Animal advocate wants law changed after restaurant served horse meat

A renowned Lawrenceville restaurant is facing an angry backlash on social media after serving horse meat for a special event Monday night.

The unusual dish was part of a collaborative dinner with chefs from Canada, where horse meat is a more common meal.

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"In America, eating horse is taboo," said Joy Braunstein, a horse welfare advocate who lives in Pittsburgh and was "shocked and outraged" when she heard about the meal. "We now look at horses as companion animals in the same way we look at dogs and cats as companion animals."

While Cure's menu may have upset a lot of people, it is not illegal to serve horse meat in Pennsylvania. Cure co-owner and chef Justin Severino released a statement addressing the issue.

"On Monday night we hosted a collaborative dinner with chefs from Canada, a Quebecois feast. One of the courses included horse tartare, which is traditional Quebecois. It was sourced from a sustainable horse farm in Alberta, Canada. This dish was available for one night only and it is not part of the Cure menu."

Braunstein has launched an online petition to get the attention of Gov. Tom Wolf, seeking a law that will make serving horse meat in Pennsylvania illegal.

Cox Media Group