The Qc Ostrich Did Not Die In Vain, We Ate It

Don’t be horrified, unless you’re vegetarian

- AA Patawaran

The ostrich is dead, long live the ostrich!

When I heard that it was eaten, I was glad it didn’t go to waste. All that huffing and puffing on the streets of Mapayapa Village in Quezon City did not just end with a dead bird, a life wasted. We made something out of it—an adobo dish.

Ostriches are farm animals. I learned that too late, in my early 20s, when I first ate the bird. I ate it raw, in a dish called ostrich carpaccio, deboned and cut into thin, elegant strips, marinated in lemon juice, garlic, and pepper, drizzled with avocado oil, and topped with Pecorino cheese.