Around the world there are many foods that western peoples simply will not eat. North Americans only find a very few food types palatable. That is when compared to what is eaten throughout the world. One also has to wonder if western peoples would continue to eat cows and chickens if they were to see the slaughtering process.

Inhabitants of the west love lobster. The cost of lobster is high both in cost and in the lives of those who fish for them. Why then do western folks not eat dogfish for example. It is actually very surprising that a bottom feeding, scrounging, garbage eating critter such as a lobster.

Perhaps we should nosh on cockroaches. Many cultures do and not just because it is all they have. Apparently, roaches are a good source of protein, as are other insects. However, westerners are disgusted by just the thought of it but a snack of salted roaches is healthier than any sugar based snack.

Insect eating is reviled by some cultures, and some folks would actually vomit at the thought. The question is why? It all boils down to one word; culture. Culture determines all the food taboos we have. Westerners grow up being told that bugs are disgusting and deserve to be either swatted or stamped on.

Other cultures might not eat certain animals on an every day basis but on select occasions there are cultures who will sacrifice and eat dogs, for example. This is not about having the dog meat as sustenance but rather it is about ceremony. It is through this ceremony context that this dog eating must be viewed.

Ceremonies are often used to appease deceased elders or gods. The dog is simply one part of the ceremony as a whole. There is also a ceremonial method in which to kill and prepare the dog. This is followed by the ceremonial eating of the lucky dog. Often these animals are seen as lucky because they get to be sent to the gods or elders.

In the end, food taboos only exist within cultures. There are no global food taboos; they are individual and often defined within groups of peoples. Folks simply need to try to be a little bit more open minded about the foods that can adorn their dinner tables. But then it is these kinds of taboos that make us human, and that is the one thing we have in common.