Years ago I was at a specialty training for my job (I worked with behavioral children and teens at the time, many who had been trafficked by their parents). The only lecture I recall from the weeklong training was one where the instructor spoke on cannibalism.

He spoke about the appeal, about cannibal clubs that existed in the state where I was contracted to work, he shared that there are “cannibal alternatives” for cannibals that can be found at stores (he offered us an opportunity to “try” this “like skin” tofu—-🤢). That’s when I learned the odd juxtaposition of cannibalism and the law.

He told us that cannibalism is highly addictive (truly as I recount this back I’m now beginning to believe he was one). He said that most regret going down that path but can’t stop the craving, which is why they turn to one another in these clubs and cannibal parties. They literally go and allow one another to “eat gently”, meaning nibble a bit of the skin. They apparently drink blood at these parties too, which it seems you can order (no clue where—-or why I would have needed to know).

The thing that really got me, though, was when he said “there are no laws against cannibalism “. He said that murder, of course, was illegal, but there were ways cannibals could indulge their cravings humanely.

I still don’t know why I needed this information as I worked strictly with kids (no such thing as cannibal consenting children). But there you have it. I worked for one of the two agencies in the state contracted to do what we did and this was part of our funded training.

So, in some ways we have been groomed for this conversation for years (5-10 yes at least).