"Save the neck for me, Clark"

If you are Italian, and living in Italy, but speak English (because the article was written in it), then no doubt you've read in the Times Online that renowned chef, Beppe Bigazzi, known to his friends as "Beppe le Pew", landed himself in hot water (HA!) with a public endorsement of a recipe for stewed cat.

What is the world coming to when you can't stand up proudly and say in a clear, steady voice, "What ho there Italy, how 'bout some fricasseed feline?"  Just makes me sick.  I'll lay 100 to 8 that Chef Beppe knows exactly how Jonathan Swift felt after he published A Modest Proposal.  I mean, you let slip that a plump infant is a "delicious, nourishing and wholesome food" and everybody's got an opinion.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I'm not comparing babies to cats.  It'd be like comparing dolphins to puppies, and we all know that the preparation and cooking times vary greatly for each.  I'm just saying that Beppe could be endorsing a far more controversial dish.  Tastier, undoubtedly, but far more inappropriate.

So before you cast the first stone, consider your own lives.  Is killing a cat for food morally any different than slaughtering cows, lambs, pigs, manatees, fish, prisoners, chickens or pandas?  I rest my case.