In a message dated 98-04-22 12:56:45 EDT, you write:

<< Neanderthin purists simply have to face some facts:

 1] Not everyone on this planet does well on the diet.
 2] Picking the late Paleolithic as the ideal "diet era" is somewhat
arbitrary.
  since...
 3] Humans ate a raw paleo-diet before this time.
 4] Humans ate dairy and grains after this time.
 and
 5] The adulturation (domestication and processing) of modern "paleo" foods
 is significant to some greater or lessor degree.
 6] Natural selection has not stood still since the advent of agriculture.
 and
 7] Unless they want a heavily moderated list there will be posts which they
 consider irrelevent and/or blasphemous. >>
My point is that this is a forum to support a way of eating as outlined in Ray
Audette's book, Neanderthin.  Naturally, we will question what is considered
relevant to what the book describes as a diet eaten by paleolithic hunter
gathers.  However, I have followed this list for the fun and enjoyment of this
theory.  I am an adult and read alot of information concerning different
lifestyles, eating habits, etc., to know there are thousands of ways to do it.
How vegans live, or cannibals, or raw food eaters, or sugar addicts, or
whoever else may be an interesting topic, but the fact is the list is set up
to support those who have read Ray's book and are trying to follow it.

<<eesh, we're all big boys and girls, no? There seems little reason
to get defensive about it. Unless, of course, your Neanderthin diet has
become the moral equivilant of what you complain about in vegan pretensions
(or raw pretentions, or whatever). If that is the case, then no posters to
this list could question the utility of any Neanderthin supposition and the
Neanderthin purists end up being as silly as the vegan purist--that is,
putting ideology over experience, closing one's mind, existing in >>

I choose to be on this list in order to learn about the late paleolithic
manner of life which includes cooked food.  If I come across closed minded
about others' "foreign ideas", then its because I and others on this list
would prefer to stick to the principles of this diet as a diet, and not hear
about how some feel grains should be added, or how wonderful it is to eat
other foods specifically contraindicated.  However, I will continue to stick
with the list and be supportive because for me the diet has been a life
changing, and
growing experience.
<<The sky isn't falling to have a silly thread about Linda McCartney, or to
have someone make a recommendation outside the tenets of Neanderthin.>>
No, but we can state our disturbance when some threads can get very offensive,
at the cost of those who may have expressed their opinion in support of the
diet, and get shot down.  But, I should understand that we are emotional
beings, and we can disagree about every topic under the sun, if we so choose
to.  So lets just have a free for all about how wonderful life is, no matter
what you eat.