Pork for kids!

But seriously, there's something weird about the pork stigma in, at least, the U.S. If you're a vegamite...er...vegan and are against all animal products, okay. Pork is certainly included therein. But if you eat meat, and don't keep kosher/hallal, but don't eat pork, how were you influenced against it?

Lots of places in the world pork is the standard. In Chinese, the basic word for meat is "pork" (or vice versa). It must be compounded to mean "chicken meat" or "beef". Isn't it more about the quantity of pork (or beef) consumed rather than some inherent quality of the pork itself that makes it dangerous? And the fear of trichinellosis, also called trichinosis, seems overplayed given the similarly blech diseases and gunk associated with commercial beef production (see Fast Food Nation and hold the fingers in my Big Mac).

As someone who has at various times tried to be macrobiotic, vegetarian, and other derivatives, but who has always failed at it due to laziness and love of restaurants (Micky D's included, there I've said it), I don't actually have a point of view. But Americans seem to have a smug, "well of course I don't eat pork" attitude much of the time and I'm not sure why. What about the English?

And as a sidenote, when MacDonalds stopped using actual beef tallow to fry the french, oh excuse me, Freedom Fries, circa 1980, the world started to unravel. You see if it didn't!

[1] Only exceptions I can think of: illegal drugs and prostitution...unless NORML and COYOTE count?

But if you eat meat, and don't keep kosher/hallal, but don't eat pork, how were you influenced against it?

If what I once read is correct, in the U.S., pork (other than ham and perhaps bacon and pork chops) may in some people's mind be associated with: (a) "ethnic" groups (different types of sausages, all made from pig parts you might not want to think about); and (b) the black an white underclasses (chitlins, fatback, and other such "trashy" foods).

He's a wicked wicked marketing drone. You're so much better off without him.

Trust me on this one.

Ummmm Trayce? I almost don't want to ask, but when have you smelled burning human flesh and under what circumstances? Yikes. Although, haha, 'long pig'.

I took the tour of the farm on the pork4kids page. Look at the cute little pigglets!

Oops, ruined the mood. ;-)

(BTW, veggie sausage is ok, just a bit spicey)