ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on the consumption of kid meat for tourism and recreational purposes from a utilitarian standpoint, whose premise, according to P. Singer, is that individual interests cannot supersede collective welfare. It explores the unethical situation in which the production and consumption of cabrito, a culinary product considered a ''cultural expression'' of Monterrey, is involved. The analysis of culinary tourism in Mexico has been carried out mostly from an anthropocentric perspective, legitimizing–deliberately or not–various forms of newborn animal abuse. The chapter presents a historical account on the cultural significance of the consumption of cabrito from its religious meaning, to its current secular recreational use. Cabrito is a rather expensive dish reserved for celebrations such as christenings, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and graduation ceremonies, and it is usually linked to the intake of alcohol, mainly beer and tequila. Meat consumption has been associated with social privilege and the reinforcement of patriarchic values among humans.