VOX POPULI: Waste not nature's blessings or tasty pests

There are roughly two ways in which most animals end their lives. One, they are eaten by other animals and thereby perpetuate the natural cycle of life. Two, they simply waste away and die before they become food for other animals.

There are also animals that don't fit either of those patterns of death. Limited in number, they are killed by humans, and the killing is not necessarily wanton.

Wild animals that ruin agriculture are captured and killed, and their carcasses are said to be mostly cremated or buried.

According to a newspaper story I read recently, the central and some local governments are now spearheading a drive to make the meat of such animals available to consumers. Put simply, the purpose is not to waste what nature has to offer.

Every year, crops worth 20 billion yen ($215 million) are ruined nationwide by animals--mainly deer and boars. Because we humans have in a sense practically raised these animals, I suppose we have every right to eat their meat.

The city of Takeo, Saga Prefecture, created a section to cull the local population of wild boar, complete with a food-processing facility. A curry, and other products made with boar meat, is said to be popular.

In his book "Furansu Ryori wa Shinka Suru" (Evolving French cuisine) from Bungeishunju Ltd., Satoru Udagawa notes: "Nothing stimulates the appetite of the French people like gibier (game) ... gibier is undoubtedly the most quintessential among France's numerous classic cooking ingredients."

These modern-day hunter-gatherers eagerly await autumn, the season for fresh game in stews and other rustic gastronomic delights.

Even in Japan, where eating animal meat was taboo for many years, people knew its nutritional value, and pretended they were eating "medicine."

A senryu poem from the Edo Period (1603-1867) goes: "On a snowy day/ Botan (peonies) blossom on a charcoal brazier." Back then, people referred to boar meat as botan and venison as momiji (red maple leaf). The clever wordplay is perhaps proof of how good Japanese game must have tasted.

I imagine that animals would rather die being appreciated by humans as food than simply rot away as garbage.

Where whales and tuna are concerned, Japanese food culture is being frowned upon by some other nations. This is all the more reason for us not to waste any meat of animals on land, if only to show our heartfelt appreciation to Mother Nature for her blessings.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 11

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.