I agree. I'm just saying that if it's not considered low class in Europe (why would it be?) it'd be amusing if one of the people who normally looks down on people for eating that kind of thing comes across a European who a) occasionally eats 'coon, is b) of similar socioeconomic class to them and c) doesn't see what the big fuss is about because then said American would have to reckon with their prejudices.
>That said, I would imagine that raccoons carry a very high parasitic load on account of their omnivorous diet and the places they tend to poke around.
Yup. A willingness to eat meat and hang around dumpsters certainly ups the stakes. I don't eat raccoon but would have no problem eating one that I know is primarily fed from my compost pit. One from an urban area that's eaten raw meat from god knows what dumpster would give me pause. The same would go for sunk and possum. I'd have no problem eating a Boston Common squirrel. The nastiest thing they eat is probably moldy french fries.
That said, I would imagine that raccoons carry a very high parasitic load on account of their omnivorous diet and the places they tend to poke around. I wouldn't hesitate to eat squirrel if offered (I may have even eaten it before for all I can remember), but I'd definitely pass on raccoon meat. (Feel free to correct me, though, about the safety of either squirrel or raccoon meat.)