--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe that if ever I had to practice…" description: "\"I believe that if ever I had to practice cannibalism, I might manage if there were enough tarragon around.\" — James Beard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/542/james-beard-15396_believe_i-believe-that-if-ever-i-had-to-practice_1732838.jpg" --- # I believe that if ever I had to practice cannibalism, I… ![“I believe that if ever I had to practice cannibalism, I might manage if there were enough tarragon around.” quote by James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/542/james-beard-15396_believe_i-believe-that-if-ever-i-had-to-practice_1732838.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/542/james-beard-15396_believe_i-believe-that-if-ever-i-had-to-practice_1732838.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/542/james-beard-15396_believe_i-believe-that-if-ever-i-had-to-practice_1732838.jpg) > “I believe that if ever I had to practice cannibalism, I might manage if there were enough tarragon around.” [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He jokes that a strong flavor could make even the most taboo act tolerable. **In simple terms:** Flavor can mask unpleasantness. Key Takeaway Use seasoning wisely. Themes humor food taboo survival Mood witty lighthearted Type anecdotal humorous When to use this quote - cooking experiments - survival scenarios - gourmet challenges Key Concepts culinary creativity psychology of taste Questions to Reflect On - Would you ever rely on flavor to accept something unethical? - How does humor affect perception of taboo? A Different Perspective Taste cannot change moral implications. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Cannibalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cannibalism/) [Cannibalism Manage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cannibalism-manage-1446971/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Manage Tarragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manage-tarragon-1446972/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Practice Cannibalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice-cannibalism-1446968/) [Tarragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tarragon-1446974/) ## Related quotes > [“Man is not the only animal known to practice cannibalism. He is, however, the only animal capable of arranging it on a plate so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-raffin/man-is-not-the-only-animal-known-to-practice-cannibalism-he-is/) [David Raffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-raffin/) > [But when the good people do know, as they certainly do, that three million persons (at the least estimate) were starved to death in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-paterson/but-when-the-good-people-do-know-as-they-certainly-do-that-three/) [Isabel Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-paterson/) > [Humanity today is not safe in the presence of humanity. The old cannibalism has given way to anonymous action in which the killer and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/humanity-today-is-not-safe-in-the-presence-of-humanity-the-old/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [“Stories of cannibalism among castaways were so common that British sailors considered the practice of choosing and sacrificing a victim to be an established…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hillenbrand/stories-of-cannibalism-among-castaways-were-so-common-that-british/) [Laura Hillenbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-hillenbrand/) > [“Everything in this room is eatable. Even I am eatable. But that, my dear children, is cannibalism, and is frowned upon in most societies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-clegg/everything-in-this-room-is-eatable-even-i-am-eatable-but-that-my-dear/) [Ashley Clegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-clegg/) > [I'm against eating a human being alive - I don't do it. Somebody might make cannibalism jokes and laugh it off like it's nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maus/i-m-against-eating-a-human-being-alive-i-don-t-do-it-somebody-might/) [John Maus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maus/) > [“The most holy cannibalism you can perform is to eat the flesh and blood of sagacity, and by sharing it with other wisdom thirsty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/the-most-holy-cannibalism-you-can-perform-is-to-eat-the-flesh-and/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“The future promises us all our very own Truman Shows and when every man and woman is a star the spectacle becomes auto- cannibalizing;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-future-promises-us-all-our-very-own-truman-shows-and-when-every/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [You have to take the long view. First, when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai, man has already progressed to the point where a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/you-have-to-take-the-long-view-first-when-moses-came-down-from-mt/) [I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/) > [“Imagine fifty thousand men trapped on a desert island, deprived of food and water and sex but somehow kept alive for fifty thousand years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/imagine-fifty-thousand-men-trapped-on-a-desert-island-deprived-of/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [“Uncorked materialism is new cannibalism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/uncorked-materialism-is-new-cannibalism/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“This is said to civilized men who are to venture into countries where sacred cows are fed, while children are left to starve -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-is-said-to-civilized-men-who-are-to-venture-into-countries-where/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [The most important truths always appear first as blasphemies or obscenities. That's why every great innovator is persecuted. And the sacraments look obscene, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-most-important-truths-always-appear-first-as-blasphemies-or/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [“Normally I would have been the first to go in search of cannibal monks, particularly as I had heard of a similar tradition at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/normally-i-would-have-been-the-first-to-go-in-search-of-cannibal/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [It was given out that the animals there practised cannibalism, tortured one another with red-hot horseshoes, and had their females in common. This was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-was-given-out-that-the-animals-there-practised-cannibalism/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) ## More by James Beard > [I’ve long said that if I were about to be executed and were given a choice of my last meal, it would be bacon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/i-ve-long-said-that-if-i-were-about-to-be-executed-and-were-given-a/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [I am still convinced that a good, simple, homemade cookie is preferable to all the store-bought cookies one can find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/i-am-still-convinced-that-a-good-simple-homemade-cookie-is-preferable/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [Good bread and good butter go together. They are one of the perfect marriages in gastronomy, and they never fail to cheer me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/good-bread-and-good-butter-go-together-they-are-one-of-the-perfect/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [Nothing is quite as intoxicating as the smell of bacon frying in the morning, save perhaps the smell of coffee brewing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/nothing-is-quite-as-intoxicating-as-the-smell-of-bacon-frying-in-the/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [Grilling, broiling, barbecuing - whatever you want to call it - is an art, not just a matter of building a pyre and throwing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/grilling-broiling-barbecuing-whatever-you-want-to-call-it-is-an-art/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [There is absolutely no substitute for the best. Good food cannot be made of inferior ingredients masked with high flavor. It is true thrift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/there-is-absolutely-no-substitute-for-the-best-good-food-cannot-be/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [What comforted me? That is easy. It was a strong cold chicken jelly so very, very thick. My mother's Chinese cook would fix it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/what-comforted-me-that-is-easy-it-was-a-strong-cold-chicken-jelly-so/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [No vegetable exists which is not better slightly undercooked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/no-vegetable-exists-which-is-not-better-slightly-undercooked/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [I have had, in my time, memorable meals of scrambled eggs with fresh truffles, scrambled eggs with caviar and other glamorous things, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/i-have-had-in-my-time-memorable-meals-of-scrambled-eggs-with-fresh/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [In a house without a genuine kitchen, one of the delights of growing up is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/in-a-house-without-a-genuine-kitchen-one-of-the-delights-of-growing/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [The secret of good cooking is, first, having a love of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/the-secret-of-good-cooking-is-first-having-a-love-of-it/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [I am so happy to see more and more people in this country are becoming addicted to cheese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/i-am-so-happy-to-see-more-and-more-people-in-this-country-are/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [The secret of good cooking is, first, having a love of it… If you’re convinced that cooking is drudgery, you’re never going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/the-secret-of-good-cooking-is-first-having-a-love-of-it-if-you-re/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [Im going to break one of the rules of the trade here. Im going to tell you some of the secrets of improvisation. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/im-going-to-break-one-of-the-rules-of-the-trade-here-im-going-to-tell/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [Like the theater, offering food and hospitality to people is a matter of showmanship, and no matter how simple the performance, unless you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/like-the-theater-offering-food-and-hospitality-to-people-is-a-matter/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) [Explore all 43 James Beard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I believe that if ever I had to practice cannibalism, I might manage if there were enough tarragon around.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Beard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/i-believe-that-if-ever-i-had-to-practice-cannibalism-i-might-manage/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/i-believe-that-if-ever-i-had-to-practice-cannibalism-i-might-manage/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/542/james-beard-15396_believe_i-believe-that-if-ever-i-had-to-practice_1732838.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/542/james-beard-15396_believe_i-believe-that-if-ever-i-had-to-practice_1732838.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/542/james-beard-15396_believe_i-believe-that-if-ever-i-had-to-practice_1732838.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I believe that if ever I had to practice cannibalism, I might manage if there were enough tarragon around.” — James Beard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "James Beard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I believe that if ever I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/i-believe-that-if-ever-i-had-to-practice-cannibalism-i-might-manage/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/i-believe-that-if-ever-i-had-to-practice-cannibalism-i-might-manage/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```