mentalist

Yes I know that serving pork was not the issue here but rather how it was prepared. I am making no comment personally as I have little comprehension for why eating pork is such an issue for Muslims and Jews. Don't chickens eat the same sort of crap? Anyway, one for the purists to debate, perhaps.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/go...ales-1.1141799

Boomhauer

The best Pizza is a Pepperoni Pizza!

It's all just bullshit, because how many of these pious muslims will turn down a pig organ transplant when the procedure has been widely accepted.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/he...s-by-2013.html

Miss Anne Thrope

I think this is exactly analagous to the horsemeat in burgers issue convulsing the UK and Ireland at the moment (and it emerged in Ireland, by the way, because unike the UK, it requires stringent DNA tests of meat).

I don't get the fuss about pork either but if you didn't order it and you don't want it you shouldn't be getting it as a surprise....Same as veggies ending up with unexpected meat etc.

Norm_uk

The fact is no one is hurt or harmed if this happens now and then.

It's not as if someone with a nut allergy was given nuts and died. Pork is a very tasty and healthy if fatty meat that happens to be the most widely consumed flesh in the world.

N.

UKCityGent

I dont think that true or accurate. Out of a population of 7 billion or so 2.5b are muslims and jewish, so pork is out, 1 billion are hindus so beef is possibly out of the top 2, approx 750,000 are Buddhists, its difficult to calculate the number of veg-heads (through choice or poverty)


The largest consumption of meat is chicken (http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/themes...ackground.html) however i did read that goat is a contender for the top spot as well (Goat is extremely popular in the Middle East, North Africa, India, Pakistan, Mexico, and the Caribbean)

Irishbeekeeper

x 2

Bahtatboy

Except chicken isn't meat, its poultry.

That aside and on the topic of pious nonsense, I have a friend of a certain religious persuasion. He smokes. He drinks. He has a girlfriend and he's married. I understand that in his religion those things aren't permitted. I was out with him one evening, in a bar. We were hungry, I ordered pizza. It came, we ate. Half-way through the second slice he said, "Is this real pepperoni?". "Dunno, I'll check." It was. He disappeared for 5 minutes to the gents, obviously to throw up. I apologised (well, I am English).

Meow

It is weird that that the consumption of pork is the one area where few ever transgress. It is largely that they are told respeatedly as children how disgusting and unclean it is, which is not the same with alcohol.

My understanding is also that pork is the most widely consumed meat in the world. There may be ever growing numbers of muslims, but they aren't the global majority.

EDIT> A quick google shows it is either pork or goat.

Norm_uk

"Pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world accounting for over 36% of the world meat intake. It is followed by poultry and beef with about 33% and 24% respectively." - that's according to http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/themes...r_sources.html. Few countries don't have the option to eat pork and those that don't are no healthier, more intelligent or better in any other measurable way I can think of that counts. Same goes for booze.

I've had goat a number of times, it's good in a curry but can be smelly if not prepared and cooked with decent seasoning. Pork is a wonderful, tasty meat - a bit fatty but like most meats perfectly healthy when consumed in moderation. Literally billions of people grow up on it and live long, healthy and fruitful lives. I don't really care if people avoid certain foods in the belief (and it's definitely a belief with no basis in fact) that it is dirty or forbidden - that's their business. As long as we can eat what I like without ridiculous concessions I don't care.


N.

Miss Anne Thrope

Exactly. It's like eating dog or cat would be to most of us. Food is an area of deep psychology. I think the absence of logic and the prevalence of emotion here is entirely understandable and typical of any human.

Meow

True. We all know that pork was proscribed by religions that started in the ME due to issues with heat and obviously lack of refrigeration at the time. There was logic then for reasons of health, that no longer apply, but then religion is not based any any logic...

MataHari

that's totally besides the point though, the fact that you don't get hurt of harmed...I would't be hurt or harmed by eating dog, or fried bugs, but I would be totally freaked out if turns out that that was what I had been eating, or even if it was prepared/served kind of next to my meal.
Eating horse meat in Holland is quite normal, yet in the UK most people would not eat it. It's all just what you are used to at the end of the day.

I actually think British people are a bit obsessed with the whole pork thing, the way they go on about it like it's something amazing. You all seem to think it's tasty. It's certainly not perceived that way in Holland. I think that not having pork available in certain shops or restaurants wouldn't be an issue for most Dutch people.

Norm_uk

Americans, Canadians, Germans, Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos, most people in the Caribbean, lots of South Americans, plenty of Africans...just a few of the people who are bit obsessed with pork.

I think people who don't eat pork are more obsessed. If you eat it by mistake and are still ok what's the big deal? They throw fits, demand companies are closed and threaten people with violence and death. Just ask for an apology and move on...nothing except preconceived sensibilities have been harmed.

N.

Norm_uk

I've eaten dog, was advised not to eat cat because it's not good meat and have few food taboos. If a closed minded right wing bigot like me can do that so can anyone

N.

littlejimmy

No, I guess anything could be used in things like Bitterballen. God knows what they put in them anyway.