Well, I certainly seem to have more to say today than the list allows; I hope it will not be a big transgression to make a single post into several. Today, I went out to the fish market (about an hour ago) and bought about $2 worth of salmon (that's been apparently sitting on ice since this past Monday - was possibly fished this past Sunday I was told; it is Thursday today); I came home, cut a piece I can barely see on my plate and smelled it. It smelled good and I was hungry (I am still not sure whether I was hungry for some fish or hungry for food; in fact, I don't even know yet if I wanted the fish because I've seen some instincto material on the web lately and heard from you guys, and just wanted to try it, or whether I wanted it because I needed it; btw, I am on rather low-protein diet these days - this could be an explanation). And so, it smelled good; I put it in my mouth, kept it there for as long as there was something to keep and then swallowed. It tasted just as good as it smelled - in fact, it tasted even better. So I had another piece. Each was bigger and bigger. Well, I finished half of the portion I bought (roughly a 2x3inch chunk - nothing spectacular). Allow me to say what happened right after. I was excited as hell. I was never, ever disgusted with the idea that I was eating a raw fish. I did however feel somewhat nervous while eating, and some of the pieces went down my throat only after first coming back up a little, but all did go in, and every piece did taste as good as the first one. But I stopped and didn't eat the rest. I think my only fear was and still may be (though after hearing from some people here today, it's almost gone) that I might get myself poisoned. It's funny how one can eat raw things such as fruits or veggies and have such strong feelings about raw fish. Why do you think this is? Society? Or could this be your actual instinct telling you not to eat? Or am I really just reaching so far back and so deep in and retrieving the instincts? DO you think this experience compares to, say, what a child goes through when it is first given cooked food? Do you think it would have a much better time dealing with raw fish for instance? Well, in any case, whether it's excitement or not, I felt a tremendous satisfaction with even such a small piece of the salmon. In fact, I ate so little, but feel fuller than I would have had I had 5 bananas then (whatever fuller here means; "hungrier" I guess). I wanted to post this for anyone who might be curious about trying raw fish. I hope I ate too little to experience any effects of whatever I may have done wrong in the process (fish too old, and so on - please comment if you do see anything). Bottom line, I'm alive, somewhat more satisfied (even if I'm not sure whether it's still the excitement, or if it's really the satisfaction of my instincts and thus my body's needs). --------------------------------------------- Kirt: I suppose you're right. Germs aren't something you can just live around of. I would think they were even much more present in the old days than they are now. Jean-Louis: Thanks for your input again. I was hoping to get to your message before I left to buy that salmon. Thanks. To comment on some of the things you said: Yes, vegetables are a big problem for me. I can eat carrots (again, these are just pure carbohydrates almost, I don't really see them as satisfying my needs for veggies) but that's about all that attracts me. Maybe going against your instinct and forcing something in your body will do your more good than harm, but this does go against the principle. A quick salad blend sounds good (quick and painless) but I'm not sure anymore than you on this... You talk about problems I might experience while on instinctive. eating; what have you been through that was problematic, if you don't mind sharing? Mr. Billings: I'd love to hear what your instincts have to say about food. On teeth and mercury amalgams: (my weak point, ever since I'm a child - dental hygiene in some of those once-communist European countries has left me with some permanent scars). There shouldn't be any doubts as to whether one is better off with or without them, but the extent to which they can do damage will vary (as someone here pointed out already). My concerns would be also with removing them. How dangerous can this operation be, does it require a special environment and a more qualified dentist? What be the costs in replacing these? Much higher than putting a new filling in (is mercury cheaper than the non-toxic alternative(s)? ).