>I've been
>vegetarian for 3 years, but recently I tried raw fish. I was hearing
>about it from every where, all these people saying that it tastes so
>good and is easy to digest and all. So I decided I had to try it to make
>my experience complete. I found it completely disgusting and gross.

Hi Fred,

it's good that you have tried, it proved you are open to experimentation, which
seems a rare quality (most people who criticize raw fish or meat have never
tried). Now, may I suggest that a single experience is never conclusive? You
didn't say what fish you tried and in which state.

 -If the fish wasn't fatty, you've discovered that people prefer the fatty
portions of animals. The fish people prefer (in its raw state) are salmon,
mackerel, tuna, and perhaps bluefish, sardines.
 -If the fish was too fresh, you've discovered that people prefer aged animal
foods.
 -If the fish was improperly aged (e.g. kept in the plastic instead of being in
contact with the air), you've discovered that people usually don't like rotten
flesh.
 -If the fish was fatty and properly aged, you've discovered that one doesn't
need animal foods at each meal.


Some days, fish tastes delicious for me (at least as good as a fully ripe
mango), and sometimes it's impossible to swallow. Sometimes, as apple tastes
delicious, and sometimes it's completely tasteless. But I wouldn't conclude from
a single and negative experience with apples that fruit is not fit for human
consumption!

Now, I am certainly open to the idea that some people don't need meat or fish
(or need very little of it). FWIW, perhaps 30% people react negatively to
Atkins' diet, which is consistent with a recent post on the Paleodiet list. See

http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?A2=ind9801&L=paleodiet&P=2182

P.S. to Peter: when are you going to write "RAF for dummies"? :)

P.S.#2: I'll be away next week (ich muss zu Deutschland gehen), and my ability
to read/respond to e-mail from now on until Feb 8 will be limited. And since the
place where I am going (Oberwolfach university) is in the middle of nowhere, I
will probably have to eat cooked food, and probably in the SGD (Standard German
Diet) form. I'll try to enjoy it if I can and come back to "normal" afterwards;
will catch up on the list when I come back. Auf Wiedersehen.


Best wishes,

Jean-Louis
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