Sea Kitty? No ... See Fish
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 10:44PM 
The fine folks of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA) have done it again.
In hopes it will render the practice of catching, cooking, or eating fish unpalatable, they've announced that they want everyone to begin using the euphemism "sea kitty" when referring to the scaly, finny, slimy, swimming critters.
Imagine sitting down at Red Lobster and ordering baked sea kitty with lemon, accompanied by a house salad and baked potato. Distinctly warm and fuzzy, no? I'd be looking for hairs on my fork and the rim of my water glass.
Talk about lost in translation.
What's next ... in an effort to curb chicken consumption, shall we begin saying "land puppy" when referring to creatures of the poultry persuasion?
Picture it! You pull into the drive-through lane at Chick-fil-A, mouth watering in anticipation of that heavenly soft, fresh, piping hot sandwich.
You arrive at a gigantic sign listing all the choices. You stare in bafflement. When the speaker thingie crackles to life and you hear "W_ _ _ ome to Ch_ _ _k-_ _ _-A, ma_ I _ake y_ _r _ _ d_r?" you are forced to holler: "Give me two regular land puppy sandwiches with extra pickles, an order of waffle fries, and a large lemonade."
Talk about lost in translation.
And who's going to bat on behalf of swine? Perhaps PeTA can strong-arm Cracker Barrel into offering "sty teddy" instead of bacon with its Old Timer's Breakfast. Road-weary diners, upon reading the menu, are bound to feel so much compassion for pigs that they'll order extra fried apples instead.
A hamburger is one of my favorite things. No matter what PeTA says, there's nothing unethical about eating a hamburger. Even if every last person in the world begins calling a beef patty "farm bunny" I'll still order mine well done, garnish it with mustard, ketchup, and pickle relish, add a slab of Vidalia onion, and consume it with great gusto. Don't forget the fries.
Y'all. Please. A fish is a fish, no matter what you call it ... and so is a chicken, a pig, and a cow. God created animals -- all sorts of them -- for lots of different reasons, not the least of which is to feed hungry people. Killing them to utilize them as food is NOT immoral and is most certainly NOT inherently inhumane.
Not to mention, tens of millions of people in the United States of America rely on the food industry for their livelihood. Would PeTA have those folks (and their helpless children) starve and go homeless, while all animals remained untouched?
If that were the case, eventually there would be so many animals, they themselves would starve. Will PeTA be happy when America -- and the world -- is a desolate landscape dotted with the corpses of people and animals who died because it was deemed "unethical" to eat a tunafish sandwich, a fried chicken leg, or a hamburger?
Never mind; we are on the road to a sad war of attrition. Eventually, thanks to PeTA and their hyper-liberal ilk, we'll choke on political correctness and won't be able to swallow a morsel of salmon or steak even if we had the appetite for it. Maybe then, they will be satisfied.
But I doubt it.
Reader Comments (11)
We were talking about this at work today. Those PETA people are crazy!
PETA don't care about people, Jenny, and since their avowed intention is to abolish all pet ownership from the face of the earth, and have been accused of destroying hundreds (if not more) healthy animals rather than find them homes, I seriously doubt if they actually care about animals either.
What I want to know is this: when are the animal rights organisations going to start being outraged about silk production? It's pretty cruel boiling the caterpillars alive just so you can get longer staple silk, but I have yet to hear of an organisation getting concerned about that - quite the opposite! Silk is often billed as a very 'green' fibre.
@ Mari ... I can't think of a better word than "crazy" ... that certainly sums it up!
@ Jay ... Oh, I know. It gets so complicated. I doubt very much that if you got into the minds of some of those wackos, you'd find anything but pure confusion. I LOVE animals ... always have, always will ... and would sooner cut off my hands than abuse one. But it is patently absurd to translate that into an inability to separate food animals (and their obvious purpose) from domesticated pets! Without folks being willing to support their pets and meet their needs, what would the poor beasts DO? I shudder to think. You're so right: PeTA don't care about people OR animals.
These people are insane. Do they really think renaming "fish" a name we identify with a household pet will matter?
First off, many people grew up having a pet fish. Many people STILL have fish as pets. If the actual act of having a fish as a pet doesn't sway people from eating fish, what good will renaming "fish" to sound like a DIFFERENT household pet do??
Secondly, how does PeTa explain catfish? The thing is named after a cat and even has whiskers that make it look like a cat. People still eat it, though.
Mmmmm, you are making me HUNGRY! I admit it, I am a carnivore. My granddad ran a hog farm (back when they were given room to roam and such, not stuffed in to little cages!) and I used to go in the barn, play with the little baby pigs, scratch the pigs' backs with a stick, which they loved, even tell them stories!(Charlotte's Web, and one I made up called "Pig Etiquette" in particular), and still I could go in the house and enjoy a pork steak, ham or bacon without guilt. So I don't care what you call fish - I'm still having tuna for lunch today! (However, I wish the meat farmers would stop putting such weird things in the animals' feed, it makes the meat taste weird too! that's what would stop me eating meat). (Sorry for the long-winded comment)
I have heard that people in India do not eat cows and maybe other animals because they believe that the spirit of their ancestor went into the animal when they died. Consequently, that is why there are people with no food. I don't know if that is true in today's India or not but I heard that story from missionaries.
When people do not know or accept the true God and His Word, they do not think correctly hence causing them to lose out on a good meal.
I enjoyed your post!
Blessings,
Cheryl
No, they will never be satisfied till everyone is dead but them (liberals). So pathetic. I'm tired of them always shoving their rules down everyone's throat. And if you don't agree you are narrowminded..gimme a break. Great post!
Kev, as usual you raise some interesting questions! And as usual, you're right. PeTA's entire premise is faulty, and their argument is ridiculous. And yet they get air time. Go figure.
Tracie, I would love to read Pig Etiquette in installments! And I'll bet those pigs did appreciate your keeping them such fine company! You're right about the funny taste in some meat, and don't ever apologize about the length of a comment!
Cheryl, you're exactly right ... setting up "sacred cows" apart from the True and Living God just causes problems, not the least of which is spiritual, emotional, and physical starvation! It is so tragic that they practice this in India while so many starve.
Audrey, I'm willing to be "tolerant" as long as it's not at the expense of common sense! Unfortunately when it comes to what these folks try to shove down our throats, the two seem to be mutually exclusive. Libs don't care about people (or animals) any more than the wackos at PeTA do.
You are so funny! I truly enjoyed this post. Love your writing. I totally do NOT understand PETA. Thanks for your visit to my place. Enjoyed my visit here. Have a great week!
Some readers may be a tad offended, but I wrote a letter to PETA about their campaign (they'll receive it next week). It will post on my blog before that (the 19th). In it, I have a totally male answer to this latest campaign of theirs (which, after the switching types of milk for ice cream, makes perfect male sense).
Again, no offense meant, 'cept to PETA ;-)
@ Cheryl ... thanks luv. I enjoyed your blog as well and I'll be back!
@ SF ... oh boy ... I wouldn't miss this for the world! Nobody can phrase it like you, my friend. The 19th, you say? Reserve me a front-row seat and just so you know, I like my popcorn with extra butter! And an ice-cold Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi! *nosh nosh chuckle*