• Nachorella@lemmy.sdf.org
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    8 months ago

    I probably phrased this poorly or something, but I am curious. Even though we have fire, people still eat steak tartare. Loads of animals eat raw birds without suffering any negative effects. How come people are so against eating raw birds (when raised in a way that makes salmonella very unlikely)?

    People eat raw flour and eggs all the time and those also have a good chance of giving you salmonella. Hell touching a turtle can give you salmonella but people still touch turtles.

    • AlpacaChariot@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      It’s not really that common to eat steak tartare is it? Bit of a niche thing, I certainly wouldn’t prepare it myself at home.

      Saying “other animals do X so we should be fine doing X” is a daft argument, they have different biochemistry and they don’t kill stuff and leave it in the fridge for a couple of weeks before eating it.

      I don’t know if you’ve ever had bad food poisoning before, but let me tell you it is 100% not worth it.

      • Nachorella@lemmy.sdf.org
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        8 months ago

        I don’t think comparing humans to other animals is that daft, otherwise animal testing wouldn’t be as common as it is. And I don’t think most people leave steak tartare or ceviche or sashimi or carpaccio etc. in their fridge for weeks before eating it.

        And I was originally asking why someone would be against raw chicken that had been raised in a way that prevented salmonella being likely at all.

        I really just don’t understand the innate opposition? Humans and other animals eat fresh raw meat all the time, why not birds?

        • AlpacaChariot@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          I think we’re talking about slightly different things.

          What I’m saying is that there’s a practical reason why people don’t eat raw chicken, to do with the risk to their health.

          In my experience people don’t make steak tartare at home AT ALL because of the risk of food poisoning, let alone eating raw chicken. We eat cooked meat often because it’s easy to store it and prepare it safely. Raising chickens in a more sanitary way is obviously better regardless of whether you’re then going to eat the meat raw or not, but I don’t think it would be enough on its own to make raw chicken safe enough for people to eat safely, you’d also have to change the supply chain and maybe train chefs preparing the food to keep it safe.

          As things stand I’m not completely opposed to eating raw chicken and might try it in a controlled setting but I’d never eat it at home.

          Interesting related side note: after the UK left the EU there was a big debate about whether we would accept chlorine washed chicken imported from the US (answer: hell no). Food poisoning from chicken is way more common in the US than here due to different animal welfare and food preparation standards, but that doesn’t mean I’m cool with routinely eating raw chicken in the UK.

          • Nachorella@lemmy.sdf.org
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            8 months ago

            I very much understand the food safety concerns. You, apparently accidentally, answered my question when you said you wouldn’t be opposed to trying it under a controlled setting. Thanks. Literally all I was asking about.

    • Alexstarfire@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Eating wild meat is a gamble. Pretty sure that’s why we mostly stick to eating herbivores. That’s also why wild caught fish must be frozen, to kill any parasites they may have.

      Things get cooked for a variety of reasons. Avoiding sickness is one, but I think most of us agree that cooked food tastes better. Even if I wouldn’t get sick from eating raw food is still cook it.

      • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        I mean, I love a good medium rare steak, but if I caught something in the wild, that bitch is getting near burned…

        It’s mostly about sanitation. Animals aren’t magically fine when they eat other animals. No one notices when a bear dies of a parasite unless it’s someone’s pet.

        Cooked food is also easier to digest and get energy out of.