Swans

Chuck Stone · 12-11-2012 02:06AM

MadsL wrote: »

Legal to hunt (and eat) in four US States.

That shouldn't be allowed to be called 'hunting'.

'cunting' would be more accurate.

diddley · 12-11-2012 02:24AM

Nimrod 7 wrote: »

I can't eat any meat other than chicken, beef or pork. I feel guilty for eating it but I'm used to eating them now..I can't imagine eating some other animal

same here, I tried duck once and immediately regretted it after it went down.

3rdDegree · 12-11-2012 02:27AM

Can't believe no one has posted "I ordered a chicken leg in a Chinese restaurant and got suspicious so I brought it to my local vet who had it analysed and found out it was a swan's leg!"

Ottway · 12-11-2012 02:31AM

I ordered a chicken leg in a Chinese restaurant and got suspicious so I brought it to my local vet who had it analysed and found out it was a swan's leg!

MadsL · 12-11-2012 02:32AM

Chuck Stone wrote: »

That shouldn't be allowed to be called 'hunting'.

'cunting' would be more accurate.

Err. Why? Because they are pretty, or belong to the Queen?

Simi wrote: »

Why are they illegal to hunt in the other 46 just out of interest? Is it just a remnant of ye old laws or is there a specific reason?

I bet they taste awful tbh.

I guess to do with population sizes, pheasant hunting season in New Mexico is exactly one day long. Bad day be a pheasant

I bet I could make them taste good.

MadsL · 12-11-2012 02:33AM

Ottway wrote: »

I ordered a chicken leg in a Chinese restaurant and got suspicious so I brought it to my local vet who had it analysed and found out it was a swan's leg!

*cough* ulshit!

asherbassad · 12-11-2012 02:35AM

OnTheCounter wrote: »

Seeing as we eat chicken, turkey and especially duck why don't we eat swan?

They look tasty and it would only take one good shot with a large rock and you could set up a barbacue at the local pitch and charge a tenner per burger.

"We need to think outside the box and do whatever it takes to succeed and if that means getting up before you go to bed thats what you have to do"
Bill Cullen

Hell of a lot more pigeons around than swans. I've never seen a bird more prolific than them or seagulls. Don't eat any of them either do we?

joydivision · 12-11-2012 02:43AM

Its cause their so ugly when their ducklings ugh whod wanna eat that .

kowloon · 12-11-2012 05:01AM

xxxJennyxxx wrote: »

I don't see what people love about them, all I see is a big, white duck

A big white duck with a mean streak a mile wide. Ireland doesn't possess the weaponry to declare war on the swans.

MadsL wrote: »

*cough* ulshit!

No, it's totally true,it happened to a guy who once worked with a guy who's friends with Dave down the pub. Seriously.

BlaasForRafa · 12-11-2012 06:01AM

Hippies! wrote: »

Swan stuffed with bunny rabbits and a side dish of puppy legs would be delish I'd say.

You forgot the veal reared in a crate ffs! Thats the tastiest bit, next to the Fois Gras.

kylith · 12-11-2012 11:45AM

Stephen Fry says that swan tastes foul, and that's a good enough reason for me. Apparently any swan that's eaten is young, and is fed a special diet to stop its meat tasting horrible.

Larianne · 12-11-2012 11:48AM

kylith wrote: »

Stephen Fry says that swan tastes foul, and that's a good enough reason for me. Apparently any swan that's eaten is young, and is fed a special diet to stop its meat tasting horrible.

Foul or fowl?

The Cool · 12-11-2012 12:59PM

All swans in the UK belong to the Queen and you need a licence / permission to kill one. She's the only one allowed to eat swan, apparently. Dunno about here.

Beefy78 · 12-11-2012 01:13PM

OnTheCounter wrote: »

Strangest thing i have ever seen on an irish menu is crocodile. Would imagine its horrible and extremely tough and I would fancy my chances better when trying to capture a swan.

Croc meat is alright. Nothing special though. Swans are vicious creatures and apparently don't taste very good anyway.

I saw a big bastard of a gull down by the Liffey a few days ago and it occurred to me then that there's a lot of meat on them and so I'd assume that someone must have found out what they taste like. But then gulls will eat anything so I guess you'd be taking your chances with one of them. I once saw one devour most of a cooked breakfast, including a metal fork.

gutenberg · 12-11-2012 01:43PM

The Cool wrote: »

All swans in the UK belong to the Queen and you need a licence / permission to kill one. She's the only one allowed to eat swan, apparently. Dunno about here.

The Royal Family, and also the Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge are allowed to eat swan (unmarked mute swans, more specifically). I don't think St John's currently exercises this right, plus I think they're only allowed it one day of the year or something - possibly the feast day of St John the Evangelist, who is the College's namesake.

And I have also heard that swan tastes horrible, so maybe we're better off.

kingtiger · 12-11-2012 02:23PM

Lapin wrote: »

The Queen won't let us eat them.

which Queen would that be

kowloon · 12-11-2012 02:25PM

kingtiger wrote: »

which Queen would that be

The Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India.

sbsquarepants · 12-11-2012 02:28PM

OnTheCounter wrote: »

its true they will never be mass farmed but you would think a small number of places in ireland would offer it.

Strangest thing i have ever seen on an irish menu is crocodile. Would imagine its horrible and extremely tough and I would fancy my chances better when trying to capture a swan.

I've eaten crocodile - it's quite nice, wasn't tough at all.
I wouldn't eat a swan though, it's just wrong!!

pickarooney · 12-11-2012 02:56PM

asherbassad wrote: »

Hell of a lot more pigeons around than swans. I've never seen a bird more prolific than them or seagulls. Don't eat any of them either do we?

Pigeon's quite nice. You're missing out.

Beefy78 · 12-11-2012 03:27PM

Yeah, it's not that hard to find places selling pigeon meat. It's alright.

ronjo · 12-11-2012 03:31PM

I used to live opposite a small lake that had two swans on it.
Each year after they had cygnets the male (I think) would kill off all of the cygnets bar 2 who would then migrate somewhere when they could fly pretty well.
I am not sure if this is universal behaviour but it was a bit shocking.

V_Moth · 12-11-2012 03:47PM

MadsL wrote: »

Legal to hunt (and eat) in four US States.

Cork boy 55 wrote: »

Attempted swan stealing in Galway city last sabbath (via TheJournal.ie)

http://jrnl.ie/662047

The Bewick Swan is in decline since 2004

What happened in 2004?

http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/Default.aspx?tabid=150

MadsL wrote: »

Err. Why? Because they are pretty, or belong to the Queen?

I guess to do with population sizes, pheasant hunting season in New Mexico is exactly one day long. Bad day be a pheasant

I bet I could make them taste good.

Mute Swans are native to Ireland, but were introduced into the United States in the early 1900's. As a non-native, pest species it would be legal to hunt them there. Same with Ruddy Ducks (a North American species) in Britain.

Bewick's Swans are declining because the population which formerly wintered in Ireland is now staying in Britain and the Netherlands due to a combination of milder winters and supplementary feeding at some sites (eg Slimbridge).

JupiterKid · 12-11-2012 04:47PM

Swans were responsible for the horrific Lough Key massacre of 2005.

Never trust a swan.

kylith · 12-11-2012 04:58PM

AFAIK the reason you can't kill and eat them in this country has something to do with The Children of Lir. You're not allowed to eat them because they might be bewitched people.

Sofiztikated · 12-11-2012 05:04PM

pickarooney wrote: »

Pigeon's quite nice. You're missing out.

True. But not a mission I'd eat one of those mangy pigeons roaming around Dublin. You know the ones I'm talking about. Walk bowlegged. Seem to subsist on a diet of Johnny Walker Blues and McDonalds. Wears tracksuits.

Wait...

Swans

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