Non-kosher hotdog sparks outrage in NY

[AlHayatZween 2]

Heads will roll! Oh wait...... that's that 'other' religion.

Hey!

To each his or her own!

[mkg265 2]

I eat halal street meat. It just gives me a little more comfort than eating a regular hot dog.

My friend works catering at the Ritz and told me when they have kosher events they have to "flame" all the cooking surfaces with a blow torch before the Rabbi with bless them.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Halal meat is like bottled water - probably safe but there's only token attempt to verify its quality.

[Ladylethal 12]

I mean no offense to anyone's religion but I never understood these concepts of following a diet 'cus of it. The whole kosher thing has some rules that I really don't get. I mean, the slaughtering of the animal in a certain way as opposed to what they do in slaughter houses I can understand what's the point behind it, but there are many more rules for kosher food that I can't picture as being bad, offensive, or relevant to ones's belief of God or religion.

I mean, no pig 'cus it doesn't ruminate? No meat and dairy together? Draining all the blood off the meat? Torching work surfaces to be blessed by the rabbi? It all just sounds very rigid and strict to me, and like in the end doesn't really matter as far as faith goes. How can eating a pig offend God but not a goat? I really don't mean to offend anyone but to me all these religions/creeds with their very specific rules that are created by their own community don't make me/them closer to God, but that's just me. I don't believe in the institution of religion in general.

Edited March 24, 2009 by Luis&Laura

[mkg265 2]

After reading The Jungle and Fast Food Nation, I prefer the "kinder, gentler" method of death by halal and kosher butchers.

My uncle-in-law in a halal butcher (he's Catholic but it's Albania so it happens) and the way he kills animals seems to give more respect to the animal. (But I only see him killing one animal at a time for his family...).

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Have you seen the movie adaptation of Fast Food Nation?

That requires a seriously strong stomach.

[mkg265 2]

Have you seen the movie adaptation of Fast Food Nation?

That requires a seriously strong stomach.

I always meant to watch it. Doesn't it star that guy from The 70's Show. I'm sure the movie is absolutely disgusting.

PS you can check out the Board of Heath scores for all NYC restaurants on the BOH website. It's disgusting. I've only seen one restaurant with a perfect score: a McDonalds.

[AlHayatZween 2]

I mean no offense to anyone's religion but I never understood these concepts of following a diet 'cus of it. The whole kosher thing has some rules that I really don't get. I mean, the slaughtering of the animal in a certain way as opposed to what they do in slaughter houses I can understand what's the point behind it, but there are many more rules for kosher food that I can't picture as being bad, offensive, or relevant to ones's belief of God or religion.

I mean, no pig 'cus it doesn't ruminate? No meat and dairy together? Draining all the blood off the meat? Torching work surfaces to be blessed by the rabbi? It all just sounds very rigid and strict to me, and like in the end doesn't really matter as far as faith goes. How can eating a pig offend God but not a goat? I really don't mean to offend anyone but to me all these religions/creeds with their very specific rules that are created by their own community don't make me/them closer to God, but that's just me. I don't believe in the institution of religion in general.

no offense taken.

i am no authority on the dietary rules, but they all come from Moses' laws in the Old Testament. (Minus the blow torching of course! )

i think the idea about avoiding pork comes from the idea that a pig will eat its own feces, much like a lot of shellfish... goats and other animals don't... although, like i said, i'm no authority!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Have you seen the movie adaptation of Fast Food Nation?

That requires a seriously strong stomach.

I always meant to watch it. Doesn't it star that guy from The 70's Show. I'm sure the movie is absolutely disgusting.

PS you can check out the Board of Heath scores for all NYC restaurants on the BOH website. It's disgusting. I've only seen one restaurant with a perfect score: a McDonalds.

Its only in the last 5-10 minutes but they show the shop floor of a commercial slaughterhouse - you see absolutely everything, from cows going in to burgers coming out. It really is enough to turn you vegetarian. I can't imagine how anyone can do that job without having some sort of pyschological breakdown.

I haven't see that board of health site - but I have seen a few lunch places closed down for a week by the health department. I hardly ever buy lunch these days so its not something I really have to deal with.

There was a TV I saw in the UK a few years back where the program makers did a street experiment to see at what point people would refuse to buy food from a street vendor. They actually had the guy long ashing over the grill, wearing a bloody bandage on his hand, and put fake pigeon poo on the grill. Didn't seem to stop people.

[Ladylethal 12]

But can you imagine the price of meat if everything were to be slaughtered the old fashion way? My family has a farm back in Brasil and sure I love eating our own meat slaughtered by ourselves in the farm, but it's not financially affordable if every market had to stock up on meat prepared that way. I rather not really think of the big meat plants although I know exactly how they work. What doesn't kill you make you stronger right?

Still, like I said, sanitary/animal cruelty reasons, I totally get that, just some other stuff that I don't understand.

[Peikko 1,575]

Humans don't need to eat the amount of meat that is produced. No one pays a fair price for the meat they consume, it's all subsidised via agricultural subsidy. Essentially, food production is a complete mess and unsustainable as it stands once the cost of oil consistently stabilizes at the higher levels it most certainly will as the oil fields dry up.

[AlHayatZween 2]

Yeah, Kosher is definitely more expensive.

Halal... i haven't noticed a dramatic difference in price.

[Ladylethal 12]

Humans don't need to eat the amount of meat that is produced. No one pays a fair price for the meat they consume, it's all subsidised via agricultural subsidy. Essentially, food production is a complete mess and unsustainable as it stands once the cost of oil consistently stabilizes at the higher levels it most certainly will as the oil fields dry up.

They sure don't, but they do, and if the meats were processed at a certain way and prices went up, people would indeed cut back on their meat eating.

EDIT: Or everyone would have pigs and chickens instead of dogs.

Edited March 24, 2009 by Luis&Laura

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Humans don't need to eat the amount of meat that is produced. No one pays a fair price for the meat they consume, it's all subsidised via agricultural subsidy. Essentially, food production is a complete mess and unsustainable as it stands once the cost of oil consistently stabilizes at the higher levels it most certainly will as the oil fields dry up.

I'm not looking forward to Soylent Green. I must say...

[Peikko 1,575]

Well, I wasn't really trying to fear monger, but it still seems slightly mad to me that food production is so ad hoc and rarely based on nutritional requirements. If we could make some changes now, it would be possible to continue to have an interesting and varied diet while cutting back on wasteful production techniques etc. Leave things as they stand and who knows what the future might bring?