(MY) - Tempted to indulge in the forbidden menu

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Sunday October 2, 2005-The Star

 

Tempted to indulge in the forbidden menu

 

By K S Usha Devi

 

IT was a cousin who introduced James Maniam to try wildlife meat in 1995 in

Malacca.

 

“The food was introduced as 'specials' and at that time I was unaware that

they were protected species or that it was against the law,” he says.

 

“There were many other customers in the restaurant enjoying the same food.”

 

“Being a first timer there, I observed their expressions and noticed many

were nonchalant about eating the specials.”

 

Maniam, 36, describes the restaurant as nondescript, tiny and without

ambience. Furthermore, it did not advertise the wildlife on its menu.

 

“It's the kind of place that only people who are in the know would go to,”

he says.

 

The food was well prepared and not too pricey. There was a variety of

interesting meat to choose from that included squirrel, monitor lizard and

iguana. The safe or legal species for consumption was frog and deer meat.

 

It was only later that James found out he had eaten the meat of an animal

that was listed as a protected species.

 

He cannot remember exactly what it was, but he reckons it was either panther

and python meat.

 

The portions were small, he says, “just enough for two people to enjoy.”

 

“Of course, I felt bad about eating the food but it was too late by then for

regrets,” he says.

 

Maniam says his friends were not too concerned about the restriction imposed

on eating the meat of endangered or protected animals mainly because many

people were doing the same.

 

So, despite knowing that it was unethical to consume the food, he still

indulged in it in 2002, this time in Pahang.

 

“When they set the food down in front of me, I felt a bit squeamish but the

first bite changed my mind. It was delicious!” he sheepishly admits.

 

But that's all in the past now, he insists.

 

“Now my friends won't ask me out for the 'specials' because I've changed my

eating habits,” says Maniam who became a vegetarian last year.

 

And knowing that consuming the meat of protected species can lead to a jail

sentence, Maniam is glad that he will no longer be tempted to indulge.

 

Unfortunately, he's not going to stop others from indulging themselves if

they want to because, he says, he believes it is really a case of “to each

his own”.

 

“I'll probably introduce some of my more adventurous friends to these exotic

meats if they are interested,” he says.

 

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