Are there still cannibals out there? If you had to, could you eat someone?

I worry about Kuru.

I seem to remember some fine, young ones, but that was some time ago.

To answer the first question, there sure are. I remember an episode of Going Tribal (a show I miss greatly) in which he visits a cannibalistic tribe. The tribe in question only consumed bodies if they were soldiers from the other tribe, and they had greatly wronged the consumers (such as having killed a family member).

I could eat human, sure. I couldn’t bring myself to kill somebody for food, though.

@AstroChuck She drives me crazy.

Depends, what do humans taste like?

Supposedly, pork.

NO WAY JOSE

@pdworkin In that case, I’ll take the athletes :)

No way! Unless my life literally depended on it, as it did with the Andes plane crash several years ago. And then I’d have to absolutely force myself to do it.

The Korowai people of Papua New Guinea are the only people who it is believed still practice cannibalism.

I am not sure whether I could eat another human or not. If it meant the difference between life and death I’m sure I would give it some serious consideration.

This question reminds of my sister’s favorite joke:

Why don’t cannibals eat clowns?
Because they taste funny!

@jbfletcherfan I recently watched a wonderful documentary about the Andes plane disaster in 1973. It interviewed a number of the surviving passengers who spoke very intelligently and articulately about their experience. I am quite sure that all of them, prior to the crash, would have gagged at the thought of eating human flesh but circumstances prevailed and the only way they could survive was to eat the flesh of those who had died in the disaster. The documentary is called Stranded and I thoroughly recommend it to all. I would not describe it as morbid or voyeuristic but it is a hugely challenging film and reminds us that sometimes life presents situations in which we behave in ways we may have thought totally beyond us. although a work of fiction, the same concept is inherent in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding

If my life depended on it, I could totally eat a person. Killing them would be almost impossible for me, I think, but the eating part wouldn’t be so terrible.
But I wouldn’t do it if I had other options.

Well, we ARE all made of meat…

I don’t think most of us really have any idea what we’d be capable of if it were a question of absolute survival. I have read a lot about what people did to survive under the Khmer Rouge regime, and many of them are things we think we could never do, but those were ordinary people like us until they were subjected to extreme privation. I think we’d behave about the same.

@Likeradar We are the opposite in that respect: if my life depended on it, I wouldn’t turn the other cheek. But I wouldn’t be able to eat the other person, not even if my lief depended on it. Live and Lurve.

@Adagio Very interesting. Thanks.

@Jeruba You are SO right. You don’t know what you’d do until confronted with a situation like that.

If I had to, I figure I would do just about anything.

In Ancient China, during times of famine, war, or repression, sometimes families would trade children so they wouldn’t have to kill their own to eat.

@majorrich Noooooo. Please tell me you’re joking!!! :-(

I believe it.

It breaks my heart to tell you it happened, and very probably still happens. I weep for the mothers.

Could I get that on a bagel with cream cheese, a slice of red onion and some capers? Take your time….I want to finish this joint. See ya….Gary/wtf

It is not necessary to go back to Ancient China. Cannibalism was rampant in the USSR during the Stalin-produced famines when he “collectivized” the farms and exterminated the Kulaks. Many people were reduced to eating members of their own families, particularly children,

I think here in the US, probably wild-life, then the neighbors annoying dog would be meat.

If I absolutely had to eat human to survive, I’m pretty damn sure I would. I don’t believe I’d be able to kill someone, but if they were already dead… yep.

@augustlan I wonder how long a person can be dead for until they’re not worth eating. How long after death is it safe?

Cannibals must love Domino’s. Not for the pizza, but for the delivery guy. Thirty minutes or he’s free.

@Likeradar Unless it were freezing outside, I’d guess human flesh wouldn’t have a very long shelf life.

Rare, Medium, or Well Done?

I could, and would. The best place to starteating would be the buttocks or breasts, because of the high energy. Then move onto the thighs and upper arms. Then finish up the legsfrom the knees down, arms from the elbows down. You can scoop out the brain, it’s greasy but nutricious. The heart, liver and eyes are all good snacks, the eyes are best for when your thirsty. You can also drink the blood, it’s very delicious, but you need to do it soon, because it will start to clot. Throw out the intestines, but keep the stomach. Dry it out, work it until leathery and use it as a food or water bag. You can save the skin, and the muscles from fingers and feet and use this all as beef jerky. Save the skull and bones to fashion tools out of, the phemers make a very good club, and the spine is good to make makeshift dice, so you have something to do.

@XOIIO Free for dinner tonight?

Absolutely! We can split up astrochucks lurve after.

He he. <<nervous laughter>>

Don’t eat AstroChuck! He’s only 6! He’s barely got any meat on his bones! Do not assume this means I am offering myself.

Most likely not, I get sick when I try to choke down foods I think smell bad or have a weird texture.

If we bone Astrochuck out, he would probably be good for stewing, Throw in lots of garlic, some onions, potatos and carrots. Hmmmmmmm… I do have some stew beef in the frig. Dinner is planned.

I just bought a very large KitchenAide slow cooker. No recipes for Long Pig, however.

Hey, I’m right here, guys.

Yup.. there you are! heh heh heh (maniacal rubbing of hands)

I call the thighs!

@pdworkin Slow food good.

“Alive”