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The chicken flu epidemic is horrible because of
the shortage of meat in Cambodia. Many people over there love meat, especially
chicken, so it is a tragedy that the sick chickens are in turn infecting people.
Because of the meat craving, a substitute had to be found! Many were discussed:
cats, dogs, horses, cows, elephants, monkeys. However, none of those seemed
realistic because of their relative scarcity, especially the latter two. As a
result, rats were chosen.
Chicken has long been an accepted meat source,
but rat? The very idea makes one want to grimace. Whereas chickens, although
ugly, are relatively clean animals and take care of their bodies and abodes rats
are one of the filthiest mammals known to mankind. They root around in trash,
eat old, rotten sneakers and coffee dregs. They live in slums and everything old
and worn out.
The very idea of eating rat meat in place of
chicken is revolting to many residents of Cambodia. Chicken, when cooked, smells
wonderful, especially when combined with the aroma of carrots and potatoes or
some other delectable assortment. Rat, on the other hand, smells like burning
rubber and sulfur mixed together. Few people can even stand to eat rat, merely
because of the mindset taking place in order to actually chew swallow this
"other white meat".
Both chicken and rat meat are white, but the
comparison stops there. Chicken meat is savory and aromatic, but rat meat is
hard and tough like leather, and smells about as good as rotten eggs steeped in
vinegar.
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