Jean Louis,
<< Now, I am certainly open to the idea that some people don't need meat or
fish >>

Last week we bought a piece of luscious looking steak at our Whole Foods
store, put together a salad from their salad bar, sat down in their cafe, and
ate it our steak raw.  It was very scary.  I think I could find it delicious -
but I'm scared of it just CRAWLING with microbes.  Honestly, although I feel
safe eating it cooked, I have no idea who's touched it, what careless handling
may have done to it, etc.

If I thought it was safe to eat this meat raw, I think I'd do it - since I
really think I do better with meat (specifically red meat) in my diet (I've
been a vegan for twenty -some years).

So, I guess I'm writing this in the hopes that someone will convince me that I
don't have to worry about the cleanliness, or possibility of contamination
with something dangerous.

I live near Washington DC, so we don't have organic meat raisers nearby, and
the prices quoted about a month ago for ordering from Hawaii were too high for
me (plus we don't have anywhere to store such huge amounts of meat). I'd love
some guidance!

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Thanks all! With much love,
Liza May ([log in to unmask])