First, Steve Irwin’s intentions when jumping on a croc or gator’s back were not to humiliate them, obviously, and if you watched it and thought that he was unintentionally humiliating them then you were wrong. He was usually trying to move them to a safer location away from humans. I doubt they were aware enough of their appearance in front of an international tv audience to be embarrassed. Alligators aren’t self-important egomaniacs like people: they don’t go around acting like they’ve got so much going for them; they’re not ultra sensitive to embarassment. They’re just awesome natural predators. Anyway, Irwin didn’t humilate them, so it’s a moot point. Second, if you would rather be eaten than humilated, you’re clearly out of your mind.

or maybe i’ve just talked myself out of it b/c that’s so cliche, but it is pretty neutral. oil shouldn’t make a huge difference unless you tried to use extra virgin olive oil or something crazy. stick to vegetable or maybe peanut.

i actually did some internetin’ and found one site that said to be sure to clean all the fat off of the meat b/c it will not only taste more gamey (gamier??) but it will go bad quicker and therefore effect the taste of the meat. i’ve never encountered this, but that may be something that screwed up your last batch.

the gator meat that is sold in restaurants and to evryday people like you and me are raised on a farm for the single purpose of being eaten. So it’s not like they are being washed off the face of the earth for our consumption.

that guy was awesome. nor do i eat gator before a florida game, or pork before the arkansas game, or whatever. however i do eat them at random intervals whenever the hell i feel like it. its pretty nice (and tasty) here at the top of the food chain.

i also can’t wait to smoke that awesomely predatory turkey on thursday.

But I believe we all have that potential to feel strong emotions for animals, regardless of how dangerous a few particular species might be to us (if provoked).

Or, if unprovoked…

Going back 60 years, there have been 315 unprovoked alligator attacks on humans, with 22 resulting in human fatalities.

see here

that either we’re just animals that are equal to alligators, dogs, cats, etc., or we’re above them (created above them – my view – or just simply higher up on the food chain). If we’re nothing more than equal to them, then what’s the problem with us eating animals? They eat us, we should at least have the right to make the feeling mutual. If we are above them, we either have the inherent right to eat them, while also conserving what God has given us and not just butchering them for the sake of killing them (my view), or since we are merely higher on the food chain, we have the right to eat them just like a lion has the right to eat a gazelle. If it’s wrong for us to eat them, and we are nothing more than animals on a food chain, then not only do you need to convince me to quit eating animals, you also need to take your gospel message to Mr. Lion out there and explain to him why he’s so wrong for chomping on that poor gazelle. Make him a vegan. Is that not his natural environment? Well, obviously it’s not for humans either, because we’ve eaten meat for 1000s of years now, and apparently have only just now come to realize that is bad. That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

I have no problem with you not eating gator, or beef, or whatever, but it’s a personal choice. By all means let us know the nutritional benefits of that lifestyle (and there are many), but please don’t frame it in a “right vs. wrong” argument. It falls on its face regardless of one’s worldview if framed in that light.

you should take out Auburn’s eagle before the game on Friday. Or better yet, you could shoot a tiger at the local zoo. Either of those would REALLY make statements as to how loyal you are as a fan. But TRUE guts are hard to come by these days. I can see why you’d be afraid…