So I met this amazingly educated woman at work today. She's very smart, knowledgeable about all kinds of cultures as she's lived in many parts of the world. But something shocked me a bit to be honest. We were talking about her home country Argentina and I mentioned that in Bolivia they have lots of lamas and suddenly she tells me casually that in Argentina they make BBQs with lamas. Aren't lamas a protected animal species? I was quite shocked that such a developed, quite rich country as Argentina doesn't have punitive sanctions against this.
Protected how? They are not endangered, if that is what you mean. There are some cultures that use them for meat.
Yes, I meant endangered. I thought they were scarce. Still weird though to eat such a precious animal. They are so rare in the rest of the world. They only live in South America, so by that reasoning they are scarce. I was a bit shocked when she told me lamas are eaten in Argentina on the barbeque. I thought they only used them for wool and stuff like that. I wonder what it would taste like to be fair.
Argentina is far from rich. Their GDP per capita is less than $10,000 U.S. dollars. In comparison, the wealthiest nations have GDPs per capita above $50,000. Llamas are domesticated. They're bred like cows.
As far as I am aware, llamas are far from rare. It'd be like Argentinians being shocked about you eating mutton. Llamas are the Argentenian equivalent of mutton.
Argentina was wealthy a century ago, but populist coups and mismanagement dragged them back down into the ranks of developing countries.
The Lama The one-l lama, He's a priest; The two-l llama, He's a beast. And I will bet A silk pajama There isn't any Three-l lllama. -Ogden Nash
This guy was walking down the beach at a state park, carrying two burlap sacks. A game warden stops him and asks what was in the bags. Man: Seagulls. Ranger: What? Man: Yes, sir. Two dead seagulls. Ranger: You can't do that. They're protected on a state beach! What were you going to do with them? Man: Well, sir, I lost my job and my home. My family is over there in the SUV we now live out of. I was going to cook and eat these two birds Ranger: You can't do that. It's illegal. In fact, possession is a thousand-dollar fine--per bird! Man: Please, Mr Ranger, don't fine me. We're in pretty bad shape as it is. Ranger: Okay, I understand. I tell you what, I'll skip the fines, but I have to confiscate the birds. Man: Thank you, sir. I really appreciate it. It won't happen again. Ranger: Fine. Off you go. Oh, one more thing: what does seagull taste like? Man: Oh, I'd say it's a cross between a spotted owl and a bald eagle. <rimshot>