# Mexican restaurants don't serve stray cats. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 21, 2017, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680 "2017-03-21T10:53:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/41 "2017-03-21T15:15:00Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > How do you get a dude name Jesús from a pet? 😕 Or is it a small job you’re talking about? \*You’re \*😕 !! I’ve read this about five times and still no comprende :o ---
**Author:** ![bobtimusprime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/94ad74/32.png) [@bobtimusprime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobtimusprime)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/42 "2017-03-21T15:15:42Z")
I must be naive, because I read it as “even the stray cats won’t eat their food” since usually stray cats hang out at restaurants to scavenge from dumpsters. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/43 "2017-03-21T15:16:04Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > My point is that it wouldn’t occur to me that he’d be offended because of the reasons I stated above. Just to be clear, is there a joke that I’m not aware of concerning Mexican food containing cats? Because if there isn’t, the comment simply doesn’t make sense. I do see the problem in saying such a thing to, for instance, a Chinese American. Because that particular stereotype is _actually a thing._. _To me,_ and again, because I’m not aware of any Mexican food / cat cliches the two are not the same at all. So, if someone is trying to be racially offensive, but is bad at it, it’s okay? Tell an african american, “Go back to Australia!” Nonsensical, sure, but there was intent to be a racist there, and that’s gotta count for something. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Sanchez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@Rick\_Sanchez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Sanchez)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/44 "2017-03-21T15:25:50Z")
In fairness to watchwolf, he actually wrote: > [@](#): > > If my favorite Mexican restaurant put up a sign “No Whities” … I’d still go in and hope they serve me … **THE OTHER PLACE ACROSS TOWN** is strangely devoid of local stray cats … and that worries me to be honest … So he’s not talking about his favourite Mexican restaurant. The “other place across town” could be another Mexican restaurant, or it could be a Burger King. He never specifies. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/45 "2017-03-21T15:25:51Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > My point is that it wouldn’t occur to me that he’d be offended because of the reasons I stated above. Just to be clear, is there a joke that I’m not aware of concerning Mexican food containing cats? Because if there isn’t, the comment simply doesn’t make sense. I do see the problem in saying such a thing to, for instance, a Chinese American. Because that particular stereotype is _actually a thing._. _To me,_ and again, because I’m not aware of any Mexican food / cat cliches the two are not the same at all. It’s a broader “poor brown people eat vermin” sorta thing. It certainly exists. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/46 "2017-03-21T15:27:26Z")
> [@bobtimusprime](#): > > I must be naive, because I read it as “even the stray cats won’t eat their food” since usually stray cats hang out at restaurants to scavenge from dumpsters. Ditto. I even had a brief moment when I saw the thread title that it was a rant about either a restaurant refusing to give their scraps to the local strays or someone complaining that a restaurant shouldn’t be feeding the local strays :smack: I mean, once I read **LHoD’s** entire OP and got some context I got what he was trying to say but that’s what I’ve been trying to point out. I didn’t immediately get it because no one talks about Mexican putting cats in their enchiladas. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/47 "2017-03-21T15:27:58Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > The only way that follows is if there are only two restaurants in his town, which, while possible, is a bit doubtful. Otherwise, if there are more than two restaurants, and there are in fact two mexican restaurants, then it is quite obvious what he is referring to as the “other [mexican] place across town”. > > He is welcome to clarify if he likes, but I don’t think your interpretation holds. I personally view it as non-racist because he doesn’t seem to think all Mexican restaurants serve cat, just that one he knows of has too few cats in its local neighborhood to fully trust. In fact, he’s so confident in the one he likes that he’d consider braving racist abuse to eat there. So, I’m not seeing the racism in the original post by **watchwolf49**. So, stale and tired? Yeah. Jokes about any restaurant serving cat aren’t new. Racist? That’s quite a stretch, considering there’s contravening evidence in the same post. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/48 "2017-03-21T15:34:18Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > _To me,_ and again, because I’m not aware of any Mexican food / cat cliches the two are not the same at all. Not racist because the stereotype doesn’t exist. Got it. > [@Balthisar](#): > > Umm, having lived in Mexico nearly five years, _Mexicans_ make jokes about restaurants using dog meat instead of beef/pork/chicken. And, let’s see, “dar gato por liebre” kind of implies they have the same worries about cat meat. > … > It seems a little SJW-ish to attribute things to racism that intend no harm, that cause no harm, and is repeated frequently by the alleged victims themselves in any case. Not racist because the stereotype is common among the stereotyped group. Got it. Could y’all maybe talk amongst yourselves? > [@Rick\_Sanchez](#): > > In fairness to watchwolf, he actually wrote: > > So he’s not talking about his favourite Mexican restaurant. The “other place across town” could be another Mexican restaurant, or it could be a Burger King. He never specifies. You really think this is so clever you have to repeat it? Don’t think you can out-pedantic me, dummy. “The other place across town” could be a lingerie shop for all we know, or it could be a square centimeter of sidewalk, or it could be that place where the sewer pipe meets the toilet. Didn’t think of that, smart guy, huh? Huh? I mean, if we’re pretending our second-grade teachers didn’t teach us how to read for context, it could be literally fucking ANYTHING! I’m so glad you raised such a salient objection! ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/49 "2017-03-21T15:38:17Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > \*You’re \*😕 !! I’ve read this about five times and still no comprende :o Currito is spanish for someone who does odd jobs or is like a floater worker filling in where needed on a day-to-day basis. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/50 "2017-03-21T15:40:52Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > I’m confused – isn’t it Vietnamese who eat cats? Don’t know about that. I do know that the Bozo people in western Africa eat cats, and that dogs are sold at roadside markets as a food source. It’s a matter of necessity. That doesn’t mean that what we consider pet meat is used in African restaurants here in the states, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/51 "2017-03-21T15:42:35Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > My point is that it wouldn’t occur to me that he’d be offended because of the reasons I stated above. Just to be clear, is there a joke that I’m not aware of concerning Mexican food containing cats? Because if there isn’t, the comment simply doesn’t make sense. I do see the problem in saying such a thing to, for instance, a Chinese American. Because that particular stereotype is _actually a thing._. _To me,_ and again, because I’m not aware of any Mexican food / cat cliches the two are not the same at all. Would you say it to a Mexican’s face, and would you be honestly shocked if they were offended by it? Would you tell them they were wrong to feel that way? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/52 "2017-03-21T15:46:28Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Don’t know about that. I do know that the Bozo people in western Africa eat cats, and that dogs are sold at roadside markets as a food source. It’s a matter of necessity. That doesn’t mean that what we consider pet meat is used in African restaurants here in the states, of course. This is a key point: claiming someone eats something in accordance with local cultural norms is a different claim than that someone secretly serves people a food that they know violates local cultural norms. Also, making a claim that’s supported by unremarkable evidence is entirely different from making a joke that’s clearly unsupported by evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/53 "2017-03-21T15:50:44Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Really, doesn’t coming up with half-baked excuses Well done! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/54 "2017-03-21T15:53:45Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Currito is spanish for someone who does odd jobs or is like a floater worker filling in where needed on a day-to-day basis. For the jobs themselves as well. And also, Curro is a nickname for Jesús (don’t ask me how do we derive one from the other); in diminutive form, Currito. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/55 "2017-03-21T16:04:14Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Jose made a burrito out of him? A _currito_! > > First thing I thought of. I’ve never heard any jokes about Mexican restaurants putting anything er, \*unconventional \*in the food. Actually, I wouldn’t have even understood that’s what **watchwolf49** was getting at. For that matter, even if he’d been talking about an Asian restaurant it still would have been too nonsensical to be funny or offensive. > > Did anyone else thing this thread was going to be related to the one about people bringing their dogs to the bank? There was a local Mexican restaurant several years ago that shut down because the health department found dog meat in the freezer, though the restaurant claimed it was solely for one employee’s use. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/56 "2017-03-21T16:04:54Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Lots of restaurants here serve stray cats. They have food and water bowls out front and everything. My daughter was a waitress at a seafood restaurant and people fed the stray cats there too, they would put the left over food out for the cats . There was a colony of stray cats until some women helped the cats . I would think the city health department would had closed up the Mexican restaurant if they cooking hot and spicy tacos made with cats meat . :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/57 "2017-03-21T16:15:01Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > There was a local Mexican restaurant several years ago that shut down because the health department found dog meat in the freezer, though the restaurant claimed it was solely for one employee’s use. Curious how well-cited this claim is: this sort of story shows up as a racist urban legend far more often than it shows up as something actually true. I mean, I won’t say they’re never true, but if it’s something that was just common knowledge in town, I doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/58 "2017-03-21T16:23:23Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The cat population in Paris reportedly dropped dramatically during the Nazi occupation. Hell, while they were besieged during the Franco-Prussian War, Paris ate their ZOO. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/59 "2017-03-21T16:26:13Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Curious how well-cited this claim is: this sort of story shows up as a racist urban legend far more often than it shows up as something actually true. Here is a real two for one special for you. "Chinese restaurants across Tijuana have been suffering a sharp drop in customers this week following the discovery that workers at one establishment had been killing dogs and cooking their meat. Two days after authorities shut down Restaurant Lo Yen City, in the heart of a working class community several miles from downtown, three Chinese nationals and two Mexicans remained in custody on Thursday. The Baja California Attorney General’s Office is expected to decide Friday whether to file charges of animal cruelty… As news of Tuesday’s discovery has spread, many Chinese restaurants in the city have seen their business decline. Wang Jian, head of the Chinese Consulate in Tijuana, said that one owner reported that his daily sales had dropped by 90 percent." > **[Dog meat found in Tijuana Chinese restaurant](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2015/04/10/dog-meat-found-in-tijuana-chinese-restaurant/)** > > TIJUANA  — Chinese restaurants across Tijuana have been suffering a sharp drop in customers this week following the discovery that workers at one establishment had been killing dogs… ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680/60 "2017-03-21T16:30:23Z")
Shitty food being something that is not regular meat is a joke directed towards all shitty food. McDonalds serves worm meat. Hotdogs are made of assholes, or have human DNA. Burger King serves horse meat. Anytime we can’t identify that actual meat, we make up jokes about it. Every culture, everywhere. It was a comparison between two Mexican restaurants. Restaurant A is really good, restaurant B serves cat meat so its shitty. Unless restaurant A is only good because it is owned by white people there is nothing racist being said. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-restaurants-dont-serve-stray-cats/782680.md?page=4)