Lockhart Smokehouse Serves Shark, Pisses Off World

"Shark! And it's so good -- little kick but good." So said Lockhart Smokehouse in a tweet announcing their latest menu special. Smoked shark was available in Oak Cliff, and since owner Jill Bergus is a bit of a power Twitterer, the message quickly circled the globe.

The problem is, different cultures have different definitions of what makes for good eats, and shark is not acceptable fodder in other parts of the globe. Many species are also endangered and under protection, so some of the responses got pretty heated. Here are my favorites:

What species of shark is this & how is it fished? RT"@DallasLockhart: Shark! And it's so good- little kick but good pic.twitter.com/ckgil2Z1VM"

— SharksNeedLove (@SNLSharkArmy) April 7, 2014

Since you asked, I called up Bergus, and after some subsequent research it was determined that the protein in question was a mako shark, caught in Ecuador. While the Marine Conservation Society approves neither the species or the fishery, and Ecuadorian fisherman may not have the best reputation for harvesting sharks responsibly, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Associations's FishWatch says that mako is currently not overfished. It looks like we're OK, SharkArmy.

This is shocking @DallasLockhart! What species of shark are you serving & where/how is it fished? #SaveSharks @SNLSharkArmy

— Lisa (@jadefoxe) April 7, 2014

I'm just as shocked as you are, Lisa. I'm also running around my apartment with my hand held to my forehead pretending I'm a shark. My dog is terrified.

@SNLSharkArmy @DallasLockhart this is horrible!! Why would you serve shark??!!

— Alejandra (@blackdow94) April 7, 2014

Because it tastes like the steak of the sea and this is Texas.

@RussJFK @EaterDallas @erickdavid @DallasLockhart Uneducated thinking that destroys shark population. Rhino horn for virility also??

— Tony Baker (@piznizzle) April 7, 2014

First off Tony Baker, you're smoking and that's killing us all, but haven't we just proved we're educated by checking in with the organizations that monitor fishing populations, policies and practices to help us make good decisions?

And that's the whole lesson here. If you're about to try something new and you consider yourself an ethical person, you can earn some extra feel goods be seeing what the Marine Conservation Society and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations FishWatch has to say about your potential decision. The Monterey Bay Aquarium also has this nifty app that will show you what fish are legit while you're out dining at a restaurant or shopping at your grocery store, or food warehouse for barbecue parts.

Or maybe you can keep your head in the sand, like my new friend Stugots?

------> @DallasLockhart

Yanks are eating sharks now. Cunts. Presumably they've fuckin eaten all other animals.

Chubby fucktards.

— Stugots (@JamieN74) April 7, 2014

Yes, Stugots, you have us all pegged. Personally, I'm sitting here sawing my way through a snow leopard steak and carefully serving sea turtle soup with a spoon carved from a black rhino's horn while shooting guns in my house because that's what we do here in America.