You! Drop The Live Animal!

Laws.
Torah.
7 to be exact.
Some make sense.
Some don't.
Universal?

Yeah, but hey, just don't eat the limb of a live animal pal - leave off of Kermit!

In today's budding Noahide World, there are many pundits and would be "the next biggest thing" to make a splash in Noahide lore, and truth be told, it is a rather interesting field of research.

Some areas of law are controversial, theoretical, practical, boring, edge-worthy, novel, draconian, etc. etc. I, like most people, love closure and resolution to a good Torah challenge, and I find it far and few between that the classic Torah sources fail to deliver the knock-out blow to people's quandaries within the scope of law or philosophy within Noahide/Ger. But I must say, that my efforts of mastering the live limb issue have become a sort of Red Heifer; it has totally captivated me, and I believe it is an endless journey of self-discovery in Noahide Torah Universally, one that ironically is the most probable to come from left field.

So here it is: the live limb - eat it and die.

There is the Rambam on this [straight forward] and then you have some other Rishonim offering their views on fish and birds [etc.]

What about the live frog or squid? Logic says its wrong, and the writings speak of wrong due to a lack of refinement which is the scope of the law, just not Biblically [maybe].

This will be an on-going project, and the ways of the World seem eager to ever-provide the material in developing Noahide Law. The East does things the West would not dream of, and vice versa. Culture exists, and the Torah refines it - yet it must be done to sanctify God in Truth.

Now live frogs - yes or no? You be the judge - and I mean that literally; it's time.


FoxNews.com:

We know you like your food fresh but there is such a thing as too fresh! While most people balk at the idea of eating lobster because it’s cooked alive moments before it’s served, some people actually prefer their dinner to be alive and trying to escape from their mouths between bites.

Eating live food is considered a real delicacy in some parts of the world. Live-food connoisseurs actually believe the meat tastes better if the animal is still alive, partly alive, or taking its final breaths before you eat it. And it doesn’t come cheap either: depending on the dish, and how difficult it is to subdue and prepare your entrée before it’s served, restaurants around the world tend to charge you top dollar to sample these living treats.

Eating live animals is not new for us. Many cultures eat live insects as a staple source of protein in their diets. In fact, scientist believe as the world’s population approaches 8 billion people, we'll likely be eating insects a lot more to meet our growing food needs.

Throughout history humans have eaten dishes containing living animals  in Medieval England chefs were constantly trying to outdo each other with the kinds of live animals they could bake into dishes.

These days many countries ban these dishes for ethical reasons — it’s considered animal cruelty or torture to have a chopped-up, but still breathing animal on your plate. Other countries are more relaxed with what’s considered ‘animal cruelty’, particularly Southeast Asia where many of these dishes are seafood related.

In Japan you can eat a fish dish that’s chopped into pieces and arranged on your plate while the fish is still alive and breathing. China does its own version of the dish called yin yang fish where the body of the fish is flash-fried and is served alive and with the head still gasping for air. In Denmark you can still eat live insects, but this time they’re flavored and used in a salad.

Some dishes are only for the truly brave, others just require you to suspend your inner cringe-response to eating a living, moving meal. Read on to see what kinds of animals are eaten alive around the world.

• 1Fruit Bat Soup

  
  

  The Daily Meal/Raquel C. Bagnol
  On the tiny island of Guam, in the western Pacific Ocean, locals like to indulge in a little “kå'kå'du fanihidu fanihi”, a meat dish made with a fox or fruit bat in a coconut milk soup. The still-living bat is nabbed from the wild, rinsed off, and popped into a boiling vat of water, wings, fur, and head intact, and boiled alive before being served up with a dash of coconut milk and vegetables (if you’re lucky). You’re meant to eat everything except the bones and teeth. While the bat is technically dead (or in the final throes of death) when served, the abundant parasites and bacteria it contains are certainly not. There are some serious diseases that can be passed along to humans from this dish so eat it with care, if you choose to eat it at all.

• 2Frog Sashimi

  
  

  The Daily Meal/Flickr/holaesteeselcorreodeleo
  This dish takes eating frog legs to an entirely new level. In some eastern countries, mainly China, Vietnam and Japan, you can eat live frogs served up filleted with their hearts still beating (and occasionally while their limbs are still moving). The dish is a delicacy and uses special bullfrogs raised for cooking. There are many ways to make the dish but this is usually how it’s prepared: the frogs are still alive when you order them, then they’re sliced open on a plate and disemboweled while alive. Certain parts are removed and boiled in a broth, the rest is sliced as sashimi and served on the frog. For the record, this is not a meal for the squeamish. It’s all done in front of you while you’re waiting for your meal and you eat the frog complete with beating heart and flailing limbs. The dish has been called out for animal cruelty and it is banned in many countries.

• 3Jumping Shrimp

  
  

  The Daily Meal/Flickr/Kwong Eats
  Odori Ebi and Drunken Shrimp are dishes from Japan and China respectively, and both involve eating the sea-animal while parts of it are still alive. Odori Ebi removes the shell of baby shrimp and deep fries the body — it’s traditionally eaten while the legs and antenna are still moving, but if this is a little too disconcerting you can try dipping it in some sake first, the alcohol intoxicates it long enough for you to chew it to death.

• 4Chilled Ants

  
  

  The Daily Meal/Flickr/Bruceheavin
  Copenhagen-based restaurant Noma apparently thinks it’s a good idea to put ants in a salad — their patrons seem to agree and are willing fork out $300 for a plate. The ants, dished up with a dollop of crème fraîche, are offered as a crunchy, gluten-free alternative to croutons and taste like ginger, cilantro, and lemongrass. And don’t worry too much about them escaping your plate, they are chilled before serving so they’re a little groggy and move slower.

Posted in: Noahide Law