>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 [log in to unmask]