Ape Tea

In the late 18th century, it became common English practice to teach apes how to have tea. Thomas Bewick, artist and ornithologist, wrote that an ape "shewn in the London some years ago was taught to sit at table, make use of a spoon or fork in eating its victuals." Another scientist wrote of watching a chimp take tea. He watched it "take a cup and saucer and lay them on the table, put in sugar, pour out its tea, leave it to cool without drinking."

I have just finished a small paper about animals and what we do to them. On one hand we seem to revere them, taking them into our homes, spending billions of dollars on them, letting them sleep in our beds. One the other hand, we peel off their skin and fur and wear it, eat their bodies and make them work for and entertain us, against their natural will.

Isn't it strange that so many cartoon characters are cute little animals who talk and act adorable and funny? What if the little kids who watched them actually figured out that they were eating Foghorn Leghorn along with their fries and orange drink?

I'm not lecturing, just conjecturing. Ain't we weird?