Stefan Gates & Cameroonian Bushmeat

Stefan Gates' Cooking In Danger Zone is a wonderful programme. Neither judgemental, nor studiedly PC, it does not come across as adventure for the sake of shock effect. It's ideologically neutral yet very insightful and educational. All the trouble of passing judgements on people's dietary proclivities is smartly left up to the viewer.

According to Stefan himself, the programme's footage gets heavily edited. I noticed, for example, that the passage from his book where Cameroonian bushmeat cook Pascaline praises chimpanzee meat for its likeness to human flesh did not make it to the TV. Here's the extract:

‘What about gorilla?’

‘I’ve eaten it, and I serve it here, but I need the help of another person – I can’t do it all by myself,’ she shrugs. ‘My favourite is porcupine. And chimp.’ Blimey.

‘Why’s chimp so good?’

‘Because it almost smells like human flesh.’ Her brother tries to stop her talking, scared that she’s taking things too far, but she insists, ‘Yes, it’s true.’


I figure the above would be way too un-PC if revealed in public broadcast.

By the way, Stefan, they deceived you, sharks are fish and don't have lungs, it must have been something else you had there!