Guest guest Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2004/6/22/features/8239547 & sec=f\ eatures ________________________ Tuesday June 22, 2004 Wildlife on a platter By TODD PITMAN When it comes to figuring out what qualifies as food in Congo, most people follow a simple, unspoken rule: If it can move, it can be eaten, writes TODD PITMAN. CROCODILE, boa constrictor, tortoise and antelope top the menu, served up in banana-leaf sacks with french fries on the side. And for the willing, there’s one dish that would make most carnivores squirm: monkey meat. At Mama Ekila’s Inzia restaurant in Kinshasa, African bushmeat is flown in – and fried up – for discerning diners looking to put a bit of adventure on their plate. “It’s flown in fresh from Equator Province,” says waitress Julie Ntshila, encouraging an unconvinced diner to try a delicacy from the north-east of Congo. “I love it.” Wildlife conservationists shudder over such carefree culinary spirits – particularly in Congo, where a thriving bushmeat trade is threatening to wipe out some species altogether. Two at risk are great apes found only in Congo – eastern lowland gorillas and bonobos, or pygmy chimpanzees. In West Africa, wildlife populations have been so depleted that “rodents have replaced the over-hunted and now scarce antelope and primates as the most commonly eaten wild animals,” the US-headquartered Bushmeat Crisis Task Force says. In Central Africa, an estimated 1 million tons of wildlife is consumed annually by some 24 million people, 80% of whose meat diet comes from the bush. At an open-air market in the north-eastern jungle city of Kisangani in Congo, flies swarm around severed goat heads and hooves, stacked up like a scene from a horror show. Pulsating white palm grubs are sold en masse, wrapped into large green leaves for take away. Serpents, too, lie sprawled across wooden tables, burnt to a crisp. There are slimy snails, bush-pigs and muskrats. “We eat everything here. Nothing gets wasted,” says Diner Folo, a 35-year-old resident cruising the gritty, crowded market. On a table, two dozen blackened macaque monkeys are piled high, the sticks they were smoked on still jutting from their mouths. Back at the restaurant, Mama Ekila says she doesn’t sell endangered wildlife and the monkey dishes are primarily macaques, a common species found from Africa to Japan. Though resident expatriates and tourists often sample the more bizarre items on her menu (chicken and beef are also available), it is the Congolese for whom the bushmeat is most popular. “In Africa, we have to sell things that Africans want to eat,” Mama Ekila says. “Every country has its specialties. In Italy, it’s pasta. In America, it’s hot dogs. In Congo, monkey meat is just one.” – AP<p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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