Kathryn Rosenthal expressed concern about whether I might be opening myself
up to lawsuits if I offer recipes in my book which include raw meat and
eggs.  I think that raw meat and egg recipes are still being offered by many
authors.  For example, I believe that "The Joy of Cooking" still includes
recipes for real mayonnaise (made with raw eggs).  There are many sushi
books on the market.  Sally Fallon's cookbook "Nourishing Traditions"
inclues 17 recipes for raw meat foods, e.g., Carpaccio, Vietnamese Raw Beef,
Raw Beef Korean Style, Steak Tartare, Kibbeh, Keuftah, Pickles Herring, and
others like that.  She also has raw milk, raw butter, and raw egg recipes.
(Note:  Paleo People would need to modify many of her recipes as she is
heavy on the dairy, sucanat, grain, etc.  The most interesting parts of her
book, IMHO are the side bars detailing information about the diet and health
of primitive peoples.)  There must be other books out which feature similar
classic raw fish and meat dishes.

I will include some information wrt common concerns about consuming raw meat
foods, the historical precedent for such a practice, tips for purchasing and
preparing quality meat foods and for fortifyinng your immune system so that
one does not create the ideal environment for "hosting" unwanted guests (in
this case, pathogenic microbes).  Further, I will encourage the reader to
use his or her own judgement and explore the parameters of his/her comfort
zone.  I will not force nor convince anyone to eat raw meat, only share what
I know, what we do, and let them know that there are people who do eat raw
meat and with positive results.

Did you know that in cuisines around the world, people have almost
universally marinated the fish in an acidic solution--lemon juice or lime
prior to consuming it raw?  The citrus juice serve to kill parasites and
pathogens and serves to pre-digest the fish.  The Japanese eat sashimi with
wasabi (horseradish paste) and ginger, both of which stimulate the flow of
digestive enhancing juices and offer some protective benefits.  What about
meat?  Ms. Fallon states in her book that"The problem of parasites in beef
or lamb is easly solved. Simply freeze the meat for 14 days.  According to
the USDA, this will kill off all parasties. Needless to say, you should use
only organic meat for yoru raw meat appetizers."

People can misuse almost any information.  I can recommend the use of a
particular type of knife and show someone how to use it properly.  Yet I am
not responsible for those folks who leave it blade-side out or with the
handle sticking out on the edge of the cutting board.  Ultimately, they must
take responsibility for their own actions.  They will decide what they are
and are not comfortable with and how they apply the information.

Wrt, your father who almost died, allegedly from undercooked poultry,
perhaps he had an already compromised immune system and had a lot of food
for microbes (sugar) in his system.  I'm not belittling his experience...
and yet, other actions that he engaged in may have set the stage for
disease; the undercooked poultry may have only arrived late on the scene or
presented the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back."  I'm not
making a blanket recommendation that everyone rush out and eat raw meat or
switch to a raw meat diet.  One should contemplate actions and take only
those that he or she is comfortable with.

For most people, I think that merely switching from a SAD or MAD or
vegetarian diet to a diet of fresh, raw and lightly cooked fibrous
vegetables, whole fruits, and cooked fish, poultry, red meat, eggs, nuts and
seeds is the best place to start.  I've seen it do wonders for many people,
even if they never eat raw meat.  Some may wish to explore raw meat dishes
from there... but even if they don't they can be very healthy.  Most of my
meat recipes are cooked....only some are raw.

Rachel Matesz :>)