What's in a McNugget and other fun food facts

[Sky]

Don't forget fish. There's a reason most population centers on earth are near water.

Guy at the fish counter is talking me into getting back into fishing. I was never big into it, but I really really like trout. Around here, the streams are all stocked up so it's kinda silly to pay good money for something you can go pull out of a river. Be nice to catch a stringer of rainbow trout and freeze em up for whenever.

[01101010]

Don't forget fish. There's a reason most population centers on earth are near water.

Guy at the fish counter is talking me into getting back into fishing. I was never big into it, but I really really like trout. Around here, the streams are all stocked up so it's kinda silly to pay good money for something you can go pull out of a river. Be nice to catch a stringer of rainbow trout and freeze em up for whenever.

Be a real man and use a spear. 

[HaemishM]

Real men catch the fish in their beard net.

[Lantyssa]

Rainbow trout done right is delicious.

If a kid gets hungry enough they'll eat just about anything.  That always drives me nuts about parents who give their kids soda and juice all the time instead of water.  "He just won't drink anything else," is a common response.  Bullshit.  That is why we have thirst and hunger drives.  It is guaranteed that if food and water are available that your child won't starve to death or die from dehydration. 

While somewhat true, there are those of us who will starve.  My mom tried this and I outlasted her.

[Ingmar]

it's kinda silly to pay good money for something you can go pull out of a river

Cleaning fish is on the list of things I never intend to do again personally.

[Chimpy]

What Ingmar said. I am sure the innards of any tasty animal are unappetizing to look at as they come out, but being the one taking said gibblies out of the animal just lowers my appetite for said aminal.

[Merusk]

Because you're unused to it and it's been removed from your life's experience.

My grandmother thinks nothing of killing snakes or wringing the necks of fowl, while my mother is creeped out at the very idea.  That's just one generation removed from the farm.

Fuck, I know women our age who won't touch raw meat or fish at all.   They've never, ever cooked.   "It's gross!"  That's 2 generations.

It's only going to get worse and we're going to keep removing ourselves from the "distasteful" (according to current socieital norms) bits of the food process.    I mentioned this before.

[01101010]

Because you're unused to it and it's been removed from your life's experience.

My grandmother thinks nothing of killing snakes or wringing the necks of fowl, while my mother is creeped out at the very idea.  That's just one generation removed from the farm.

Fuck, I know women our age who won't touch raw meat or fish at all.   They've never, ever cooked.   "It's gross!"  That's 2 generations.

It's only going to get worse and we're going to keep removing ourselves from the "distasteful" (according to current socieital norms) bits of the food process.    I mentioned this before.

Good points. I have a hard time visualizing myself slaughtering any farm animal for food. I believe I could eventually do it and become accustomed to doing it for survival, but currently... I doubt I could kill a pig and bleed it out.

Goats however, fuck goats. I will smite them all if given a chance... creepy fuckers.

[MahrinSkel]

Most of my generation never learned to cook or bake from base ingredients.  Most of my daughter's generation doesn't even know how to bake from prepared kits, and think cooking is what microwaves are for.

I *can* do all of the things that are involved in preparing a meal, including growing/raising/processing the raw materials.  But it's all very labor intensive, and is more a credit to my Heinlein imprinting when I was young and a childhood spent in rural Montana than anything else.  Fine, I should have included the caveat "and nobody ever taught you to cook", now feed yourself and a child on $200/month from what you can find on the shelves at Walmart.

--Dave

[Ingmar]

For the record my objection to cleaning fish is more about the amount of work involved. (And cleanup generated.) 

[01101010]

I still think we should start harvesting and mass producing bug farms. Roasted bugs have to be somewhat profitable, albeit difficult to market. I would so snack on a bag of roasted mealworms at work if they sold them in the local grocery store.

[Ingmar]

Just go to Mexico!

[ghost]

I don't like cultural foods.   

[Sjofn]

Fine, I should have included the caveat "and nobody ever taught you to cook", now feed yourself and a child on $200/month from what you can find on the shelves at Walmart.

C'mon, really go for broke, juggle a few minimum wage jobs in there too.

[Sheepherder]

Be a real man and use a spear.  

Using a speargun is often easier than using a rod.  Combine it with a rebreather and you are basically cheating.

For the record my objection to cleaning fish is more about the amount of work involved. (And cleanup generated.)

The only way filleting a walleye could get any easier is if they came equipped with a zipper.

(Don't click the link if you don't want to see how it's done)

One of these days I'm going to have to check out one of the ricing lakes around here.  A well made cream of wild rice soup is fucking delicious.

[01101010]

The only way filleting a walleye could get any easier is if they came equipped with a zipper.

Fuck that guy in the ear. I hate when people do that shit because I can never do it that easy. "Oh you just take the knife and slice it like this... *slisss* ... and there is your filet!" Meanwhile I am trying to imitate that and I am left with fish bits that do not even resemble meat of any kind due to the fact I have not sliced it properly or the knife cut into the skin or I left a ton of meat on the skin or any number of ways I find to fuck it up.

Kudos to those that can do it easily enough, but hell with that... I'll stick with, cut cellophane, pull clean meat out of package, plop in breading and fry.

[CmdrSlack]

Sounds like you may need a sharper knife. Learning to hone knives on a steel  and also getting some good knives has made my raw protein prep so much easier. My wife is a fishmonger and she won't even attempt to debone or skin a fillet without using our best knife .... hell, she says ours suck compared to the ones they use. Having seen what they use (and knowing they have pros coming to sharpen that shit on a regular basis), I know she's right.

[Merusk]

I figure it's also a bit of practice.  I haven't gone fishing since I was 15 or so. There's no way I'd be able to fillet a fish like that guy did, no matter how good the knife.  And his looked a little dull given the way he was fighting on some bits.

[CmdrSlack]

Yeah, agreed. She told me about a trip to a major fish supplier wherein they watched a guy break down a giant fish in a matter of minutes. It was very much an "Are a Wizard?" moment for her team.

[Ratman_tf]

Here's what I don't get. On the one hand, America is hugely fat. Supposedly 26.5% of Americans are obese, and another 39% are overweight. A lot of that is due to crap diets and sedintary jobs and lifestylers.

Then, on the other hand, Feeding America reports that 1 in 8 Americans is on food support. What? So we're either fattening up or we're going hungry? There's a ridiculous imbalance here.

I have four words for you.

High Fructose Corn Syrup.

[MuffinMan]

The 1 of 8 on food support could very likely be obese too. The shitty food is really easy to choose when you're poor and looking at calories/$.

[Paelos]

The 1 of 8 on food support could very likely be obese too. The shitty food is really easy to choose when you're poor and looking at calories/$.

That brings up another even weirder oxymoron. Fat hunger victims?

[ghost]

I have four words for you.

High Fructose Corn Syrup.

This is the winner here. 

[Bunk]

For the record my objection to cleaning fish is more about the amount of work involved. (And cleanup generated.) 

There's a big difference between cleaning and filleting a big ocean fish and dealing with a brook trout. There's no reason to fillet a trout, you're just going to pan fry it whole anyway.
You need a river, a sharp knife, and a plastic bag (because apparently just dropping all the guts in the river is bad). Chop off the head just behind the gills, slice from the little hole up to the neck, stick your thumb in and scrape - one motion, 90% of its done, and you really don't even have to look. Then just hold it in the river as you scrape out any remnents with your thumbnail.
Yes, this is one of the only gross manly things I know how to do.

My grandfather was way better at it though, could cut it just right to pull 90% of the guts out still attached to the head in one motion.
Sky - one problem with catching your own trout though - you'll never bring yourself to buying store bought trout again.

[Furiously]

Makes you wonder how non-farm raise pork and beef would be.

[Chimpy]

Makes you wonder how non-farm raise pork and beef would be.

I have had wild boat sausage before. It was ok but it was a bit gamey a la venison. Was definitely a bit leaner than you usual pork though.

[Trippy]

Makes you wonder how non-farm raise pork and beef would be.

I have had wild boat sausage before. It was ok but it was a bit gamey a la venison. Was definitely a bit leaner than you usual pork though.

Do you use an industrial strength blender or something to break down all the parts?

[Merusk]

I'm more interested in how you land one.  Sailfish are bad enough.

[Chimpy]

God damnit. Posted that on my phone and did not notice the auto-correct on boar.

I had wild boar sausage once.

[Sheepherder]

I'm more interested in how you land one.  Sailfish are bad enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYzisqaKzjU

[Paelos]

When I was in Tuscany, boar sausage was apparently in season. It's sort of like eating a cross between really strong venison mixed with red wine earthy depth.

[Lantyssa]

I love wild pork.  Any wild game meat, really, but then I prefer lean meat.

[IainC]

Boar is a common food item here in Southern Germany, there are a lot of them in the Black Forest and hunters get generous quotas. Every one they bag has to be inspected though as a good proportion are too radioactive to eat as a result of the Chernobyl disaster.

[01101010]

Every one they bag has to be inspected though as a good proportion are too radioactive to eat as a result of the Chernobyl disaster.

 

Never eat anything that glows or cooks itself.

[IainC]

Every one they bag has to be inspected though as a good proportion are too radioactive to eat as a result of the Chernobyl disaster.

 

Never eat anything that glows or cooks itself.

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