# Russian prisoners used as "cows"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 17, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551 "2006-12-17T22:41:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/1 "2006-12-17T22:41:58Z")
In [this story](http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/highlights/001027_siberia.shtml) from [BBC.co.uk](http://BBC.co.uk), Jacques Rossi tells of one prisoner who “was a “cow”, a disturbing term given to the human “provisions” taken by convicts when they tried to escape the camps.” I could not find anything else about this in google-fooing this term. Did this really happen, or rather is it documented anywhere else? Steven ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/2 "2006-12-17T22:56:02Z")
Don’t know, just saying that I though a human cow would be a female held captive for her lactation ability. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/3 "2006-12-17T23:00:25Z")
Sounds very unlikely. > [@](#): > > Rossi explains how seasoned underworld criminals would select a young naïve man who would be brought in on their escape plans. However when the criminals ran out of food they would kill their charge consuming the man’s kidneys and blood. Fires would have given their location away so they made use of the two parts of the man’s body that could be eaten without cooking. You can’t eat human meat without cooking it? Bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/4 "2006-12-17T23:09:48Z")
I can’t imagine why the kidneys and blood would be edible while the rest of the human being wasn’t. I used to think the BBC was a respectable and serious source for reporting, but they’ve come off as rather incredulous in the last two or three months. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/5 "2006-12-18T00:03:27Z")
You can eat liver, brains, and marrow without cooking. Prehistoric people left evidence of eating these parts of their kill (at least the marrow and brains. See **Dances with Wolves** for livers). If your source doesn’t include these, i don’t see any reason to trust it. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/6 "2006-12-18T00:09:53Z")
please explain how some parts are more suitable to eat without cooking ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/7 "2006-12-18T00:14:35Z")
> [@](#): > > please explain how some parts are more suitable to eat without cooking Try eating a steak without grinding it up first. It’s really tough. You can eat some parts easily without cooking, as listed above. I suppose you could make human _steak tartare_, but the meat grinder would be more suspicious than a fire, I think. Just helping the next generation of cannibals be discreet. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/8 "2006-12-18T04:27:15Z")
[QUOTE=kanicbird] Don’t know, just saying that I though a human cow would be a female held captive for her lactation ability. [/QUOTE] This shouldn’t be turning me on, should it? :o ---
**Author:** ![intention](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e95f7d/32.png) [@intention](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/intention)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/9 "2006-12-18T06:11:48Z")
[QUOTE=threemae] I can’t imagine why the kidneys and blood would be edible while the rest of the human being wasn’t. I used to think the BBC was a respectable and serious source for reporting, but they’ve come off as rather **incredulous** in the last two or three months. [/QUOTE] In the unceasing fight against ignorance, I must point out (in, of course, a most genteel and discreet manner) than incredulous does not mean unbelievable … w. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/10 "2006-12-18T06:19:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **CalMeacham** > You can eat liver, **brains** , and marrow without cooking. Prehistoric people left evidence of eating these parts of their kill (at least the marrow and brains. See Dances with Wolves for livers). If your source doesn’t include these, i don’t see any reason to trust it. Well if we’re talking about eating the brains of other humans that might be a bad idea what with prion disease and all. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/11 "2006-12-18T07:56:58Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] Try eating a steak without grinding it up first. It’s really tough. You can eat some parts easily without cooking, as listed above. I suppose you could make human _steak tartare_, but the meat grinder would be more suspicious than a fire, I think. [/QUOTE] They had knives, and they weren’t exactly in a situation to bitch about their steaks not being tender enough. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/12 "2006-12-18T12:04:13Z")
If I ever get to the point where eating a fellow human becomes necessary, I can’t imagine being terribly picky about what part I get (I might pass on the hotdogs unless as a very last recourse, though). In fact, I imagine I would certainly prefer eating muscle over viscerae any day as that is my normal preference in cows. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/13 "2006-12-18T12:47:32Z")
> [@](#): > > They had knives, and they weren’t exactly in a situation to bitch about their steaks not being tender enough. Well, I didn’t say they couldn’t eat other muscle tissue – my point was that the OP missed the easiest and softest tissues. And it’s not just a case of “not tender enough”. Try eating a thick steak without benefit of cooking or a meat grinder sometime. You’ll be slicing it really thin. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/14 "2006-12-18T12:52:44Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] Try eating a thick steak without benefit of cooking or a meat grinder sometime. You’ll be slicing it really thin. [/QUOTE] If my options are to either starve to death or go back to a Siberian gulag, I’ll happily slice my steak thin. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/15 "2006-12-18T13:06:26Z")
> [@](#): > > If my options are to either starve to death or go back to a Siberian gulag, I’ll happily slice my steak thin. So will I, but the implication seems to be that they’re trying to do this surreptitiously, and the presence of a grown man being hacked slowly into teeny tiny bits will set off strong suspicions in even the dullest guard. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/16 "2006-12-18T13:38:21Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] So will I, but the implication seems to be that they’re trying to do this surreptitiously, and the presence of a grown man being hacked slowly into teeny tiny bits will set off strong suspicions in even the dullest guard. [/QUOTE] Maybe I’ve missed something. I thought the idea was that they escaped with the “cow” and then, when food ran out, killed him and ate him in order to be able to keep going. So the guard wouldn’t notice him being hacked to pieces. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2006, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/17 "2006-12-18T13:57:44Z")
[QUOTE=threemae] but they’ve come off as rather incredulous in the last two or three months. [/QUOTE] I don’t think that word means what you think it means. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/18 "2006-12-18T15:18:03Z")
Line-lifter… [QUOTE=Priceguy] Maybe I’ve missed something. I thought the idea was that they escaped with the “cow” and then, when food ran out, killed him and ate him in order to be able to keep going. So the guard wouldn’t notice him being hacked to pieces. [/QUOTE] Well, during the dry-runs while they’re still in the gulag but practicing who goes where and does what during the escape the guards would pretty well notice something going on. Still, I think that bit about kidneys & blood was emphasized for effect. Seems like those who get stuck in mountain passes don’t have much of a problem working through a man-chop when they need to. Besides, they could always let the skeletal muscle age a bit to tender it up some. I think the “cow” idea makes a lot of sense considering how desperately awful gulag life must have been, I just don’t think they’d go to all the trouble for only some blood & kidneys. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/19 "2006-12-20T02:21:36Z")
[QUOTE=Inigo Montoya] I think the “cow” idea makes a lot of sense considering how desperately awful gulag life must have been, I just don’t think they’d go to all the trouble for only some blood & kidneys. [/QUOTE] Agreed. Which is why this set off my BS detector. My OP was really asking if anyone knew of a corroborative text. Thanks for all of the input. Steven ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551/20 "2006-12-20T11:14:46Z")
The thing is, you only really get 1 meal, two tops out of the “cow”. Theres no easy way to lug around 100 lbs of manflesh. Given that, it would make sense to eat the most nutritious and easily digestible parts and leave the flesh behind. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-prisoners-used-as-cows/384551.md?page=2)