Cyprus's Songbird Massacre: The Politics of Food
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Date: 2020-05-17
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Comments and reviews: 10
Michael
There is a lot of ignorance and BS from the makers of the documentary and the British cop who was interviewed. The thing you need to ask yourself is why is the large scale poaching of song birds taking place on British territory controlled by British cops and then ask why is the same thing not happening across the -border- on Cypriot territory controlled by Cypriot authorities? -All i am saying is that in the area with a higher population of Cypriots and controlled by Cypriots more birds should be poached because if it was all about culture Cypriot policemen would understand and turn a blind eye when it happens. -What i learnt is that the British Imperialist Culture is alive and well, they colonize and take over a place for the purposes of civilizing locals BUT their true intention always shines they really don't care about the people/environment on their colonial territory their sole intention is to maintain a British Military base. -The best way to stop it is by asking the British to limit their authority to the walls and confines of the military base and let the Cypriot authorities who do not allow poaching on their territory take over. -CULTURE MY ASS!
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There is a lot of ignorance and BS from the makers of the documentary and the British cop who was interviewed. The thing you need to ask yourself is why is the large scale poaching of song birds taking place on British territory controlled by British cops and then ask why is the same thing not happening across the -border- on Cypriot territory controlled by Cypriot authorities? -All i am saying is that in the area with a higher population of Cypriots and controlled by Cypriots more birds should be poached because if it was all about culture Cypriot policemen would understand and turn a blind eye when it happens. -What i learnt is that the British Imperialist Culture is alive and well, they colonize and take over a place for the purposes of civilizing locals BUT their true intention always shines they really don't care about the people/environment on their colonial territory their sole intention is to maintain a British Military base. -The best way to stop it is by asking the British to limit their authority to the walls and confines of the military base and let the Cypriot authorities who do not allow poaching on their territory take over. -CULTURE MY ASS!
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Good
You can find sparrows on the menu in varous parts of Asia. The first time I saw it was a restaurant in Kyoto but they were sold out. The second time was also in Kyoto but this time it was in a street market. stall so I bought one to try, the guts were cleaned out, leaving the head with its brains and the body and it was smaller than a small quail. The bird was skewered and grilled, its bones were so soft you can crunch them, didn-t have very much taste aside from the seasonings (mainly soy sauce and some kind of sweetening. The reason I said in various parts of Asia, even though I-ve only seen them in Japan, is because my dad told me about eating sparrows in China where he grew up. Also I was told that you find sparrows in Kyoto because it was a regional delicacy, you might not find this elsewhere in Japan as easily.
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You can find sparrows on the menu in varous parts of Asia. The first time I saw it was a restaurant in Kyoto but they were sold out. The second time was also in Kyoto but this time it was in a street market. stall so I bought one to try, the guts were cleaned out, leaving the head with its brains and the body and it was smaller than a small quail. The bird was skewered and grilled, its bones were so soft you can crunch them, didn-t have very much taste aside from the seasonings (mainly soy sauce and some kind of sweetening. The reason I said in various parts of Asia, even though I-ve only seen them in Japan, is because my dad told me about eating sparrows in China where he grew up. Also I was told that you find sparrows in Kyoto because it was a regional delicacy, you might not find this elsewhere in Japan as easily.
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Andrezzi
I am Cypriot, it's the older generation that likes this type of meze like 50 year old's and up, measures fines and prison sentences are in place and many have been convicted or fined. I have tasted 4-5 times in gatherings etc it tastes like shit because of the digestive enzymes and that you are supposed to cook it whole and eat it whole including the intestinal contents aka feces. I don't like the taste at all and will never eat it again but older generation eat it cause they learned it from their father etc and it became kinda cultural forbidden fruit that tastes better because it's illegal and hard to get. This documentary said every back yard in Cyprus has a songbird trap factory operation lol i can assure you it's probably less than 1000 people doing this and probably they will die in the next 10 years.
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I am Cypriot, it's the older generation that likes this type of meze like 50 year old's and up, measures fines and prison sentences are in place and many have been convicted or fined. I have tasted 4-5 times in gatherings etc it tastes like shit because of the digestive enzymes and that you are supposed to cook it whole and eat it whole including the intestinal contents aka feces. I don't like the taste at all and will never eat it again but older generation eat it cause they learned it from their father etc and it became kinda cultural forbidden fruit that tastes better because it's illegal and hard to get. This documentary said every back yard in Cyprus has a songbird trap factory operation lol i can assure you it's probably less than 1000 people doing this and probably they will die in the next 10 years.
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CRoumbas
The documentary tried to portray the issue in a balanced way but hugely overestimated the problem. Most Cypriots don't consume ampelopoulia regularly, some including myself had never even tried them and it is not really cypriot tradition but rather just a local tradition of some villages located close to and in the Uk milititary base area. Ampelopoulia are not in the most traditional dishes and most Cypriots oppose the consumption of them. For some it is a tradition and I am ambivalent about catching some with limesticks as a hobby, but a majority of Cypriots agrees that nets and large scale operations are a problem.
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The documentary tried to portray the issue in a balanced way but hugely overestimated the problem. Most Cypriots don't consume ampelopoulia regularly, some including myself had never even tried them and it is not really cypriot tradition but rather just a local tradition of some villages located close to and in the Uk milititary base area. Ampelopoulia are not in the most traditional dishes and most Cypriots oppose the consumption of them. For some it is a tradition and I am ambivalent about catching some with limesticks as a hobby, but a majority of Cypriots agrees that nets and large scale operations are a problem.
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James
What a load of bollocks. This is like shark-fin soup; a tradition held-up for the sake of it. The methods of catching them are cruel and inefficient, the cooking methods are flavourless, with the birds themselves yielding nothing in terms of edible matter and yet the demand is enough to support an illegal industry? And all the while this is happening, the birds are getting more and more endangered and closer and closer to extinction all because some islander wankers want to eat them because grandad did it. Disgusting.
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What a load of bollocks. This is like shark-fin soup; a tradition held-up for the sake of it. The methods of catching them are cruel and inefficient, the cooking methods are flavourless, with the birds themselves yielding nothing in terms of edible matter and yet the demand is enough to support an illegal industry? And all the while this is happening, the birds are getting more and more endangered and closer and closer to extinction all because some islander wankers want to eat them because grandad did it. Disgusting.
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Chris
I am from cyprus and i know whats going on. the idiots that do that to birds (ampelopulia) its not for eating them but for selling them. they sell this birds for 80-120 euros per 12pices. we have lot of people that abusing animals(cats dogs. they making too bad things to animals! It is sad that guns are not allowed to cyprus because some guys. there are many things in cyprus that is wrong especially with animals! The government doesn't care at all! One day i will leave this country!
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I am from cyprus and i know whats going on. the idiots that do that to birds (ampelopulia) its not for eating them but for selling them. they sell this birds for 80-120 euros per 12pices. we have lot of people that abusing animals(cats dogs. they making too bad things to animals! It is sad that guns are not allowed to cyprus because some guys. there are many things in cyprus that is wrong especially with animals! The government doesn't care at all! One day i will leave this country!
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Jen
The sun will die one day and so will your tradition. I say this to white nationalists all the time. What's the point? If humanity survives long enough to escape the suns death we will all be mixed race by then anyway. --In the age of the internet sometimes I feel like I'm living 4, 000 years in the future then I walk outside and realise most of society is still living in the dark age and they are fighting to keep it that way.
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The sun will die one day and so will your tradition. I say this to white nationalists all the time. What's the point? If humanity survives long enough to escape the suns death we will all be mixed race by then anyway. --In the age of the internet sometimes I feel like I'm living 4, 000 years in the future then I walk outside and realise most of society is still living in the dark age and they are fighting to keep it that way.
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skezus
If you live in the US and this outrages you know that a similar slaughter is happening in your own backyard. Domestic housecats are responsible for killing between 1. 4 billion and 3. 7 billion birds and between 6. 9 billion and 20. 7 billion wild mammals. If you have allow your cat to go outside you might as well be indiscriminately eating the birds in your neighborhood as the effect is the same.
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If you live in the US and this outrages you know that a similar slaughter is happening in your own backyard. Domestic housecats are responsible for killing between 1. 4 billion and 3. 7 billion birds and between 6. 9 billion and 20. 7 billion wild mammals. If you have allow your cat to go outside you might as well be indiscriminately eating the birds in your neighborhood as the effect is the same.
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Marcello
It is so sad. In the name of superstition, tradition and culture many animals are almost extinct. When will that stop? Do all the -old- need to die before the killing stop? We have so much commercial meat in the market, it makes no sense. The argument that a fat guy says that people are going hungry and for that reason they keep killing the birds is hilarious and ridiculous.
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It is so sad. In the name of superstition, tradition and culture many animals are almost extinct. When will that stop? Do all the -old- need to die before the killing stop? We have so much commercial meat in the market, it makes no sense. The argument that a fat guy says that people are going hungry and for that reason they keep killing the birds is hilarious and ridiculous.
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Alexander
I don't see why traditions are so important. In my country the Netherlands there used to be a local tradition which was, to hit a barrel with a cat in it untill the barrel broke and the cat ran off. Luckily we stopped that and nowadays nobody in their right mind even thinks of doing that anymore. So traditions can be changed and pretty quickly too actually.
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I don't see why traditions are so important. In my country the Netherlands there used to be a local tradition which was, to hit a barrel with a cat in it untill the barrel broke and the cat ran off. Luckily we stopped that and nowadays nobody in their right mind even thinks of doing that anymore. So traditions can be changed and pretty quickly too actually.
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