popsjumper 2 #1 August 11, 2005 Now this is funny for a couple of reasons...Sushi at an aquarium fundraiser is funny! But the PETA response is hysterical! ------------- Sushi Fundraiser At The Aquarium Called Bad Taste By BEN MONTGOMERY bmontgomery@tampatrib.com Published: Aug 11, 2005 TAMPA - The announcement that The Florida Aquarium is holding a fundraiser tonight that will feature seven chefs competing in a Sushi Showdown was met with lament from familiar quarters. "That's like serving poodle burgers at a dog show,'' said Karin Robertson, manager of the Fish Empathy Project for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "Fish,'' said Robertson, who was campaigning in Canada against their consumption when reached Wednesday on her cell phone, "are fantastically intelligent individuals.'' They feel pain, communicate and have cognitive skills. It's bad enough they're not in the ocean, she said. To serve sushi in their midst is wrong. Are we to believe, then, that the creatures behind the glass at The Florida Aquarium could comprehend (even fear) the sushi competition? "It would be hard to say without looking at the tanks,'' Robertson said. The chefs, according to aquarium spokeswoman Andrea Davis, will have stations set up throughout the complex - near fish in some instances - and will serve more than 500 visitors who paid at least $50 a person to get in the doors. "Can the fish see them eating their relatives?'' Davis asked. "I'm not sure.'' The aquarium prefers not to hold a position on such divisive subjects, Davis said. Although the aquarium is an advocate for threatened species such as sea turtles and manatees, "Fish has been part of the human diet for years,'' she said. The fact is, of the aquarium's smaller fundraisers, the Sushi Showdown, which The Tampa Tribune sponsors, has been successful. 'More money equals more people; more people equals more education.'' The beauty of the aquarium is that it familiarizes visitors with splendid species found deep in the sea. Predators, prey and humans are separated only by glass. That's what makes the Sushi Showdown distasteful, said Bernard Rollin, an animal ethicist at Colorado State University, but not because fish understand. "I really doubt that the fish are going to be sitting there thinking, `Jesus Christ! You're next, Fred,' '' Rollin said. "But, it's stupid in today's world and in bad taste.'' Like the lobster tank at Red Lobster. Or poodle burgers. Davis, who admits the Sushi Showdown is a "touchy subject,'' said she doesn't know whether anyone at the aquarium has considered the ethical dilemma posed from a marketing standpoint. She knows that people like sushi and that the event sold out a week ago. And October is Seafood Month. And the aquarium has events scheduled. She offers a caveat: This year the Sushi Showdown will feature other Asian dishes. "Like stir fry chicken,'' Davis said. Reporter Ben Montgomery can be reached at (813) 259-7638.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stumpy 284 #2 August 11, 2005 I can just see Gary Larson loving that one.....Never try to eat more than you can lift Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
markd_nscr986 0 #3 August 11, 2005 Most fish have been eating "sashimi" for billions of years.............perhaps the aquarium fish feel left out of the festivitiesMarc SCR 6046 SCS 3004 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
juanesky 0 #4 August 11, 2005 Yep, specially when they did not share with the sharks!!! This reminds me of Corey Feldman...."According to some of the conservatives here, it sounds like it's fine to beat your wide - as long as she had it coming." -Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EricTheRed 0 #5 August 11, 2005 Do you get to choose your meal? Seriously tho, WTF do the PETA people think the aquarium feeds to the fish?illegible usually Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #6 August 11, 2005 BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Is this a real story, or is it from the Onion? I don't wanna make a fool of myself if its fake. But if it is real, WTF does PETA think they feed these fish every day? Tofu??? Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,131 #7 August 11, 2005 Maybe I'm just twisted, but I don't get it for the opposite reason. What's wrong with poodle burgers? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #8 August 11, 2005 mean spirited animals taste bad. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,131 #9 August 11, 2005 >mean spirited animals taste bad. So? People eat shark. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #10 August 11, 2005 sharks aren't mean spirited. They're badasses and they know it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,131 #11 August 11, 2005 >sharks aren't mean spirited. They're badasses and they know it. I once knew a very grumpy sand shark that always hung around a certain wreck on Long Island. He resented our presence. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
juanesky 0 #12 August 11, 2005 Here, a sample of the one served over there"According to some of the conservatives here, it sounds like it's fine to beat your wide - as long as she had it coming." -Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gravitational 0 #13 August 11, 2005 QuoteIs this a real story, or is it from the Onion? It's real.------ Michael Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tcnelson 1 #14 August 11, 2005 holy crap! does disney know about this? "Don't talk to me like that assface...I don't work for you yet." - Fletch NBFT, Deseoso Rodriguez RB#1329 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waltappel 1 #15 August 11, 2005 QuoteMaybe I'm just twisted, but I don't get it for the opposite reason. What's wrong with poodle burgers? It's the taste. To me, poodle tastes kind of like a cross between California Condor and Bald Eagle. Walt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airdweller 0 #16 August 11, 2005 >sharks aren't mean spirited. They're badasses and they know it. I once knew a very grumpy sand shark that always hung around a certain wreck on Long Island. He resented our presence. _____________________________________________________________________________ I don't know why, but that made me laugh. Thanks------------------------------------------------------ "From the mightiest pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?" C. Montgomery Burns Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #17 August 12, 2005 QuoteMaybe I'm just twisted, but I don't get it for the opposite reason. What's wrong with poodle burgers? I was SO gonna go there.....---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bodypilot90 0 #18 August 12, 2005 QuoteIt's the taste. To me, poodle tastes kind of like a cross between California Condor and Bald Eagle. Na more like manatee. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #19 August 12, 2005 QuoteHere, a sample of the one served over there Now THAT'S funny! My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
