One of the most interesting things of our assumptions on common sense are given in those situations where we express them as sensations instead of ideas. An interesting example is the topic of foods, something we talked about in previous posts (for example, here). Let’s take the case of the guinea pig (cuy or cuis in some countries), a recurrent topic in this blog. The fact that a lot of people doesn’t want to eat it -in particular, for its appereance, it looks like some sort of a rat- is not expressed in a structured idea -such as “I won’t eat it because I’m a vegetarian”. Rather, it’s exposed as repugnance; that is, a physical sensation unable to be translated into words, and which in common sense terms would be understood as ’something natural’.

In fact, this sensation is far from being natural, since every social group or ‘culture’ -this expression being so ‘commoditied’- classifies what’s eatable in different forms. It is interesting how we somatize a cultural aspect in a way that the rejection of certain types of food ends up being a sensation, unable to be expressed through language, which tends to be interpreted as the ‘most normal’ way of reaction towards certain foods.

That guinea pig meat is delicious, quite lean and very much like oher meats eaten in other places of Latin America -such as chicken- don’t seem to matter. What’s important is the aspect of the food. This point applies to other traditional dishes in Latin America, such as rostro asado in Oruro (that’s a roasted lamb head), ants in Colombia, monkey meat and worms in certain zones of the peruvian forest. Feel free to add other dishes you know in the comments.

In the case of the guinea pig, there are other things to add, like the fact that in the peruvian highlands not only it is considered a delicious dish, but its consumption is usually reserved for important celebrations for the family group. This concept of the guinea pig as a special food differs greatly from the reactions of disgust of those who wouldn’t think of trying the meat, even when they do eat poultry and veal at home.

The photo of the guinea pig, above, was taken from the Puno photo album published in Traveler Hat.