Catal has rabbit on their menu-Disneyland, CA

[Hedi]

A visitor at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA informed us that the restaurant Catal has rabbit on their menu. Please send them an email stating that serving the nations 3rd most popular pet for dinner is just unacceptable. Catal is owned by The Patina Group. Here is their contact us page:

http://www.patinagroup.com/contact/

[Lucy]

Isn’t this a prohibited subject?

[poopy]

I have nothing against eating rabbit…..or chicken ……. or beef since I am not vegetarian. I personally have never tasted rabbit but I heard its really good

[Hedi]

Why would this be prohibited? It isnt for it, its against it.

Im just posting so if people do have a problem with eating rabbit and you are a person that feels this is an issue since they are our pets if you wanted you could write a letter. Its going around on myspace so I was just reposting it. After seeing the horrible conditions that they put feeder rabbits in, well I just cant imagine…

I thought we have talked about this before on here. I could never eat rabbit after having them as pets. I wasnt really interested in discussing it just wanted to make people aware. I know there are people on here who keep up with this kinda stuff.

[BinkyBunny]

This is a bit tricky, because the subject of meat rabbits is prohibited, but the rule that’s stated at the top of the forum is geared towards people discussing raising rabbits for meat, but the subject of rabbit meat on the menu….well, it’s not quite the same.  It’s similar to discussing subjects like the recent issues with Petsmart.  There is no breeding discussion, but that’s where pet store rabbits come from. So though this subject of meat rabbits is not discussed, that’s where restaurant rabbit meat comes from.   SOOOOO…….then it just comes down to my personal preference for this forum as owner of this site:

If someone came on the board and said here’s a great restaurant for rabbit meat, I would delete it, but if someone is an advocate for not having it on the menu then I would allow it. Since I am an advocate for rabbit welfare & rabbits as pets only, I will allow this. 

So if you want to support the issue, write to them.    If you don’t, then don’t write to them.  But I don’t encourage a debate about it. 

[Spacehopper]

Not to debate at all, just to say what i can’t stomach because of having bunbuns as pets, is, in Spain (especially the canary islands), they LOVE to show off the daily fresh fish that’s on their menu, in a nice iced display cabinet, and what do they have next to this also revolting seafood, but eyes wide staring out at at what seems to be ONLY ME in the restaurant…… rabbit’s…, skinned distant relatives of my Brian Bumstar and Bettie Beanage! It’s all personal opinion tho, as i know i’d feel as sick at it being a chicken or a cow, were I to have a BaCaaaahhk or a DaisyMoo as a pet. I don’t think twice about feeding the cats with chicken and beef slop, yet should those little stinky pouches of pong have “rabbit” emblazoned upon it’s foiled wrapping, oh no, absolutely not, Whether the cats love it or not!!

[Hedi]

Before having rabbits I never thought about people eating rabbits. I never have but it was never a big deal. You always think its some different breed or something they are eating. But its not.

There is a great video going around on myspace that shows the conditions that these meat rabbits are put in. Shoved in cages where they barely fit. Heads locked in to place so they cant move.

I have been in a pig pen before and to be honest the way meat rabbits are treated is actually worse than how pigs on pig farms are treated. The video that shows it makes you want to cry.

[Spacehopper]

EDIT BY BINKYBUNNY:  SpaceHopper, I just have to add a warning for sensitive souls.

Warning: Some of this post is graphic – Summary of post – many meat animals are treated horribly!

They eat cochon d’inde’s (that’s guinea pig in french, hark at me and my foreign tongue…only unusual word i remember from school really but shhh!), I think it was Blue Peter that first introduced me to this delight, i was absolutely horrified as they skinned it and flung it in a stone baked oven. I have a friend who will only eat meat/fish if he has caught and prepared it himself, as the way processed foods are "processed" horrifies him, yet I am sadly the opposite. If i’ve seen it as a living breathing animal, NO CHANCE, I’d rather eat my own. Personally I don’t feel we MUST eat meat of whatever kind to survive, that is absolutely rabbit poop, and therefore i feel if people MUST eat it the killing should be done as humanely as possible. Jesus wept, on river cottage the other day Mr Fearnley Whittingwhotsit killed one of his chickens, saw THE LOT… I was almost sick!! Yet that was the most humane to do things, not these revolving systems places have (seen at school, scarred me to this day), up go the chickens on hooks, round they all go to an electroshock therapy device, where half the time the animal struggles to free itself and misses the shock, or gets shocked and judders as the next stage of going through a neck slicer takes place, with a lot of the animals only getting half the slice they should get …. my god it’s disgusting, and that’s how chicken is HUMANELY prepared for us meat eaters as we speak. Yet i still eat chicken! I’m horrified with myself at times, but i still do it. I have on the other hand NEVER eaten rabbit. The boyfriend wanted to try some in Spain, You can imagine the bruise that appeared on him and tongue lashing he received throughout the meal that followed!

[BinkyBunny]

CertifiedHumane.org is a great site that helps non-vegans find the most humanely treated animal based food products.

[Spacehopper]

OOOps sorry about that BinkyB.  It appears I was off on one last night.  I just sit here at work with a wall adorned with pics of my babybuns (you wouldn’t believe the amount of times i have to tell people when they see Brian’s pics with him sprawled out in various positions, "No, that is NOT a dog, it’s my Bum"  and just cannot believe anyone could inflict any cruelty of any kind for any reason on such a funny little creature.  🙂

I don’t feel the same about crocodiles or alligators though, is that bad of me?! 

[BinkyBunny]

No worries Spacehopper.  I’m just so sorry for what you’ve seen..   I know those memories can really make you cringe and can be scarring…no fun.      I am always dumbfounded by how cruel people can be  but in some ways I have become desensitized because of what I have seen (not fully otherwise I wouldn’t be human).  But I know what it does to people when they hear and see things that they are not quite prepared for.   I hate it when they show graphic cruelty cases with footage and zero warning.  You just get this "Bam!" image and it can forever stick in your memory. 

I love animals, even crocs and gators, but I was trying to think of an animal that I would find scary or disgusting.  I couldn’t think of anything so I did a google search for the "ugliest mammal"  and this is the picture that popped up.   There must be something wrong with me, because I actually think this little gremlin dude is cute.

[x liddo bunny x]

oh spacehopper, when u said the word “skinned” boy did it make me qwiver. ::sivers:: gosh darn, now i cant stop getting the chills down my spine. THANKS A LOT!!!! =P hehehehe jk. i understand that every animal out there can be eaten, but just the fact that we actually have their relatives living in our house we all get the heebee-jeebies. so i basically try not to even think about it when i eat chicken…. i used to have chickens as pets when i was young… in addtion to that i also believe that we need to eat a balanced to live healthy lives so everytime i eat chicken i pray and thank them for their meat. and ofcourse i try to never leave anything behind or that is just disrespectful. but then again here i go contradicting myself because i surely cannot bear to see them suffer to become our food…. but i think the over all salatleast let them live healthy normal lives in the wild and hunt them like other animals do for food and NOT BREED TO EAT!!!!!!!! ::qwivers:: i cant think about this anymore… getting the heebee-jeebies

[Spacehopper]

Exactly, i would rather not eat meat as i hate the fat and the gristle, and how disrespectful is that.  Id much rather have a quorn curry and a soya bolognese, yet i still eat things.  yurk!!  a lot of people hate Peta and the way they go aboutthei campaigns, but personally speaking i think they’ve got it nailed.  People are blase these days about such things society throws at us that we shun most people’s efforts to help.  I for one will NEVER forget being sat at work and watching the raccoon dog campaign on the peta website.  I actually sat and cried my eyes out at work, and the last image haunted me for weeks.  had it not been SO graphic, i wouldn’t have given it another thought.  People will always have opposing views & it’s down to the individual to read and assess and make their own mind up.  But as long as I live, I will NEVER eat rabbit.

I LOVE that gremlin dog, and if it were mine i’d whoop the ayass of anyone who said a bad word against it!!

[Spacehopper]

Actually im not sure if i should take all that peta stuff back and say i think they suck. I’ve just watched Meet your Meat… cried my eyes out at the bits i could stomach watching, no meat for me…

[x liddo bunny x]

truthfully i think i can do without the meat. but then again i want to be as healthy as i can be while i am still young so i need the protein from meat because we are omnivores but i think when i grow up and dont need as much energy, i think imma not eat meat. just for myself personally and the fact that i cant cook meat too well… i rather eat that fake tofu stuff believe it or not. that is actually one of my many favorite asian food dishes. and i think i can eat broccoli everyday for the rest of my life!!!!

mmmmmmm yum…. broccoli…. mmmmmmmm……… ok… i am definately not normal… a kid liking broccoli (not a kid anymore but ibe always loved broccoli and pea sprouts!!
=P

[x liddo bunny x]

ps, spacehopper, do you happen to have a like to that article?

[Spacehopper]

Im not sure if i should, extreme caution and a strong stomach needed, seriously i actually HID behind the cushion at some bits it was that bad…. http://www.peta.org.uk/feat/UKvegkit/ Click on 3rd down Meet your Meat. It is absolutely horrendous. If we MUST eat meat of any kind, surely there’s a more humane way to do the deed. Makes me just want to go home and haul my butt under the bed to give Brian & Bettie the biggest fuss i can!

btw, the nest has grown, and WHERE she’s got all the fur from that Bean’s lined it with i’ve no idea as I can’t see any bald patches.

[Hedi]

Response from Catal:

Dear Ms. Whitaker,

I was disappointed to receive your feedback regarding the serving of rabbit
at Catal Restaurant. Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns; I
was greatly distressed to learn of your dissatisfaction.  We wish to assure
you that your comments have been taken very seriously, and based on a review
of the menu at Catal, we have made the decision to remove rabbit from the
menu.

You stated in your comments that you would share your concern with others,
and I hope that you will also share our decision to remove rabbit from the
menu.

Thank you again for your feedback.  Without concerned guests such as
yourself, we might fail to recognize the need the address certain issues in
our restaurants. 

Sincerely,
Eric Stenta
Director of Operations
Patina Restaurant Group at Downtown Disney District

[x liddo bunny x]

yay!!!!

[Author]

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