Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site utah-gr.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!think!harvard!seismo!cmcl2!philabs!pwa-b!utah-gr!thomas From: thomas@utah-gr.UUCP (Spencer W. Thomas) Newsgroups: net.cooks Subject: Re: eating live things Message-ID: <1493@utah-gr.UUCP> Date: Mon, 1-Jul-85 12:49:11 EDT Article-I.D.: utah-gr.1493 Posted: Mon Jul 1 12:49:11 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 5-Jul-85 06:17:05 EDT References: <213@sdcarl.UUCP> Reply-To: thomas@utah-gr.UUCP (Spencer W. Thomas) Organization: Univ of Utah CS Dept Lines: 27 In article <213@sdcarl.UUCP> rusty@sdcarl.UUCP (Rusty Wright) writes: >The idea of putting a live animal >in my mouth and using my teath to crush and pulverize something in >order to kill it strikes me as somewhat barbaric. It is interesting to see how far we have come from our origins. Most (carnivorous) animals (and we are, in part, carnivorous, or we wouldn't have those nice sharp cutting teeth up front) at least begin to eat their prey when it is alive. (-: not to mention vegetables -- I mean, how many of you make sure your tomato is dead before you eat it? And to think of ripping the tomato off the plant; it's almost as bad as pulling off fly wings!-) This is similar to the feeling that meat comes in plastic wrap with a white (or yellow) styrofoam tray underneath. Most of us really don't want to think about the origin of our food. (I am reminded of a story of a city dweller who visited some suburban friends and was offered a ripe tomato fresh from the garden. He exclaimed in horror "from the dirt!?", and was unable to bring himself to eat it. Vegetables, too, spring full formed from the counter in the corner grocery.) Yes, eating live clams (and other things) is somewhat barbaric, but I am not sure this is a "bad thing". While I would find it very difficult to live for long without electricity and central heating, I also feel that we should not forget nor deny our roots. -- =Spencer ({ihnp4,decvax}!utah-cs!thomas, thomas@utah-cs.ARPA)