Alligator Online

Tim Hussin / Alligator Staff

Flint John, an Agribusiness graduate student, looks at the hot dog he is about to eat at PETA, People Enjoying Tasty Animals, an event put on by the College Republicans on Wednesday. Free hot dogs and hamburgers were offered outside the Alpha Gamma Rho house.

UF students enjoyed $500 worth of meat Wednesday for the second annual People Enjoying Tasty Animals barbecue sponsored by the UF College Republicans.

A play off of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the free barbecue was held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity house.

Last year, the Republicans gave away bratwurst, pork, beef and venison but ran out of food. This year the group had enough hamburgers and hotdogs to feed 300 people.

At the barbecue, the group sold $15 T-shirts, designed with the people-enjoying-tasty-animals theme and images of pigs and chickens with for-sale signs on them.

The College Republicans use the acronym PETA as a way of showing students it's OK to eat meat. The national organization PETA, on the other hand, opposes the use of animals for human purposes.

However, members said they're not out to mock the real PETA, but to show appreciation for meat.

The Republicans were not making fun of PETA, but using the acronym for what they want it to stand for, said Scott Miller, vice-chairman of the College Republicans.

"The main reason is just to have fun," said Ashlee Black, chairwoman of the College Republicans. She added that another reason for this event is to better inform the public about the national PETA.

Black said PETA is an extreme group that does insane things. She said having programs like this would help the real PETA "lighten up."

Throughout the day, the group asked for donations to help fund other programs like the PETA barbecue.