Thanks, but no thanks! Gordon Ramsay threw viewers of his new show, Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, for a loop on Sunday, July 21, when he traveled to Peru and ate guinea pig, deeming the animal “delicious.”
The National Geographic show, which takes the celebrity chef to different countries across the globe meeting various indigenous people, is designed to teach viewers about other cultures and the foods they eat.
While guinea pigs (which are also called cuyes) are commonly eaten in parts of the South American country, many Westerners keep the small, furry creatures as pets, and therefore can’t imagine eating them.
Still, that didn’t stop Ramsay, 52, from, well, pigging out. Over the course of the inaugural episode, viewers saw living guinea pigs (they are typically kept in homes until its time to eat them), skinned guinea pigs as part of the preparation process and guinea pigs that had been roasted in advance of a meal.
For some animal lovers, all of the carnage was a bit too much to take. “I realize people eat different things all over the world, they have to due to region, economics, etc. but being a guinea pig owner and lover I can’t watch Gordon Ramsey’s new show,” tweeted one social media user. “Those poor, sweet pigs.”
“I think its sad,” added another.
When it came time to chow down, the MasterChef host dug into the guinea pig loin and praised the meat. “You do not know what you’re missing,” he said of the meal. “I am telling you now, delicious.” He also likened the local delicacy to “a suckling pig,” calling it “pretty good.”
Perhaps sensing he might get some pushback for his unconventional meal choice, Ramsay then opened up about why he can’t put guinea pig on the menu at any of his eateries in America. “I can’t feature roasted guinea pig on my menus here in the U.S.,” he explained. “I would be taken down.”
Scroll down to see more reactions toward Ramsay’s guinea pig meal.
@GordonRamsay you are so adorable with the kids on #Uncharted ❤…those poor guinea pigs tho. Lol.
— Hunty Wiz (@HuntyWiz) July 22, 2019
@GordonRamsay Did you just become the guinea pig, trying your first guinea pig? #Uncharted
— ✨Krissy✨ (@RaggedyDoll) July 22, 2019
Now every time i head to the pet store and pass by the guinea pigs my inner voice will turn into Gordon Ramsay and say “Dinner”
— autopilot (@dareakuma_san) July 22, 2019
Are you really killing and cooking something we have as pets@GordonRamsay? Guinea pigs? Please don’t air that if you do. It will freak out the children…and some adults.
— Jan Toerne (@fmaxjtc) July 17, 2019
My mother left the room after she saw the guinea pigs #uncharted
— SanityBroken (@Sanity8roken) July 22, 2019
Your sure you enjoyed that guinea pig and stew? Your face said otherwise…😂😂
— omarbreezy49 (@MrOBrownee) July 22, 2019
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