Why do we tend to eat meat only from animals that don't usually eat meat themselves?
by 
wickedwillie
ANSWERS: 9
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The Abrahamic religions have specific rules for which animals are edible and which ones aren't-- observant Jews and Muslims follow these rules very carefully. Christianity has made some changes (Christians eat pork and do not keep kosher per se), but they still have the same roots. One of the rules is that, regarding land animals, humans should only eat those which have split hooves and multi-chambered stomachs. The fact of having a multi-chambered stomach means that the animal is an herbivore and doesn't eat meat. Now, as for why we should restrict ourselves to multi-chambered stomachs and vegetarian animals... "Because God says so" will satisfy some people, but not others. I believe that the rule originates from some idea about hygiene, that animals who have eaten and digested other dead animals will be less "clean" and therefore not appropriate for us to eat. Do any of the more scientifically inclined members of the community want to pick up the ball from here?
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According to Jared Diamond in his book "Guns, Germs and Steel", not all animals are suitable for domesitcation. One factor that can make an animal unsuitable for domestication is termperment - many carnivores such as tigers and mongooses (mongeese?) are much more aggressive than herbivores. Today, few carnivorous animals are raised for food. I think the biggest exception is some fish. As an aside, in modern agriculture, many animals that are naturally herbivorous recieve some animal protein in their diet. So technically, nowadays many chickens and pigs do eat meat....
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...following on - some of the Abrahamic food hygeine rules represent a degree of pragmatic caution for tribal societies living in the bronze age middle east with primative food preservation and no refrigeration. It probably started out as a guidance document, but who reads and fiollows them? Straight in the bin like modern day guidance on how much alcohol to drink now! It's much easier to enforce and police stricter black and white 'rules'. Butchering carnivores with semi-digested meat in their stomachs would almost certainly result in cross-contamination of more harmful bacteria cultures and an increased chance of food poisoning. So the Leviticus based thinking would nudge towards eating animals that themselves eat safe food. Both pork and shellfish are also perhaps the most liable of meats to grow food poisoning bacteria such as salmonella, especially in the hot environment of pre-biblical Palestine. So again the Leviticus based thinking would 'recommend' not eating these foods.
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Herbivores tend to be more peaceful animals, and more easily domesticated by the selfish humans that want to eat them. There is also less chance of the animal murderers being attacked by their victims. Meat from predators is usually said to not taste as good.
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There are many reasons. But the decisive factors here are actually economic. It's works out like this: in the case of herbavores, animal husbantry is more effecient than hunting. But in the case of carnivores, hunting is actually more effecient than attempting to house the animals is. It all comes down to expense. If you were to attempt to house and raise carnivores for food, not only would it cost you much more than housing herbavores would, you would also need to aquire other animals to feed to them. Thus, you would be raising another set of animals just to feed the carnivores. This is highly ineffecient. Your carnivore meat would have to sell for many times what comparable herbavore meat sells for. That's a tough sell in a free marketplace.
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Thats the way the food chain generally goes. Look at big predator animals, like lions or tigers. Their food source are herbatory animals.
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think of it this way...we are eating what that animal ate/what they get their nutrients from...do you want to eat a vulture who's body has been nurished with roadkill and other forms of decaying flesh? i won't eat catfish because of what their diet is...look at what pigs eat...the Bible really knows what it's talking about when it talks about what is good for us.
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Because most of the animals that can be domesticated don't eat meat usually. +4
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Most animals will eat meat, is given the opportunity yo...
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