Would you eat another human to survive?

Lady is a tramp

I was reading up a bit on the Andes plane crash after seeing this article earlier today.

Got me thinking, what would I do in that situation?

It's a tough one. I don't judge those men for what they did, and I think that objectively it was the right thing to do ... I just don't think I could have done it myself.

I wouldn't die slowly of starvation either, though. If the weeks were going by and any hope of rescue seemed completely unlikely, I'd probably find a quick and relatively painless way to kill myself. After giving the other surviving passengers my blessing to feast on my remains. (Unless of course they were c*nts, then I'd just throw myself off a cliff or something to deny them the pleasure!)

And in this case the passengers all knew each other fairly well - would that make any difference to you? I have to admit, if I were going to eat another person, I'd far rather it were a stranger.

So. What would you do?

RobertKK

Were there no cute alpacas around to eat?

Desperate times calls for desperate measures. I remember the case you are talking about OP, but did all the passengers survive the initial crash?

Sunnyisland

Undecided

Only if it's colonel Saunders .

Dirty Dingus McGee

But I'm hungry Tony.

Lady is a tramp

No - but I'd try to stay alive until I died of starvation

RobertKK wrote: »

Were there no cute alpacas around to eat?

Desperate times calls for desperate measures. I remember the case you are talking about OP, but did all the passengers survive the initial crash?

No, a lot of them died in the crash and afterwards - there's a timeline of the deaths in the Wikipedia article.

Buona Fortuna

I have.

But I don't like to talk about it.

Better than steak. nom nom nom

nullzero

Yes, with some Fava beans and a nice chianti

Sunnyisland

Undecided

Seriously, yes I would, that's after every other option has been considered or eaten .

KERSPLAT!

I wouldn't but I'd say I taste great so I wouldn't blame anyone for eating me.

Satriale

Undecided

Burying meat to rot is a terrible waste, we need more Soylent Green.

Custardpi

Undecided

It's called longpig for a reason. Slow roasted, mmmm....

Tigger

Yes, whether they were strangers or family/friends

i want to chnge my answer i didn't realise they were already dead

Lady is a tramp

No - but I'd try to stay alive until I died of starvation

nullzero wrote: »

Yes, with some Fava beans and a nice chianti

Funnily enough; "The survivors had a small amount of food: a few chocolate bars, assorted snacks and several bottles of wine."

Not sure about your fava beans though! :pac:

Speedwell

God, no. Do you know how dirty those things are? (heh) Seriously, if they have any diseases that are at all communicable, you are pretty much guaranteed to catch them. To me, it's basically a question of whether I want to die of starvation, or live with someone's case of the clap. By the time I could make up my mind to eat someone, anyway, the meat would probably be high enough to kill me outright.

Custardpi

Undecided

The human immune system is actually pretty robust. Just about every piece of food that you put in your mouth, whether a steak, a lettuce leaf, an apple whatever will have come into contact with some sort of bacteria or virus, many with the potential to cause disease. Most of these will be killed by cooking or wouldn't be passed on through eating anyway.

Rough Sleeper

Seems a bit absurd, people sitting behind their laptop screens in cosy houses with cupboards stuffed full of Cheerios and ****, trying to posit what their mindset would be if they were stuck on a life raft in the middle of the Pacific ocean for months on end. Suffice to say, the evidence suggests that a hundred days marooned without food tends to put a bit of a dent in a person's social mores.

RobertKK

Speedwell wrote: »

God, no. Do you know how dirty those things are? (heh) Seriously, if they have any diseases that are at all communicable, you are pretty much guaranteed to catch them. To me, it's basically a question of whether I want to die of starvation, or live with someone's case of the clap. By the time I could make up my mind to eat someone, anyway, the meat would probably be high enough to kill me outright.

I like my meat cooked all the way through, none of this meat with blood in the middle.

Custardpi

Undecided

Actually it might not even take an extreme situation. There's been rumours for many years in England of an ultra exclusive dining club which meets a couple of times a year in secret locations - usually someone's fine country house, the more isolated the better. If you are fabulously wealthy (think "wipe-your-arse-with-ten-million" levels), are a regular fixture at the best gourmet restaurants & dinner parties, have the right connections (school, university, particular banks etc) & are known for both your loose morals & being the soul of discretion you might be invited to join. You'll pay a hefty fee for the privilege of course.

People working for the club scour the country looking for homeless people or drifters (backpackers can sometimes be good) who are healthy & drug free but who also have no real friends or family who would miss them or have any real idea where they are. This is actually not that common a combination to find - hence the rarity of the dining club's meetings. Once the club worker has established through conversation that the person is a suitable candidate & also gained their trust he/she (apparently females are preferred) will in an act of kindness & generosity be invited to stay with the worker for a while - completely free.

When they arrive at the location (usually the same one where the eventual meal will be served) they are given the best of food, though this will generally follow a chef-designed diet with particular flavours in mind. They will stay there for 2 - 3 weeks or sometimes longer being fattened up, but also taking regular exercise so as to keep them in good condition. Their movements will be restricted, though this is generally done by persuasion rather than force as stressed out animals generally produce poor meat.

When the workers (all of whom are very highly paid & thoroughly vetted for their roles) believe that their guest is in the perfect condition for their purpose or getting close to it they will contact the various dining club members & a date will be agreed upon for the dinner.

At this point a skilled chef either employed by the dining club on a retainer or hired especially for the occasion (in either case for an eye-watering amount of money) will be flown in to slaughter, butcher & cook the victim to the specifications of whoever is hosting the meal. The guests arrive in their finery & tuck into a sumptuous banquet of many courses - the most important one of course being human!

The club members wash their meal down with expensive wines as they discuss the business & political empires over which they reign, savouring both the flavour of their food & its extreme exclusivity. Eventually they part, but not before making provisional arrangements - choosing a host, culinary style etc for the next club meeting.

No doubt all of this is just urban legend. Then again, who knows?

Ice Maiden

Rough Sleeper wrote: »

Seems a bit absurd, people sitting behind their laptop screens in cosy houses with cupboards stuffed full of Cheerios and ****, trying to posit what their mindset would be if they were stuck on a life raft in the middle of the Pacific ocean for months on end. Suffice to say, the evidence suggests that a hundred days marooned without food tends to put a bit of a dent in a person's social mores.

This is it. I don't think anyone can know whether they would still be unable for cannibalism if in the unimaginable situation that called for it.

Buona Fortuna

Ice Maiden wrote: »

This is it. I don't think anyone can know whether they would still be unable for cannibalism if in the unimaginable situation that called for it.

Of course, but its the same with people saying:

- SW should be cut/scrapped from the comfort of a warm dwelling probably whilst partaking in some tasty and nutitious snack.
- or Travellers this or Immigrants that - from a position of comfort and safety

Thankfully we don't run anything - we just talk

Fat Christy

I've been ate out a few times.

Wait...what?!

kfallon

Fat Christy wrote: »

I've been ate out a few times.

Wait...what?!

Yeah but the people who did that never survived.....

:pac:

The_Valeyard

Fat Christy wrote: »

I've been ate out a few times.

Wait...what?!

Sounds tasty.

Capt'n Midnight

Dibs on the co-pilot

Fat Christy

kfallon wrote: »

Yeah but the people who did that never survived.....

:pac:

Who asked ya?

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Sounds tasty.

It's even better with some special sauce.

Capt'n Midnight

Kuru is untreatable and 100% fatal. As is CJD

Bongalongherb

Bunch of bloody cannibals eating your own folk, sick and twisted individuals :pac:

I'd just eat bark or berries from a tree and insects than eat human flesh. I'd keep on moving just like bob marley said until I found lusher grounds. No point in sitting there eating dead humans being lazy.

How long is this drought going to last ?

kfallon

Fat Christy wrote: »

Who asked ya?

I'm glad you didn't :P

Just look at your thumb, if you ripped it off you'd have a nice drumstick mmmmmm

Fat Christy

kfallon wrote: »

I'm glad you didn't :P

Just look at your thumb, if you ripped it off you'd have a nice drumstick mmmmmm

http://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxaiszjHpE1qajario1_500.jpg

kfallon

Nice selfie!

karma_

Undecided

Someone say long pig?

Renegade Mechanic

Eat whoever dies first. Problem solved. Nobody has to kill anyone, nobody has to be killed and their family members save a fortune on a coffin/cremation!

blinding

karma_ wrote: »

Someone say long pig?

Apparently its just Pork ! Roast Pork ! Cabbage and Bacon ! Pork Chops, Rashers !

I was brought up to waste not want not ! You'd kind of have to let on that you were not to keen...Just to Keep up appearances;)

Buona Fortuna

Renegade Mechanic wrote: »

Eat whoever dies first. Problem solved. Nobody has to kill anyone, nobody has to be killed and their family members save a fortune on a coffin/cremation!

Maybe, though you'd really want them to die from injuries rather than some disease.

"Woof, woof, woof, ah the TB's kicking off lads,I won't be here long but have a couple slices of that arse on the BBQ and think of me wouldya."

Bongalongherb

Can you folks not just eat berries or other things like wildlife instead of eating a dead human ? what's the matter with you all. Just make a bow and arrow and hunt for food just like we did yonks ago. Maybe it's just complete laziness but you need to get running chasing little furry rabbits or armadillos.

I'd say most on that poll that would eat humans are talking rubbish. Arse chops and the rest.

Wibbs

Undecided

Buona Fortuna wrote: »

Maybe, though you'd really want them to die from injuries rather than some disease.

"Woof, woof, woof, ah the TB's kicking off lads,I won't be here long but have a couple slices of that arse on the BBQ and think of me wouldya."

You wouldn't want to be cooking it rare that's true. Well done and you'd be grand.

Bongalongherb wrote: »

Can you folks not just eat berries or other things like wildlife instead of eating a dead human ? what's the matter with you all. Just make a bow and arrow and hunt for food just like we did yonks ago. Maybe it's just complete laziness but you need to get running chasing little furry rabbits or armadillos.

Depends where you are. The guys after the plane crash were stuck up a mountain above the tree line in snow. Pretty much nada to eat up there. Different scenario if you were on a coastal environment, every time the tide goes out it's grub up time. No need to start chowing down on grainne or sean. Berries and the like are seasonal and you'd want to know exactly which berries and other plants to eat. Most wild plants are not exactly calorie or nutrient dense and quite the few can kill you stone dead. In general meats give you the best bang for buck in the wild.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Of course I would.

anothernight

Undecided

If the passengers are already dead from the crash, and there's nothing else to eat (like in the Andes situation), I'd definitely eat the dead passengers. Once you're dead you don't need your body. Better use it to keep people alive if there's no other option imo.

One eyed Jack

anothernight wrote: »

If the passengers are already dead from the crash, and there's nothing else to eat (like in the Andes situation), I'd definitely eat the dead passengers. Once you're dead you don't need your body. Better use it to keep people alive if there's no other option imo.

Sure, they don't need their bodies obviously, but I could never envision myself in a scenario where I'd need their bodies either. I'd sooner be among the people that died first than struggle with the moral quandary between cannibalism and starvation tbh. Whoever is left after me could have what they liked, I'm very fat so there'd be plenty of crackling to go round at least :pac:


(actually now I think of it, I'd be likely to survive much longer in the Andes than a slim Jim, given my fat reserves... )

timthumbni

Yes., I think I probably would if the situation really got that desperate. I think most probably would if they were really that hungry.

A more interesting question would be if anyone would be prepared to kill someone in order to survive. Ie unlike the alive scenario where people already had died. I'm sure I've read about a few situations in the past where the weakest of a group were "helped" on their way in order to provide some prime rump....

blinding

Would there be Apple Sauce ?

I'd eat another one for the crack. Unless someone else got the crack first.

timthumbni

blinding wrote: »

Would there be Apple Sauce ?

Humans taste more like chicken. Apple sauce would be a totally inappropriate accompaniment.

Renegade Mechanic

timthumbni wrote: »

Humans taste more like chicken. Apple sauce would be a totally inappropriate accompaniment.

Smells like pork though when they're cooking

Fat Christy

Renegade Mechanic wrote: »

Smells like pork though when they're cooking

You trying to eat one of your pudgy fingers again?

Wibbs

Undecided

One eyed Jack wrote: »

Whoever is left after me could have what they liked, I'm very fat so there'd be plenty of crackling to go round at least :pac:


(actually now I think of it, I'd be likely to survive much longer in the Andes than a slim Jim, given my fat reserves... )

*takes short pencil from pocket, licks the lead, takes down note* One eyed Jack, bump him off early on. Will make fine marbled steaks. NB come at him in surprise, with a large club and from behind as he's a big fcuker.

You probably would survive longer alright J, certainly in the cold of the Andes. I'd expire in hours. Hell, I'm looking iffy on a damp day on O'Connell Street. One theory holds that humans put on weight so easily because it was an evolutionary adaptation to times of famine and it may even be why we alone survived. Other earlier humans may have added muscle with extra food, not so good as muscle is very calorie hungry(hence bodybuilders have to eat like horses).

Cannibalism has been part of the human condition for a very long time. Neandertals certainly seem to have practiced it, as did we*. Now the evidence may be down to some ritual funeral practice in both, but food was probably high enough on the list. There's a fair bit of eating on an adult person all the way down to the marrow(in those ancient remains the long bones were purposely crushed to get to the marrow, a very rich food source). In more "modern" types in various cultures it's much more a ritualistic thing. Where someone may eat the heart of an enemy, but the rest of the body is discarded. In other cultures much loved members of the society are consumed as a veneration, which in one group of tribal types has led to a type of mad cow disease called IIRC kuru or kuro from eating brain and spinal matter. In either types they don't crush the bones to get at the marrow. Nothing was going to waste. They were even defleshing the face. It seems, regardless of any ritual connotations our early ancestors were needing the food(the Neandertal examples were living in one of the worst cold snaps in Europe at the time and they were the only humans who hadn't gotten the fcuk outa Dodge).

It's one thing to eat an already dead person, I'd draw the line at killing somebody for food. That's a big bloody line right there.





*of course when we find evidence they did it, it was just for food. The brutes. When we did it, well then it was "probably ritual". Yeah right…

Renegade Mechanic

Fat Christy wrote: »

You trying to eat one of your pudgy fingers again?

I don't see you offering, missy!

Bongalongherb

Wibbs wrote: »

You wouldn't want to be cooking it rare that's true. Well done and you'd be grand.


Depends where you are. The guys after the plane crash were stuck up a mountain above the tree line in snow. Pretty much nada to eat up there. Different scenario if you were on a coastal environment, every time the tide goes out it's grub up time. No need to start chowing down on grainne or sean. Berries and the like are seasonal and you'd want to know exactly which berries and other plants to eat. Most wild plants are not exactly calorie or nutrient dense and quite the few can kill you stone dead. In general meats give you the best bang for buck in the wild.

Well I can tell you If my legs were not damaged I'd take the heavy clothing from a dead person or their luggage and cover myself with it firstly and then move down from the mountain to lower ground where there will be grass and of course berries that can kill you if eaten, but I'll try my chances that way. If my legs were damaged I'd then crawl to lower ground after covering my body in clothes of any kind.

I'll slide down a mountain of hill or mountain slopes to get away from you bunch of cannibals that's for sure.

Fat Christy

Renegade Mechanic wrote: »

I don't see you offering, missy!

You want to eat me?

Get in line!

Bongalongherb

anothernight wrote: »

'If' the passengers are already dead from the crash, and there's nothing else to eat (like in the Andes situation), I'd definitely eat the dead passengers. Once you're dead you don't need your body. Better use it to keep people alive if there's no other option imo.

How the hell are you going to know that they are dead/dead ? ahh here we have a little guy that is 'dead' ? the poor fcuker could be frozen but not yet dead, and there you go carving a few slices of meat from him/her. Where is your doctorate in medicine and knowing exactly when a person is dead. I don't trust any of you spacers.

blinding

timthumbni wrote: »

Humans taste more like chicken. Apple sauce would be a totally inappropriate accompaniment.

I like Apple Sauce and ..err what would you suggest to go with this chicken flavoured dish ?