One of the most popular everyday foods in France is sausage, or saucisse. A whole meal can consist of five different types of sausages, grilled to crispy blackness. There's a famous pork festival in the West of France I used to go to in which piles of sausage are displayed and sold cheaply by the link. I liked it because of the cute little t-shirts they sold featuring fat, friendly-faced pigs, but I never enjoyed the taste of the sausage. I hated the way juice would burst into my mouth when when my teeth would break the skin. The juice reminded me of blood and sweat.
I've read that when animals are slaughtered, they produce stress and fear hormones which are passed onto humans when we eat them, leading many meat-eaters to feel more depressed than vegetarians. I don't know what it is about sausage, maybe that juiciness, but for me, the taste always seemed particularly charged with death.
I'm probably getting way too into vegetarian-fundamentalist mode for most people, especially because most people are meat-eaters and don't really want to think about this kind of stuff. For that, I apologize. But still, sausage really does creep me out. Especially because I thought I was done with that kind of stuff, and then guess what my mom brings me home for dinner?
THIS:
Yeah. I was scared, too! That picture is life-size, so don't be alarmed by the fact that it pops out of the page. And it's supposed to be wheat gluten, but I think they went a little too far with their imitation of meat. I mean, I get that they use all the spices, and the texture, but look at that liquid in on the left side of the plastic. Is that blood? It looks like blood. I don't know why they had to recreate fake blood. That just seems ridiculous. People who want blood can go eat a real sausage.
Okay, it's probably just some sauce or something. But still. Vegetarians are sensitive to this kind of thing. I don't think they should put weird liquid in the plastic.
Blood scares me in general, which is why I never want to be a medical doctor. Fake blood, whether it's in vegetarian sausage packages, or inside of those scream masks that kids used to wear for Halloween, frightens me almost as much. I do have to admit that those sausages look tasty though...if you imagine that the red stuff is tomato sauce, of course.
ReplyDeleteWhat you said about the fear hormones is a bit scary! I've never thought of that, but that might explain why many of the vegetarians I know, with a few exceptions, are quite bubbly! Love your title. :)
I never knew the thing about meat-eaters getting stress and fear hormones from animals! That's such an interesting concept, and from my experience, it seems like it could be true. Since becoming a vegetarian, I've felt more energetic and happy. Does this happen to you?
ReplyDeleteOverall, this was a really great post, very informative and interesting.
Didn't Mr. Butler always say that if humans as a population stop eating meat, we could eliminate world hunger?
ReplyDeleteI could never have the willpower to forgo on bacon, but more power to you that you can :D
That wheat-gluten sausage looks so real! It would probably freak me out too, if I were vegetarian. The thing about slaughtered animals giving off stress and fear hormones kind of makes me want to lay off the meat in my diet.....
ReplyDeleteThat looks VILE and really does look like blood! It's probably the juice from the "sausage" mixing with some of the spices. I doubt its blood, but it honestly does look disgusting.
ReplyDeleteI try to avoid ALL SAUSAGE like the plague. It's so unhealthy and they just stuff it in and oh goodness it's disgusting.
Very interesting blog post ... I rarely cook sausages or eat them.
Whoa, the idea of stress and fear hormones from the last parts of an animal's life transferring to us when we eat meat is a scary one. I love sausage, and I'm a meat lover in general, but still, that picture does not look appetizing from any angle. Interesting post!
ReplyDeleteI think if there wasn't some kind of liquid in with the "sausages," they would be very dry. Do I recognize these vegetarian sausages? Are they Tofurky Italian sausages?
ReplyDeleteIndeed they are!
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