Poor birds

I've said before how I'm very fond of listening to things while I work. By listening, I also mean watching minimized videos which I seldom peek at during curious spots. I don't exactly know why this is so, but simulating the busy environment works for me ... and just so I'm not fed with junk, I usually play documentaries which I can subconsciously digest.

Recently l've been watching Louie Theroux's Weird Weekends which I happened to chance upon while searching for a documentary about ... well what else ... wrestling! I love how he immerses himself into his topics, which usually ends up with most times entertaining some times funny results ;P

Weird Weekends - Episode: Wrestling

There's also Jonathan Ross's Japanorama ... which is another entertaining view on the weirdness that is Japan :D

Japanorama - Episode: Otaku

Of course aside from the amusing, technological, educational, and stupid things. The internet is also a host to some of the most appalling things out there. A few days ago I encountered the poor birds called the "Ortolan Bunting", and I was shocked to find out how cruelly this magnificent beautiful birds are served as french gourmet. I thought the Peking ducks had a cruel faith, but it is nothing compared to this birds :(

The Peking duck from Wikipedia

"The ducks used to prepare Peking Duck originated from Nanjing. Those mallards were small and had black feathers, and lived in the canals linking strategic rivers. With the relocation of the Chinese capital to Beijing, supply barges spilt a large amount of grain which the ducks fed on. As a result, the ducks slowly increased in size and grew white feathers. By the Five Dynasties, the new species of duck had been domesticated by Chinese farmers. Nowadays, Peking Duck is prepared from the Pekin Duck (Anas platyrhynchos domestica). Newborn ducks are raised in a free range environment for the first 45 days of their lives, and force fed 4 times a day for the next 15–20 days, resulting in ducks that weigh 5–7 kg. The force feeding of the ducks led to an alternate name for the dish, Peking Stuffed Duck."

In addition to them being force fed I've also heard that they live their lives in boxes in which they can barely move, this is believed to keep the ducks meat tender and free from tough muscles.

Are you ready for the horror? This is how the Ortolan is treated and served.

The Ortolan Bunting from Wikipedia

"For centuries, a rite of passage for French gourmets has been the eating of the Ortolan. These tiny birds—captured alive, force-fed, then drowned in Armagnac—were roasted whole and eaten that way, bones and all, while the diner draped his head with a linen napkin to preserve the precious aromas and, some believe, to hide from God.

– The Wine Spectator"

"The eating of the ortolan has ethical eating groups baying for blood. First, it is caught with a net in the forest. Taken alive, its eyes are poked out and the bird is put in a small cage. It's then force-fed oats, millet and figs until it has swollen to four times its normal size. Then the bird is drowned alive in fine cognac. Then, it's roasted whole, in an oven at high heat, for six to eight minutes. Once it reaches the table, a napkin is placed over the eater's head. The technique of eating the ortolan is to put the whole bird into the mouth, with only the beak protruding. Here sadism mingles with masochism. The first taste as you crunch on the bird is the brandied flesh and fat. Then, the bitterness of the guts follow and finally, as the tiny, delicate bones are being chewed on, they will lacerate the diner's gums, with the salty taste of the bleeding gums mingling with the richness of the fat and the bitterness of the organs. Chewing the ortolan takes approximately 15 minutes.

– The Connossieur's Series, The Global Gourmet"

Isn't that just the stuff of nightmares? What sick f**k came out with this procedure of torture? I was hoping this was a hoax ... sadly it isn't :(

Jeremy Clarkson eats an Ortolan Bunting