all in itself.
I can’t say that I have a problem with the people that enjoy these meats, in fact to a certain extent I understand. However this article makes me wonder about the future of ingredient choices becoming a slippery slope. The foods we eat on a daily basis by the common folk of america probably do not include the Veal or Foie Gras or even snails. The fact that chefs are on a constant pursuit to come up with the next new big thing pushes their egos desire for recognition so much that some chefs try for shock factor when creating their menu. Sales of game meats are on the rise thanks to celebrity chefs and their dinning establishments. This shows that the general public must have an interest if not a desire for more than just cows and chickens, if thats what they are still called.
In a strange way this article makes me think about the possible domestication of some of these endangered species solely for use as a food source. If we did such a thing as adding farm raised penguin, and organic fed free range zebra to our menus and supermarket butchers case, would the everyday gourmand learn how to appreciate and prepare these meats for use on a regular basis. Specialized farms to provide Joshua Tree and Saguaro Cactus to make delicious side items for your Braised Bear Butt. We need to get a handle on our endangered and rare food sources before poachers exhaust and literally ruin our very chances at creating truly extreme cuisines. The term “Endangered Species” applies to our plants and animals, but it really has to do with our food as well.