I guess this reminds me how detached Americans and some Brits have become from the source of the food they eat every day. Around the Mediterranean, and in many parts of Europe, it is quite common to see the carcasses of freshly killed animals hanging in butcher shops (usually skinned, but not always).

In the days before Easter, when it is traditional to roast an entire lamb/young sheep, people walk down the street and ride the metro with the skinned sheep slung over their shoulders in transparent plastic bags and no one turns a hair. I myself have transported an entire freshly killed sheep in the trunk of a rental car from the farmer to a celebratory dinner. (Note: line trunk with plastic to avoid incurring extra damage fees due to leakage.) In countries where many people are only one or two generations removed from the farm, and perhaps return several times a year to help grandma and grandpa with the harvest and for holidays when animals are killed for dinner, everyone is used to the process by which animals end up on their tables. The process of slaughter is not hidden away in remote factories, and many people here prefer it that way because they feel they are better assured of freshness and quality.

I doubt very much that the animal was killed only for the sake of the promotion. On searching Google news I found other articles that said it had been picked up from a butcher and was later returned. This probably would not have been regarded here a problem for a freshly killed animal since they frequently in the meat market for up to a day at room temperature. The other articles also reported that the 'offal' that reporters were dared to eat, reality-show style, was actually a traditional soup. It is likely to have been tripe soup, which is a sort of Greek comfort food on the order of American macaroni and cheese, and eaten to break the fast after the Easter mass. Total gross-out for Americans, I know, but many of your parents and grandparents probably ate these parts of animals too and didn't think anything of it, and from what I read in the NYT food section, plenty of Americans eat animal innards too. Fashions in food change just like fashions in everything else.

So I am of two minds about this fuss. The Greek part of me would say, "Americans, get a grip, and stop acting like the meat you eat does not come from dead animals," and the American part would like to say (in the nicest possible way), "Hey, why not come and visit another part of the world and see how other people live, so that you don't end up being as provincial as you are really starting to sound here."

Also, PLEASE spell Athens right, it doesn't have an apostrophe in it.

i had just the opposite thought. . .how many of the people complaining were stuffing their faces with cocktail weenies?!

ive always found it annoying that most meat eaters would rather have it brought to them all wrapped up like a gift rather than face the fact they are eating something that may have once been cute & cuddly. or was at least once a living creature with a little bit of a personality.

a slaughtered goat isnt nearly as gruesome as a meat packing plant. or that doughy dude posing as a greek god. GUHROSS!!

They didnt even use this goats intestines for the offal. Thats just stupid. It was a needless slaughter for meat thats going to be resold with people not knowing that it was used as a centerpiece.

Damn you vegans!

...Damn!

For f' sakes people, get a grip. Sony didn't do anything wrong. Maybe a bit... gross, but not wrong.

And how many of those people complaining about the goats support the continued objectification of women as nothing but toys for sexual gratification?

Hypocrites, the bloody lot of you.

And a real dead goat is of course much more reprehensible than the gory simulated images in the actual game. It's the equivalent of noticing roadkill - disgusting, but not scarring.

i swear, i'm not making this stuff up...

Malaka...

This is actually a clever way to market the game. Everyone should stop getting their panties in a bunch over a dead goat when there's plenty of other things going on that you should be upset about.

Wanna bitch about companies doing immoral things, bitch about wal-mart not paying people enough to live.

The slaughter of animals (LIVE) was a very big part of Greek history, and its neat (although odd) that sony would do this.

The goat was supposedly procured from a slaughterhouse, not killed specifically for the event, but that doesn't make the whole event less freaky.

Ok, so sarcasm isn't my strong point, but come on... what's wrong with a little T,A, & GB?

Whew. Some things you just have to learn the hard way. I mean, really, who woulda thunk that this might not be a good idea?

Silly Sony. First they have white people enslaving black PSP owners and now this.

They did use a slaughtered goat they got from a local butcher (and scary enough sent the goat BACK to be sold) but the event it's self was for 20 people, they didnt allow people to scoop the Offal themselves (someone did it for them) and the article for the PS mag with the picture (which DID make it out to subscribers) was taken by someone who shouldnt have been at the party.

Sony will be on my boycott list until I die. Well done!

But then again, who cares lets kill something so we can sell our video games...

And who the heck would approve any of this stuff.. Seriously.