Well, we add the excretions of a calf’s glands. Only then does it get chunky and we add bacteria and wait till it molds
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And of course there’s the classic origin story:
According to an ancient legend, it was made accidentally by an Arabian merchant who put his supply of milk into a pouch made from a sheep’s stomach, as he set out on a day’s journey across the desert. The rennet in the lining of the pouch, combined with the heat of the sun, caused the milk to separate into curd and whey. That night he found that the whey satisfied his thirst, and the cheese (curd) had a delightful flavor which satisfied his hunger.
Cheese: it’s better than dying of thirst and starvation when you’re crossing the desert and all out of options!
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Personally I’d think it has something to do with the eyes. I’ve known people who have an aversion to crawfish and whole shrimp for similar reasons.
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But that’s how you know they’re fresh!
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Point of pedantry: the US does not use the imperial system.
To whit:
- 1 imperial pint = 568 ml
- 1 US (liquid) pint = 473 ml
US units are largely the same as the traditional British (specifically, English) units in use before the creation of the imperial system in (iirc) 1826.
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Point taken!
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No it’s literally this: as a Haitian I feel sad when people say whole fish is gross because whole fish reminds me of food I enjoy from my home which, like many places, eats whole fish and this reminds me of ways I’ve felt othered by US culture.
Is it hard to parse the meaning from the words themselves maybe?
Does it bother you to have something in common with Haitian food or something like why can’t a Haitian reflect on that aspect of their food and how it relates? Are they not allowed to like their home cooked meals if any other people like the same thing? Are they not allowed to talk about how their experiences with other people’s judgement feel? Are Haitian experiences somehow not ok to talk about unless they are things no one else has in common with Haitians?
That seems convoluted…
As a Texan I remember the sun setting on the savannah in the hill country. But the same sun sets everywhere on earth doesn’t it? Doesn’t make my own memories mean less though.
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Ever since the industrial revolution many societies have dedicated a lot of energy toward creating distance between the animal products we eat and the actual animals they used to be. For example, in the U.S. we take the heads and feet off the birds before they even get to the supermarket and any recognizable parts of most animals (snouts, tails, feet, organ meat etc.) are usually only used for stuff that gets processed behind the scenes, like pet food or hot dogs.
A whole fish is the antithesis of that trend; it’s served up in a form that requires very little imagination to think of as a living creature.
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“Or at least American white-centric.”
That’s clearly the context - white, middle/upper class, WASP American (with limited culinary experiences). Even so it’s pretty weird. I guess there are people out there who discard fruit that has superficial blemishes, are “nauseated” by the recognition the meat they’re eating came from an animal, etc., but boy, a lot of these questions had me asking, “Wait, there are people who would answer this question some other way?” My response to the questions was pretty much consistently, “Yeah, I’d eat that.”
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Mh,… I’m not here for offending anyone for being German, excusez moi. I just said: If someone said that referring to a dish of a “whole fish including head” is specifically against Haitians, then I have to disagree. It’s also against Germans, Japanese, Taiwanese, Brazilians, Chileans, Mexicans… etc… because the whole f-ing world eats a fish as it comes (with head).
To feel offended by that question is ignorant and culturally (racially?) egocentric because not only Haitians eat a whole f-ing fish.
I thought YOU were German?
So I’m not quite sure what you’re on about when you say:
Once again, the author is talking about HIS specific culture.
Are you saying that people should not explore racism and how it informs people’s perceptions? Because you seem to be saying that. Maybe clarify it.
The POINT of this article is about how racism informs our sensory perception. Context matters in other words.
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Just as a game: let’s turn that whole argument around once: is it cultural appropriation if I - as a German - eat a fish with its head? Do Haitians feel offended if I eat a fish with its head, because only Haitians eat the fish with its head? I do not think so (and I do not hope so).
Live long and prosper, my friend 
I understand that people can magnify problems that are not there. A Haitian is offended by the question if it’s disgusting to see a whole pig on a spit roast. The Haitian feels culturally offended.
Why does this individuum feel offended by this, in his/her/their identity? The individuum is offended because s/he thinks that his/her/their culture is the ONLY culture that roasts pigs on an open fire. Yea, sure…
I am f-ing German (and not proud of it) and I know spit-roast. It’s not an exclusively Haitian habit to put porks on a stick. It’s an international habit (I do not necessarily like it, but it’s an international habit to roast anything on a stick).
So the only conclusion must be: that specific Haitian person must be culturally ignorant, because this person thought, that a question about a “Spanferkel” is specifically targeted against her/his/their culture. S/he just does not understand any other cultures, s/he does not know them. S/he thinks that a “pig on a stick” automatically refers to her/his/their culture (which is precious, no question about it, I would love to visit, would love to learn more, etc…), while actually literally EVERYBODY is doing that (apart from white Americans… WASPs?).
“Pigs on a Stick” can not be an offense against “Haitians”, because it’s nothing that only Haitians do. It might be very un-American (maybe Louisianna?) to put a pig on a stick, but people do it worldwide.
Anyway: there are pigs on a stick everywhere in the world, it’s nothing against Haitians specifically?
Why does s/he feel offended? Maybe because s/he’s culturally ignorant and egocentric? Hu?
That’s a category they missed, and ought to add, I think.
The categories are interesting. They reveal as much about the experiment designers as they do about what’s been tested, which is pretty close to what the original post was saying.
I think it’s odd that hygiene and human contamination are split into two categories instead of just one.
BTW I don’t know if the test was changed due to complaints, but they do specifically mention that visceral disgust is culturally influenced in the results.
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Blessings be upon you, you are a bright light shining in the darkness of our post-factual world.
I have metric tools, American tools, and even a few Imperial tools (yeah, OK, I have a lot of tools, but I can quit any time I want to).
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But… No one, like no one at all, is saying whole fish is appropriating haitian culture??? You seem to be imagining a position and then arguing at people about it.
Please quote the words where anyone says eating a whole fish is appropriating Haitian culture? Did I miss them???
Where are you getting all of this? I think you are getting lost in your own metaphors and emotions like a house of mirrors or something. They said it “gave them pause” when people are grossed out by food they remember as appetizing. And they specified the kind of food they were remembering.
Literally that is all they said. It seems like you are trying to make an argument about appropriation where one isn’t happening and isn’t on topic.
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You’re right, I am sorry. I got caught up in my own mirror cabinet. It’s also not about spit roast, but about … “eating whole fish”.
That is not the comparison to make. If you continue past this point, no one will be fooled that you’re simply not understanding the words.
Rather, if you as a German were to write an article in the U.S. about disgust regarding culturally-different food, and as part of that article mentioned that you were raised German and so such-and-such a food was something that was completely normal to you, you then wonder why the readers from the country where the article is written (and you are currently living) are so horrified by that…and then some guy on the internet says “but I’m from Chile and we eat that too, so I’m offended when you talk about your own culture instead of mine”.
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