Like the old trapper who's only name for his dog was Dinner, I think it all comes down to the cute factor. If you've been exposed to an idea, even if you disagree with it, you'll be more likely to have more positive thoughts about it later on. Nothing wrong with deciding that a certain animal is off limits as food because of its looks, just like there is nothing inherently wrong with wondering what sate guinea pig tastes like. A lot of the world look at the idea of eating pork with the same thoughts most north americans look at eating cat, just something that isn't done, except maybe by "other people"
I remember reading something about a fairly modern siege, I'm thinking it might have been Paris? (either that, or the people the book was about were french, it's kinda important) Basically, as the food ran out, they tried many different ways of preparing animals that would not have been considered for food at the time. The easy place to start was stuff like rabbits and pigeons, which were fairly normal fare at the time, then on to squirrels, then rats, cats and dogs. It's only important that they are French in that these were fairly rich people, being served 5 star meals in the middle of a war-zone by professional french chefs, so it wasn't a "stick it on the fire till it looks burnt and sterile" kind of thing.
As for me, I won't know until I end up in the situation, but I keep my options open. as they say, hunger is a fantastic seasoning.
