Is eating K'kree meat considered uncool or very tasty?

[Badenov]

A really good reason to not eat other Sophents is that it gives other Sophants the idea that they can greenlight hunting/eating YOU. Circle of Life anyone?

This came up in another thread where I mentioned that, in a book that I had recently read at the time, there was a race that ate Humans because Humans are an aphrodisiac for them.

Prime Directive by Davis Bunn.

In the early years of the K'kree, they were hunted & eaten by the carnivores on their planet. As their civilization grew the problem was taken care of, but the fear is still there. If there was a Sophant race hunting & eating them, making their fears real, that would be a war where one race is going to become a historical notation. And what about any race that gets in their way or actually sides/ally's with the G'nak that's eating them? Would the K'kree accept G'nak allies in defense of their very lives?

I think we can actually answer the Thread Title if we replace K'kree meat with Human, Aslan, Hiver, Vargr, Droyne, Other Sophent, meat.

This is kind of applies to humans also. In the early days of humanity, humans were eaten by lions and tigers and bears and sharks and such. As civilization grew, our problem was taken care of also. Mainly through our own doing, by 1) learning what not to do (wandering unarmed and alone in the woods, swimming with sharks) 2) better weapons 3) clearing land. Humans don't seem to have a lingering fear to the same degree, though. We're wary, or most people are, when those predators are around. No swimming with sharks, and no going for a jog when there's mountain lions around. Every now and again, there's someone in the news who thought those lessons don't apply to them, generally in an obituary. So the whole discussion has confused me a little. Why would anyone eat a sophont? That's Hannibal Lecter-level messed up.

 

[bookwyrm]

B

General Post in thread 'Eating Vegan in the Imperium'

Jun 30, 2024

1. Predator sophonts who see other sophants as just another meal.
2. Sophonts who eat other sophonts situationally - winner eats loser of battle for example.
3. Sophont is a 'tasty' delicacy to another sophont.
4. Sophont is a necessary medicinal source for another sophont that must be cooked and ingested orally.
5. Sophont ingests another sophont because: aphrodisiac, psionic booster, physical/mental booster, illegal drug effects...
6. I'm sure there are other reasons.

• bookwyrm

• 

It looks like I didn't accurately remember my own post.

I also had the thought of

7. Main ingredient for Anagathics.

 

[Badenov]

Most of these situations are wildly contrived to stir people up and be shocking.

1. Predator sophonts who see other sophants as just another meal.

Psychopaths. So, this happens. People like Hannibal Lecter, Jeffrey Dahmer, etc. exist, unfortunately. They're suitable as villains in plots, sure, but anyone who thinks these people are OK should turn themselves in now.

2. Sophonts who eat other sophonts situationally - winner eats loser of battle for example.

Barbaric primitive cultures. The Meso Americans' royalty ate the hearts of people who were sacrificed. No one's suggesting that this was by any means OK to do.

3. Sophont is a 'tasty' delicacy to another sophont.

How do you discover this? I found a silly Tolkien fanfic ages ago (like 25 years ago, and can't find it now) where Gandalf found hobbits addictively delicious, but it was a humorous fic not meant to be taken seriously, and even then, he felt bad about it. And I don't remember exactly how he made the discovery. I guess you could find this out in some sort of Donner Party-like tragedy, but that was a matter of survival, not a choice, and the survivors did not continue the practice.

4. Sophont is a necessary medicinal source for another sophont that must be cooked and ingested orally.

So, this and the rest are wildly contrived and if situations like this actually happened, it should work a lot more like an organ donor program than what's being described.

5. Sophont ingests another sophont because: aphrodisiac, psionic booster, physical/mental booster, illegal drug effects...

Ditto above. And what about the sophont causes this? Are there not other substances from other critters on their native planet that cause the same effect? That seems hugely unlikely. Humans, as a species, are very like most other earth species, which is why animal experiements can be usefully predictive. Coconut water can be used for human blood (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10674546/), how unique is anything?

6. I'm sure there are other reasons.

Psychopaths, see above.

B

General Post in thread 'Eating Vegan in the Imperium'

Jun 30, 2024

1. Predator sophonts who see other sophants as just another meal.
2. Sophonts who eat other sophonts situationally - winner eats loser of battle for example.
3. Sophont is a 'tasty' delicacy to another sophont.
4. Sophont is a necessary medicinal source for another sophont that must be cooked and ingested orally.
5. Sophont ingests another sophont because: aphrodisiac, psionic booster, physical/mental booster, illegal drug effects...
6. I'm sure there are other reasons.

• bookwyrm

• 

It looks like I didn't accurately remember my own post.

I also had the thought of

7. Main ingredient for Anagathics.

This gets the same answer as 4/5. If a sophont needs to be harvested for this, there would either be a donor program where people leave their bodies to science or science would, perhaps not immediately, but pretty quickly, find a less controversial substitute. If people tried this against humans, it would very quickly become a HFY story as humans fight back.

 

[Enoki]

K'kree, it's what's for dinner!

 

[Condottiere]

Anagathics makes the product far more alluring, than just better, buttered, out of this world wagyu.

 

[Talifon]

There were some Clans anciently. They were eliminated in the Aslan Cultural Purge. Or driven far to the Transrift . . .

From my reading of Aslan books, that was the impression I got. Maybe the existence of some heretical clans would be tolerated if they were far away, but ones that eat sophonts are probably so beyond what the Hierate can accept that they are to be hunted down.

i.e. Imperial Aslan or Darrian Aslan are outside the cultural norms of the Hierate, but not so far that the Clans will feel an obligation to fight them

I just don't see this sophant-eating-sophant being a common practice in the OTU except among some small bands of psychopaths, like a notorious corsair group.

 

[Mustache Man]

I think we can actually answer the Thread Title if we replace K'kree meat with Human, Aslan, Hiver, Vargr, Droyne, Other Sophent, meat.

Well yeah, but I didn't, I chosen K'kree for a reason

 

[Enoki]

I see the K'Kree as the exception. They are totally vegan--violently, militantly so--and predisposed to violence against any other race that isn't. In many ways they are as alien and, in their case, hostile, as Hivers. This means that it's very likely that many of their biggest detractors don't see them as truly sophant.

The result would be that some--not all but some--races see them as no different than say, humans eating dog, horse, or domestic cat. That is, the practice is nowhere universal, but it also isn't condemned as cannibalism or something.

 

[Deldarius]

Cannibalism is eating your own species.

Eating another sophont race, especially with a nice chianti and fava beans is Hannibalism.

 

[aramis]

I was wondering weather eating K'kree meat is considered a taboo or a tasty meal. Personally they kinda deserve it

I treat sophonotophagy to be generally a high crime in the 3I. Partial exception for carrion or funerary rites.
Killing a K'Kree is sophonticide and, if not well legally justified, brings life on a prison planet... just like a Vegan, Aslan, Vargr, or Droyne. Or Solomani, Bwap, Virush, or Ursa.

 

[kilemall]

I treat sophonotophagy to be generally a high crime in the 3I. Partial exception for carrion or funerary rites.
Killing a K'Kree is sophonticide and, if not well legally justified, brings life on a prison planet... just like a Vegan, Aslan, Vargr, or Droyne. Or Solomani, Bwap, Virush, or Ursa.

If slavery is illegal menu item is just that much more involuntary servitude as in served up.

 

[Mustache Man]

I see the K'Kree as the exception. They are totally vegan--violently, militantly so--and predisposed to violence against any other race that isn't. In many ways they are as alien and, in their case, hostile, as Hivers. This means that it's very likely that many of their biggest detractors don't see them as truly sophant.

The result would be that some--not all but some--races see them as no different than say, humans eating dog, horse, or domestic cat. That is, the practice is nowhere universal, but it also isn't condemned as cannibalism or something.

Mmmm, always wanted to try those three meats

 

[Mustache Man]

Cannibalism is eating your own species.

Eating another sophont race, especially with a nice chianti and fava beans is Hannibalism.

I thought Hannibalism is eating people named Hannibal

 

[Mustache Man]

I treat sophonotophagy to be generally a high crime in the 3I. Partial exception for carrion or funerary rites.
Killing a K'Kree is sophonticide and, if not well legally justified, brings life on a prison planet... just like a Vegan, Aslan, Vargr, or Droyne. Or Solomani, Bwap, Virush, or Ursa.

Oh, killing K'kree is legally justified. I heard they kill women just for feeding thier children breast milk

 

[Spinward Scout]

I was wondering weather eating K'kree meat is considered a taboo or a tasty meal. Personally they kinda deserve it

I find it strange that this pops up every once in a while.

It's not cannibalism. But I would think there would be a taboo about eating a fellow Sophont.

Unless the Vegans do it. Then it would be ironically funny to Humanity.

And you would definitely be able to get it on Vega5. You can get anything on Vega5.

 

[whartung]

It's not cannibalism. But I would think there would be a taboo about eating a fellow Sophont.

So can we only eat what we kill when we hunt for sport, or can we roll them up into pens and use industrial slaughterhouses?

 

[Spinward Scout]

So can we only eat what we kill when we hunt for sport, or can we roll them up into pens and use industrial slaughterhouses?

Take what you can!
Give nothing back!
Eat what you kill!

The Space Pirate motto.

 

[Condottiere]

Waste not, want not.

 

[Grav_Moped]

I find it strange that this pops up every once in a while.

It's not cannibalism. But I would think there would be a taboo about eating a fellow Sophont.

Unless the Vegans do it. Then it would be ironically funny to Humanity.

And you would definitely be able to get it on Vega5. You can get anything on Vega5.

What happens on Vega5 stays on Vega5.

Seriously, departure is forbidden.

 

[Deldarius]

So can we only eat what we kill when we hunt for sport, or can we roll them up into pens and use industrial slaughterhouses?

The Solomani would be up for containing the problem, err, resource.