A Traveler’s Thoughts: Cannibalism You Are What You (Who) Eat

If you’ve grazed sun dried skin off your lip, licked blood from a cut or chewed your finger to dig out piece of splintered wood you’re giving yourself a chance to survive the extreme. Reconsider your expectations because you’ll never know when you need too get in touch with your inner cannibal. Travel takes you to the places you planned to visit, and unexpected destinations not covered by travel your insurance. During my own travels I have dined on camel, horse, turtle, water buffalo, crocodile, kangaroo, snake and a few raw insects. Therefore, my hypothesis is? Could I, would I be able to ‘do it’? I’m talking about the unspeakable. Cannibalism! If the situation warranted would you become a fine young cannibal if it meant the difference between life and death?

If you find yourself trapped on a mountain surrounded by the bodies from first class would you eat them to survive? Besieged soldiers, explorers and convicts have all devoured human flesh in the name of survival at all costs. Survival is an integral component of the human machine. In the extreme, the struggle to survive at all costs can fail when the cultural, moral and social barriers that over centuries have conditioned the individual to reject their baser instincts. It is amazing but tragic how conventional sensibilities interfere with the decision to carry out an inhuman act, like cannibalism and in so doing jeopardise a life and death decision.

During the early days of home video the movie, Cannibal Holocaust (think Blair Witch Project) marketed itself on the rumour it was a ‘genuine snuff movie’ (like genuine X-ray specs and sea monkeys). Those lured by their curiosity were sickened, guilt ridden and horrified by the hypnotic nature of the subject. However, the film’s potency has been eroded by technology, cynicism and stylistic demands of contemporary audiences. It has subsequently been revealed as a Mockumentary. Yet, those of us who saw it in its original skin during the early 80s viewers, in the context of the period experienced the cannibalism as ‘real’ documentary footage (the experience left me with a psychological hangover).

Zombies and serial killers have made cannibalism a commercial product (with a side order of fava beans and a bottle of Chianti). Sex is somewhat akin to cannibalism, ‘eat her out’ or ‘I could eat her alive’ the popular ‘suck you off’ followed by ‘I’ll swallow you whole’. There are people who eat the frozen placenta of their newborn (this is practised by animals in the wild to ward off predators). So when it comes down to it human beings are not totally cut of from their savage status. Consider evolution, it has designed the boundaries of humanity with areas of instinctive permeability. Still, it all tastes like chicken anyway.