Santa Monica Restaurant was Serving Whale and Horse Meat

Certain cuisines are more culturally acceptable than others for a variety of reasons. For instance, eating whale and horses in especially is frowned upon in the West. Many species of whales are in risk of extinction, and most people consider this fact as justification for not killing animals. In addition to their long history as labor and domestic animals, horses also frequently get medicines and other substances.

After a documentary film crew conducted some undercover work, a hip restaurant in Santa Monica was forced to close. They were given whale and horse meat from a waitress for $85 per dish. The meat was brought to a lab where it was determined that it came from sei whales, which is prohibited in America. Later, federal agents searched the establishment and looked into the kitchen. The chef was sentenced to a year of probation and fined of $27,000.