Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-06
MULE MEAT ON MENUS
Is PROMISED NOVELTY
Flesh Of Horses and Goats, Too,
May Soon Be Sold
Here
AUTHORIZED BY NEW LAW
Butchers, However, Believe Beef, Nut
ton and Pork Will Hold
Their Own

Mule, horse and goat meat are made pos
Bible for Philadelphia and the rest Of Penn.
sylvana by law enacted by the last Penn
sylvania Legislature and just signed by
Governor BrumbauRh
This law includes the meat Of horses
mules and goats in the laws already on the
statute books regulating sales and inspec-
ton Of meat under the State Live Stock
Sanitary Board. The sale of goat meat as
such. has long been permitted. but hereto
iore 1t has been Illegal to sell the flesh Of
horses and mules for food
Philadelphia butchers and meat dealers
today refused to predict sale Of horse and
mule meat as such i'm the city and were
not inclined to take the law seriously. They
said beef, pork and mutton will have to
become more scarce before the public will
eat horse and mule, no matter how cheap
the price may be.
No meat dealer could be found who had
peen interested In the new law and none Of
them knew anything about II until informed
by the EVENING LEDGER They said the
Legislature probably enacted the law In
anticipation Of a Dosshla scarcity Of pork
beef and mutton. which could result II the
war should continue long enough At pres
ent, they said II would be impossible to give
away horse and mule meat. but the time
might come when there would he a market
for it.
FEW WOULD BUY IT
at lower cost than the meats now In use ;
but such is the popular prejudice that very
few persons would knowingly eat it. The
general opinion seems 10 be that horse and
mule meat could be marketeds only under
the false label Of beef, and the law does not
permit that.
w S. Bradley Of the Bradley Market
Twenty-irst and Market streets, said
This is the first | have heard OF the
law We don't intend TO handle any horse
Is all right for those that want to eat
II. but l don't think there are very many
OF them. Regular meat will have to get
pretty scarce before people will buy horse
or mule. I think II will be a very long
time before horse or mule will be sold
in Philadelphia. ! don't know what it tastes
like, but l don't think 1t tastes very good"
l. w. Merrill, manager of the Bradley
market, said:
You couldn't give it away I never
heard of the law until you mentioned 1t.
have heard people say horse and mule
meat wasn't so bad, but ! never ate any
and don't want to and / don't think the
public wants any J. think they would be-
come vegetarians before they would eat
mule"
MERELY A WAR MEASURE
Charles Schwartz. manager Of the Gray's
Ferry Dressed Beef Company said:
"I don't expect horse and mule meat or
goat meat 10 be sold on an extensive scale
here. I never heard Of the law. l guess
the Legislature figured II couldn't tell what
might happen before the next Legislature
convened-with a war going on-and
thought il would prepare for the worst.
don't think things win get as bad as that
however.
Horse and mule could only be sold dis
guised as beef People would not buy II
any other way From time to time horse
and mule meat have been sold to people
that didn't know the difference, but there
has never been much of that done. and since
there is inspection there is virtually none
Of IL.
Il never tasted horse or mule meat, and
/ don't think you can find any one in this
country who has, except possibly some Civil
War veterans. who may have eaten it some
time when they had to eat that or starve.
The Bible is authority against eating horse
and mule. Animals with split hoofs only
should be eaten. Goat meat Is good to eat
II the goat was a female raised for food It
Is much eaten in Italy. Goats In this coun-
try, though. are raised for the hide and
hair and are permitted to eat anything
Their meat would not be good For food
they should be fed mutton Young goat
meat is very good. In the Italian quarter
they are glad TO get kid meat"
Irwin L. Gordon. F. r. G. s.. celebrated
traveller and author, told how horse and
mule meat were eaten in France long be-
fore the war. He tasted both.
Horse meat is better than beef" he
said once you get over the idea that
you are eating Black Beauty you find IL
very good. II Is sweet tender and juicy,
and has a beefy taste that Is superior 10
the taste OF beef itself. You could get
a good horse steak for fifteen cents-a
good thick one-when / was In Paris the
last time, and a mule steak for about six
ccpte. ate mule steak but once IL
WAS very tough and hard and strong tasting
Many worse things could happen 70
man than d b forced 10 eaf horse