Ellie:

> But I noticed  after chewing each piece for a couple of minutes that most of it--I spit
> out some--got very tender. So it seems the live enzymes are working in
> the mouth to digest it even before it gets to the stomach.

Not sure. When you chew cooked food, it becomes tender too. In any case, aging meat spares chewing
time, since the chemical reactions are already at an advanced stage.

JL