Animals, Bizarre, International, Society

Tucson Restaurant To Serve Lion Tacos

A restaurant in Tucson has hit upon a rather disturbing promotional gimmick: it is taking orders for African Lion tacos. The owner of Exotic Taco y Tequila, Bryan Mazon, sees nothing wrong with serving up lions and admits that he hopes that grinding up lions will bring him some publicity. I just cannot believe that this is the type of publicity that would help — particularly in a college town with plenty of environmentalists and public interest advocates.

Mazon has previously served up python and kangaroo and other “rarities” like a small-time version of The Freshman.

Mazon admits that “I’m doing the African lion to get my name out.” It sure has. Now the entire country views Mazon as a craven, thoughtless businessman who admits that he will lose money on serving up the lion but wants the publicity. He told the reporter below that “In all reality, what I want is just people to know that I’m here.”

We know Mr. Mazon and millions are disgusted by you.

[Update: Mazon’s dim-witted effort at free publicity has produced dozens of death threats and he has taken lion off his menu. The question is now how many people want to give his guy money for any other food).

Source: AZStar.

49 thoughts on “Tucson Restaurant To Serve Lion Tacos”

  1. rcampbell,

    I have long admired your principled stand on the immigration issue in Arizona and continue to admire the actions you take in support of those principles. You sir, walk the walk.

  2. My only question:

    Are the tacos served with Lyonnaise sauce on the side?

    Sorry, I couldn’t control myself- I blame the cold pills.

  3. FYI: The “Tuscan” region is in Italy whereas “Tucson”, AZ is spelled different.

  4. eniobob,
    thanks for the correction on the source of the Lion meat.
    elaine,Great poem as usual. It made me hungry for lunch! I think it will be PJelly time as my Grandson calls PB&J sandwiches!

  5. It’s time for a poem…methinks. This one’s dedicated to lions.

    I AM LION
    By Elaine M.

    I am lion.
    See my mane?
    I am king
    And here I reign
    On the Serengeti Plain.

    I am lion.
    See my paws
    With their sharp
    And pointy claws?
    See my teeth and mighty jaws?

    I am lion.
    Hear my roar?
    I’m a cat
    Of legend…lore.
    I’m a fearsome predator!

    I am lion.
    Who are you?
    YOU’RE MY PREY!
    How do you do?
    You look plump…and juicy, too.

    I am lion,
    Royal beast.
    Sorry that you’re
    Now deceased.
    You were one DELICIOUS feast!

  6. I hope the lion tacos don’t become a mane-stay of the restaurant’s menu. And I hope Bryan Mazon loses his shirt on this marketing venture.

  7. Rufus:

    LOL

    I didn’t quite know what to say about this blog article. Your comment is the best so far.

    Those brutes!

  8. Lions on the menu, what is wrong with that? Lions have been eating people for quite a long time, why not a little turnabout?

  9. Turns out there’s something fishy about this lion burger meat

    Rick Chandler

    Jun 23, 2010, 3:00 PM EST

    Here on the right is a genuine burger made from lion meat, being served by Il Vinaio restaurant in Mesa, Ariz., in honor of the World Cup being hosted in Africa (as we mentioned this morning). As animal activists gather their poster board and magic markers for a protest tonight, CNN did the important work; tracking down where the actual lion meat came from. It is not, evidently, from a “free-range lion farm in Illinois that is regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture,” as Il Vinaio owner Cameron Selogie has claimed.

    According to CNN, the USDA doesn’t inspect or regulate lion meat. And the shipment actually came from a company called Czimer’s Game & Sea Foods, a butcher shop just outside of Chicago, whose owner has served a six-month prison sentence for selling meat from federally protected tigers and leopards.
    Video following the jump.

    http://offthebench.nbcsports.com/2010/06/23/turns-out-theres-something-fishy-about-this-lion-burger-meat/

  10. Thanks rcampbell. I will have to check to see where that Illinois farm is located.
    michaelb,if lion meat isn’t legal,this restaurant should be brought up on charges. That is why I was concerned where the meat came from. I don’t care what people eat as long as it is legal. I am not a vegetarian or a vegan and I do eat meat, but not lion. I don’t like ham either.

  11. rafflaw

    Here’s a quote about the source of his lion meat from the owner of the AZ restaurant, il Vinaio, first mentioned by LawCat:

    “The lions, he added, were raised at a free-range farm in Illinois that is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture”.

    I don’t know the source for the meat for the Tucson restaurant.

  12. Where do you draw the line eating any species of meat? Today, the only reason to eat meat is tradition, taste and convenience. All pretty bad reasons to take a life. The schizophrenic observance of playing with one animal and eating another is bewildering.

  13. Is lion meat actually legal? Where is the Lion meat from? If it is legal, maybe our good friends in Arizona just wanted to something else to shoot at with their concealed weapons and high capacity magazines.

  14. LawCat

    I live in Mesa six months of the year. I hadn’t heard of the restaurant you mentioned, il Vinaio. The announcement that they would be serving lion burgers came in June while we live in Calif., so I hadn’t heard the furor. I checked their current menu. It offers an exotic Antelope, but no lion.

    Since I’m still in my boycott of Arizona-owned businesses I won’t be going there any time soon, though. I used to try to take my business to the locally owned grocery chain and locally owned retailers and restaurants. Since the passage of that AZ’s draconian anti-immigration law I use national chains retailers and restaurants, out-of-state grocery store, etc. I intend to continue avoiding local businesses until the SCOTUS finally declares the AZ law unconstituional. If they do not, I’ll move to CA. year ’round.

  15. Love the navajo indian fry bread tacos that they serve in Arizona but I take them vegetarian style.

  17. This is a different situation than that story we had about a year ago about the sushi restaurant that had whale meat on the menu. That situation needs public outcry to stop.

    However, this guy isn’t in the habit of doing this, he’s just doing it for the free publicity. The best way to make sure this type of stunt isn’t repeated in the future? Don’t fall into his trap. Don’t report on it.

  18. I think I have had Lion Tacos’ al carbon before….It they weren’t when they went in….they were when they wanted to get out….

  19. my specialty meats\fish\stuff purveyor had leg of lion available 25 years ago but I didn’t try it. Every time I think of it I picture a three legged lion trying to catch dinner.

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