Taboo Foods

Elizabeth asked the Blog Staffers to talk about food and drink. Erik went in an unexpected direction–exploring foods perceived as “taboo.” He broke down his research into three categories: eating habits as dictated by religious, philosophical, and societal standards.

By Erik Bearman

Religious Taboo: “It’s not kosher.”

 

“If you’ve ever asked your Jewish friend if they want to try something delicious, such as bacon, they may have responded with, “I can’t. It’s not kosher.” I’m sure most of you know that practicing Jews can’t eat non-kosher foods. But how many of you know what “kosher” actually means? 

Kosher, or kashrut (the Hebrew word for “proper”), is a series of dietary laws that serve as a guideline for the daily lives of many observant Jews. Note I said “observant Jews.” Many reformed Jews–including myself–do not observe Kosher laws except on Jewish holidays such as Passover. 

In order to be considered Kosher, meat must come from mammals that both chew their cud (“a piece of partly digested food that is regurgitated back into the mouth for further chewing”) and possess split hooves (Dictionary.com). If a mammal only falls under one category or doesn’t fall under either, it is not considered kosher. This is why pigs aren’t considered kosher: they possess split hooves but don’t chew their cud. Dairy products, such as milk, must originate from a kosher animal such as a goat or cow. Dairy products must also not touch any meat products on the plate.

Fish products must also adhere to certain requirements to be considered kosher. A fish is considered kosher if it has both scales and fins. Because of this, shellfish and sharks are not considered kosher.

Philosophical Taboo: “Tofu Never Screams”

Veganism and Vegetarianism are practices of refusing to consume animal products such as meat and dairy. The primary reasons people choose to be vegan or vegetarian are either personal preference or health.

“I avoid meat as much as I can. Meat has become the biggest drug in human history. It is horrible!! Bad for the environment, and it doesn’t even taste good. Plant replacements are better for you, and taste better!” said Palm Valley student Andrew Hall. Many vegans and vegetarians consume plant alternatives such as tofu. Marianne Captez says she’s vegetarian because “[it’s] a personal preference based on health. . . . I have a weaker digestive system and meat is very hard for my body to digest, so it will make me very sick.” Many vegetarians choose to eat non-meat products for health reasons; others abstain from eating meat because they believe slaughtering animals is cruel.

Societal Taboo: “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”–Hannibal Lecter

Now it’s time to talk about the ultimate taboo: cannibalism. Despite Hannibal Lecter’s predisposition, the act of cannibalism is universally considered taboo. Over the past century, the crimes of vicious serial killers such as Jefferey Dalmer and Ted Bundy have repelled and repulsed many. However, it may surprise you to know that not everyone agrees that cannibalism is taboo. In fact, there are entire cultures that incorporate cannibalism into their lifestyle, the two most well-known are the Foré and the Aghori.

The Foré people of Papua New Guinea have a ritual where they eat the flesh, particularly the brain and body, of their loved ones after said loved ones die (Science Insider). However, the Foré people had to cease consuming brains after a significant amount of their people contracted deadly Kuru: a rare neurological disorder caused by ingesting prions from infected brains (medlineplus.gov).

The Aghori, a very small sect of Hinduism, are known to engage in acts such as drinking their own urine, covering themselves in cremated ashes, and eating rotting corpses (CNN). A commonly observed aspect of Hinduism is maintaining spiritual purity. The Aghori culture challenges this idea by arguing that God lives inside all of us and, as a result, nothing we do can taint our spiritual purity.

Now, let’s ignore the social taboo for a moment and discuss why eating human meat is a bad idea. Human meat is actually a very low source of calories. If the meat is not cooked properly, you risk infecting yourself with any diseases that person had, including HIV and hepatitis. This is exactly what happened to the Foré.

Morality or squeamishness aside, the act of cannibalism itself is not illegal in the U.K. or the U.S. (apart from Idaho) (Science Insider, apnews.com). What is illegal is how the meat is acquired. Since people aren’t exactly lining up to donate their organs to Hannibal Lecter, many cannibals are forced to acquire human meat via malicious methods, like murder or grave robbing.

Fun(?) fact: According to interviews with actual cannibals, humans taste nearly the same as pork (Science Insider). 

Sources:

• https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/making-sense-of-kosher-laws/
• https://www.familyfoodrelief.org/kosher.php#:~:text=There%20are%20many%20intricacies%20involved,slaughtered%20according%20to%20Jewish%20law.
• https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism
• https://youtu.be/dAY7k0DPIuU
• https://youtu.be/i_6ltfDWF0Q 
• The Silence of the Lambs 
• https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001379.htm#:~:text=Kuru%20is%20a%20very%20rare,part%20of%20a%20funeral%20ritual.
• https://apnews.com/article/c6474f9d2d124a80b7dfd825172694de
  • Food & Drink Editor: Elizabeth Shay