"don't knock it until you've tried it" is my motto. i myself know for a fact that i don't like chicken feet because i've actually eaten some before. that gummy texture…

unusual animals and their organs/offal are eaten all around the world, yet east asian diets—which aren't a single, monolithic entity by any means—seem to get a lot more flack in western media than those from other parts of the world. for example, large grubs and worms (easy-to-come-by, excellent sources of protein) are consumed (alive) in many regions in the tropics, and yet no-one seems to care about how different that might be from the western diet. the bias is based in ignorance and stereotyping, i.e. the idea that east asians have a bizarre and backwards culture, plus the idea that the world outside of eurasia and north america is too underdeveloped to have access to "normal food" (or any food at all). the criticisms normally don't have to do with any valid concerns about physical health/safety or environmental sustainability—which would make more sense to me than just saying "wtf, that's messed up…".

so you could respond by saying that you'd rather eat healthier and less expensive sources of protein and nutrients than depend solely on conventional meats loaded with hormones and artificial chemicals that were produced by destroying nature and exploiting poor people.

(btw, i'm totally on board with arguments against the poaching of endangered animal species demanded by people who consume them based on a belief that consuming the animals' parts has medicinal properties and health benefits—it is said to be largely a phenomenon among the growing middle class in china and other countries in asia. that is really unethical to me.)