# Emu - It's What's For Dinner. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 30, 2000, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996 "2000-10-30T23:02:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KimKatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@KimKatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimKatt)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2000, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/1 "2000-10-30T23:02:19Z")
It’s what’s for dinner in my kitchen tonight, anyway. Bubbling away on my stove right now is a pot of meat sauce, shortly to be liberally spooned over pasta and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. I’ve had emu burgers in restaurants before, but this is my first cooking experience with the birdy. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Ground emu browns up much like hamburger, but with almost no grease - so little that I didn’t even bother to drain it, and I normally drain hamburger fairly intensely, with hot water and a collander. The true test - my 12 year old daughter, who hates anything new but loves spaghetti sauce. Details to follow… ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/2 "2000-10-31T00:29:14Z")
:eek: OMG! You’re eating Emu Phillips?!?!? I was wondering what happened to that guy… ---
**Author:** ![KimKatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@KimKatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimKatt)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/3 "2000-10-31T01:17:26Z")
LOL, **Dire Wolf** , you’re going to make me hijack my own thread! I heard Emo Philips on the radio last Friday. That man is odd. Anyhow, the emu actually went over quite well. We told little Katt what she’d just eaten after the fact, and she was okay with it. Hope so, as she had two helpings 🙂 The taste is really good. It’s a touch drier than regular hamburger, as the fat content is so low, but after being cooked in pasta sauce, the dryness is gone. The only drawback is the price - it’s about double the price of hamburger. We bought that right at the emu farm, about 15 miles from our house. I’ll have to shop around and see if it’s cheaper elsewhere, but that seems unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Fletch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/919ad9/32.png) [@Fletch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fletch)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/4 "2000-10-31T02:07:23Z")
My neighbor raises emus, the things are ugly but sure do taste good. Emu meat is much better for you than beef. ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/5 "2000-10-31T02:53:55Z")
Well, I’m glad Katt was ok with it. I don’t know if I could eat emu, but my friends can’t get me to try venison, either. Must be a mental thing. There’s an emu farm about 15 miles from my house, too, and I thought it was the strangest sight when I first saw these freaky ostrich-looking things running around. I’m told they can be pretty mean, too. And you’re right - I just don’t get Emo Phillips’ humor. Maybe he _would_ be better off in a stew! ---
**Author:** ![KimKatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@KimKatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimKatt)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/6 "2000-10-31T02:59:22Z")
I can’t eat anything cute, including venison. Eat BAMBI? :eek: Can’t eat rabbit, either. But emus are ugly and nasty critters. When my sister was about 4, we were at a petting zoo that had one. It attacked her jacket’s hood strings, which scared the heck out of her. I guess that did it for me 🙂 Now’s there’s a food rule for you. If it’s ugly, it’s okay to eat it. Hmmm… the possibilities on that one! ---
**Author:** ![Quadzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/a4c791/32.png) [@Quadzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quadzilla)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/7 "2000-10-31T03:17:16Z")
Our neighbors in the Ozarks had emus as pets… they were payment from a patient who didn’t have enough money to foot his doctor’s bill (the one neighbor being a doctor…) As for venison, I accidentally ate it one time. One of those cases where ignorance was bliss…mmm…and tasty bliss it was. Sorry, Kim 😃 I freaked out at first, but it was a lot better than the hog jowl that accompanied it. Relative circumstances, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@That\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Girl)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/8 "2000-10-31T04:38:57Z")
I’m not sure why, exactly but it seems wrong to eat emus. I know they are supposed to be dumber than cows and pigs, but I just don’t believe it. This struck me like the thread on eating your cat. Yes, it’s not immoral or anything, but it still seems like the wrong thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/9 "2000-10-31T04:54:58Z")
Although I’ve never had emu, I have has an ostrich burger. And let me tell you, it was scrum-didley-umptious! I love venison as well, but is harder to ocme by in my area, because it’s assumed that if you want venison, you get your rifle and kill the damn thing yourself. But there are numerous ostrich and emu farms near me. My friend’s parents actually own two ostriches, and my former English teacher farms emus on the side. Mmmm…emu… ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/10 "2000-10-31T15:05:02Z")
where can you get it commercially? in the US??? My 16 year old, (who ALWAYS would try anything once) loves it. I’d love to be able to cook some at home vs. dining out for big bucks (the only place locally we can get it and the only item on the menu that has it is an appetizer platter designed for like a family of 4, and has emu, rattlesnake, boar, venison, and buffalo I think - yes, he love is all and eats the whole thing by himself - he’s 6/1 and weighs about 160)… ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/11 "2000-10-31T16:49:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KimKatt \* > \*\* > Now’s there’s a food rule for you. If it’s ugly, it’s okay to eat it. Hmmm… the possibilities on that one! \*\* Hey, big cookout at my place tonight - having several co-workers for dinner - BUT THEY AREN’T EATING!!! :eek: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! …time for my pills… ---
**Author:** ![Ivar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ivar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ivar)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/12 "2000-10-31T17:06:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wring \* > \*\*where can you get it commercially? in the US??? > > My 16 year old, (who ALWAYS would try anything once) loves it. I’d love to be able to cook some at home vs. dining out for big bucks (the only place locally we can get it and the only item on the menu that has it is an appetizer platter designed for like a family of 4, and has emu, rattlesnake, boar, venison, and buffalo I think - yes, he love is all and eats the whole thing by himself - he’s 6/1 and weighs about 160)… \*\* Where can one find this “Crazy Meat Sampler”? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/13 "2000-10-31T17:37:46Z")
My dad has apparently decided to raise crazy animals in his retirement years; he obtained an emu this summer, for which he traded three peacocks (including one albino) plus some other consideration. Haven’t been home since it was butchered, so I have no idea what emu tastes like just yet. Dad tells me it produced about 80 pounds of good meat. ---
**Author:** ![KimKatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@KimKatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimKatt)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/14 "2000-10-31T17:49:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wring \* > \*\*where can you get it commercially? in the US??? > \*\* Have you tried an online search yet? I’m in Canada, southwestern Ontario to be more specific, and there are a few emu farms in the area. Several local grocery stores and restaurants also carry it. Here’s one in Pennsylvania: [http://www.emusonline.com/meat.html](http://www.emusonline.com/meat.html) ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/15 "2000-10-31T18:24:10Z")
Problem comes in when people find that emu ranching isn’t as profitable as they thought it would be. So the dumbnuts turn the emus loose in the rural countryside. We get at least 1 call a week about ‘big, huge ostriches’ running around (a couple of ostriches have been let loose, but not near the number of emus). I pity the people at Animal Control and the police departments, since they usually end up dealing with them. Big and ill-tempered birds with the brains of a brick, and now another imported species feeding and breeding and threatening local wildlife. But I concede they are tasty. [At least no one has tried raising cassowaries - now **that** is **one** frighteningly strong and nasty bird!!] ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/16 "2000-10-31T19:28:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ivar \* > \*\* > Where can one find this “Crazy Meat Sampler”? \*\* a restaurant near Williamston MI (about 15 miles southwest of Lansing) called “rooftop inn” has a reindeer farm as well. shall I call and make reservations for you? \*\*KimKat \*\* thanks, will try to see if it’s doable…! ---
**Author:** ![Fletch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/919ad9/32.png) [@Fletch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fletch)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/17 "2000-10-31T19:40:25Z")
I can attest to the foul temper of the emus. Once in a while they manage to kick through the neighbors fence. You have to make sure there are no pets or children outside for them to kick, rake with their claws, peck or bite. You have to try to herd them back to the pasture and still maintain your own safety zone. I would rather deal with a bull anytime. ---
**Author:** ![KimKatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@KimKatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimKatt)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/18 "2000-10-31T20:11:41Z")
And hey, **wring** , you aren’t that far from me if you are in MI - come on over to my town (Windsor, ON) and we’ll set you up with some fresh emu! ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/19 "2000-10-31T22:27:01Z")
may have to do that **KimKatt** I’m about 2 hours from D-troit (smack dab in the middle of the state around Lansing). -look at your right palm, hit the middle of your hand (not counting your fingers) that’s about where I live. I \*\*love \*\* carrying a map of MI around! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2000, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emu-its-whats-for-dinner/38996/20 "2000-11-01T13:57:43Z")
Just this morning while chatting with my SO, he casually mentions that the Rooftop Restaurant (and Reindeer Farm) is closing it’s doors. the property has been sold, the guy who owned it has chosen to simply raise Reindeer and drop out of the restaurant buz… I don’t even want to tell my son! :eek: ☹ :eek: