# Beef Chicken Turkey Pork - Where's the Other Meat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489 "2005-06-02T03:07:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/1 "2005-06-02T03:07:08Z")
Beef Chicken Turkey Pork These are “common” meats. Why? Now and then one might hear about duck, ostrich, quail, buffalo, etc., but it’s not like you can just pick it up in any old market very often. Why? Why don’t people farm and mass produce other meats like: Moose Deer Elk Camel Swan Heron Goat Sheep Etc.? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/2 "2005-06-02T03:17:29Z")
Lamb is pretty common in most supermarkets. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/3 "2005-06-02T03:19:24Z")
Baby Its the other other white meat. /Fat Bastard ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/4 "2005-06-02T03:38:00Z")
I would have to say it orginally had something to do with why certain animals were domesticated and others weren’t. The four you mention as meat sources are definitely the most widely raised, but I think goats and sheep would be more common meat sources than the other animals you listed in your second group. Animals like moose, deer, elk, camel, swan and heron haven’t ever been successfully domesticated. Well, maybe swans have, but the others no. If you are interested in a more detailed discussion about what I just stated you should check out [Guns, Germs and Steel](http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/spring99/gunsgerms.htm) by Jared Diamond. In certain restaurants items like rabbit and venision are not at all unusual. Even elk steaks are on several menus I’ve seen. The fact that it isn’t more common may have something to do with demand and how most people view certain animals as cute and cuddly. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/5 "2005-06-02T03:48:25Z")
Why isn’t fish considered meat? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/6 "2005-06-02T03:54:13Z")
I eat lamb and bison regularly. Fish too, if they count. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/7 "2005-06-02T03:55:28Z")
mmmMMM, Squid Meat! Buffalo and Rabbit are usually in the meat aisle here. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/8 "2005-06-02T04:21:32Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > Why isn’t fish considered meat? It doesn’t walk, therefore it isn’t meat. Call it cladistic culinariasm. Hey, nobody said Catholicism had to make sense. Just look at Rick Santorum. And throughout grade school I always wondered why we got battered fishsticks on Friday. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![sewalk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@sewalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sewalk)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/9 "2005-06-02T04:51:47Z")
Goose and duck are also domesticated and can be found in some markets. Quail and pheasant are also commonly found on restaurant menus and are often “farm-raised” but the birds are not truly domesticated. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/10 "2005-06-02T05:01:07Z")
Because the law _says so_! > [@](#): > > **Meat** —The flesh of animals used as food including the dressed flesh of cattle, swine, sheep or goats and other edible animals. The term does not include fish, poultry and wild game animals as specified under § 46.221(b) and © (relating to game animals). Source: [http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/007/chapter46/s46.3.html](http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/007/chapter46/s46.3.html) ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/11 "2005-06-02T05:02:54Z")
You can get ostrich jerky and other ostrich meat pretty easily in Southern Arizona markets. If you take the 8 into Arizona from California, you’ll see a big ol’ ostrich ranch around Casa Grande where the 8 turns into the 10. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/12 "2005-06-02T12:25:25Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > Why isn’t fish considered meat? Why aren’t green beans regarded as fruit? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/13 "2005-06-02T12:30:59Z")
Deer are farmed for venison. There’s a Caribbean restaurant near here that has goat on its menu (I keep on meaning to visit). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/14 "2005-06-02T13:26:24Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > Why don’t people farm and mass produce other meats like: > … > Sheep > … Did this one make it onto the wrong list by mistake? or is it really the case that lamb is not commonly sold in your part of the world? In any supermarket (in my part of the world, which is the UK), I can be assured of a wide choice of meat products in the beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey range, I can be fairly confident that there will be a couple of different duck products, guinea fowl, goose and probably a couple of game birds - maybe any two of quail, pheasant, partridge or pigeon. Diced rabbit meat will be available in the freezer section. If I visit a proper butcher’s shop, I can easily get all of the above, plus venison, fresh rabbit or hare and a wide range of game birds. I wouldn’t have to look around too hard to find kangaroo, alligator, ostrich, emu, rhea and kiwi (I actually know a guy that farms those last four birds, so that might be cheating) - goat too if I went to an area with a high immigrant population. With a little ingenuity, I think I could also find a commercial source of squirrel meat (I know of a local restaurant that has it on the menu). The swans all belong to the queen, so we’re not allowed to eat them. One thing I’ve never seen offered for sale here is horse, at least not explicitly labelled as such. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/15 "2005-06-02T13:40:41Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > The swans all belong to the queen, so we’re not allowed to eat them. […even if you’re Master of the Queen’s Music](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4361079.stm) > [@](#): > > One thing I’ve never seen offered for sale here is horse, at least not explicitly labelled as such. Good point - I do know it’s perfectly legal, so there’s probably a supplier somewhere. FWIW, my local Tesco has both snails and frog’s legs in the frozen section, the latter being very nice on a barbeque. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/16 "2005-06-02T14:02:18Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Did this one make it onto the wrong list by mistake? or is it really the case that lamb is not commonly sold in your part of the world? Lamb is not commonly eaten where I live (southeast US). It might be available at the grocery store, but it is not prominently displayed. Most people I know don’t care for the texture or have never tried it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/17 "2005-06-02T14:50:55Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Why aren’t green beans regarded as fruit? They aren’t. A fruit are the ripened ovaries of a plant, but the outer shell of a green bean doesn’t ripen – it remains the same. Also, the common definition of fruit is used to designate a sweet ripened seed pod. While it is scientifically correct to call a tomato a fruit, it is perfectly correct to insist it is not a fruit because it’s not sweet: the scientific definition of something is not necessarily the same as the common definition, and that does not make the common definition wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/18 "2005-06-02T15:00:21Z")
[QUOTE=Bearflag70] Why don’t people farm and mass produce other meats like: Goat Sheep/QUOTE] Goat and sheep meat (usually lamb) are commonly available in the United States. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/19 "2005-06-02T15:20:54Z")
I think there might be some problem with the premise of your question – of all the things you listed, I believe I can get several of them quite easily at several supermarkets – goat, lamb, mutton, duck, goose, quail, rabbit, ostrich, bison – some of them might only be available at upscale places like Whole Foods or Dean and Deluca and some of them might only be available at ethnic groceries and some might be on the expensive side and some (like goose) might be associated with certain holidays, but they’re all readily available. The question might be: why aren’t these things available in your part of the country? Or maybe you haven’t explored the upscale supermarkets or ethnic groceries of your region? ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489/20 "2005-06-02T15:24:10Z")
TOFU! The _other_ fake white meat. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-chicken-turkey-pork-wheres-the-other-meat/306489.md?page=2)