Heinrich
2006-05-03 16:31:27 UTC
Prince Henrik, the prince consort of Denmark, has shocked animal lovers by
declaring that dog meat - fried or grilled - is one of his favourite dishes.
The 72-year-old prince, a Frenchman by birth, said his penchant for dog meat
had developed from the time he spent growing up and studying in Vietnam.
But the disclosure, made in an interview with a Danish magazine, has shocked
the nation, particularly as the prince is the honorary president of the
Danish Dachshund Club.
He has several dachshunds and, despite publishing a cookery book called Ikke
Altid Gaselever (Not Always Goose Liver), has even published eulogies to
them.
He invited Danes to try eating dog meat themselves. "I do not mind eating
dog meat at all," he said. "The dogs I eat have been bred to be eaten
anyway, just like chickens.
"It tastes like rabbit, like dry venison, or like veal - just drier." He
said the meat tasted best when it was sautéed or grilled and cut into thin
slices.
A book of Prince Henrik's poems, in which he praised his dogs, was published
last year. A poem to his dachshund Evita compares her paws to "wings".
"I love to stroke your coat and to see how it shines/ You dear, you special
dog..../ You receive me with papal pride."
He previously provoked nationwide debate when he suggested that parents
should use the skills of dog training to bring up their children.
Since the prince's admission in the magazine Ud&Se, Danish newspapers have
reopened their files on a royal dachshund that disappeared from Amalienborg
palace, Copenhagen, in the early 1990s. Despite a countrywide search, it
never reappeared.
Prince Henrik learnt Danish and changed his name, religion and nationality
to marry Queen Margrethe II in 1967. But he has repeatedly complained about
the Danes' lack of willingness to accept him.
declaring that dog meat - fried or grilled - is one of his favourite dishes.
The 72-year-old prince, a Frenchman by birth, said his penchant for dog meat
had developed from the time he spent growing up and studying in Vietnam.
But the disclosure, made in an interview with a Danish magazine, has shocked
the nation, particularly as the prince is the honorary president of the
Danish Dachshund Club.
He has several dachshunds and, despite publishing a cookery book called Ikke
Altid Gaselever (Not Always Goose Liver), has even published eulogies to
them.
He invited Danes to try eating dog meat themselves. "I do not mind eating
dog meat at all," he said. "The dogs I eat have been bred to be eaten
anyway, just like chickens.
"It tastes like rabbit, like dry venison, or like veal - just drier." He
said the meat tasted best when it was sautéed or grilled and cut into thin
slices.
A book of Prince Henrik's poems, in which he praised his dogs, was published
last year. A poem to his dachshund Evita compares her paws to "wings".
"I love to stroke your coat and to see how it shines/ You dear, you special
dog..../ You receive me with papal pride."
He previously provoked nationwide debate when he suggested that parents
should use the skills of dog training to bring up their children.
Since the prince's admission in the magazine Ud&Se, Danish newspapers have
reopened their files on a royal dachshund that disappeared from Amalienborg
palace, Copenhagen, in the early 1990s. Despite a countrywide search, it
never reappeared.
Prince Henrik learnt Danish and changed his name, religion and nationality
to marry Queen Margrethe II in 1967. But he has repeatedly complained about
the Danes' lack of willingness to accept him.