From today's paper:

Pork program could curb chewy chops

WASHINGTON (AP) - The days of the chewy pork chop may soon be over.

Americans for years have been overcooking pork out of fear of trichinosis - unaware that improved production practices virtuanlly have eliminated the disease-causing worm from U.S. hogs.

The Agriculture Department is testing a program for certifying pigs as trichinae-free which could be a model for controlling other parasites and food-borne pathogens such as E.coli and salmonella.

Such programs could pressure farmers to improve their production methods to prevent animals from becoming contaminated, rather than relying on procesors and consumers to keep pathogens.

As for trichinae, millions of schoolchildren have been warned over the years not to eat undercooked pork.

Human infections are rare. Fewer than 50 cases of human trichinosis are reported annually to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, compared with 500 cases a year in the 1940s, and many of the recent ones are attributed to consumption of wild game, not pigs.

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I suspect the Jewish custom on not eating pork is related to trichinosis. Does anyone know how this custom started?

-- Ken S. (scharabo@aol.com), August 13, 2000

Answers

One of the theories proposed by an anthropologist by the name of Marvin Harris(last name I know is correct not sure about the first) is it is based on economics. When that area was forrested pigs were no problem to raise as you could turn them loose, and they foraged for themselves, but after the people cut all the trees down and the area became somewhat desert it became very expensive to raise a pig. Seems as plausible an explanation as any.

-- chris engle (engle@yahoo.com), August 13, 2000.

Ken, The Jewish laws of Kosher were for religeous and health reasons. Rabbis used lots of salt, hot water and surgical quality knives for slaughter. A rabbi who lived in our community explained this to me. He also said our USDA regulation are very ssimilar to the ancient kosher laws. Hope this answers some of your question.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), August 14, 2000.

Supposedly it got started because their god said that they couldnt, end of story, period, no choice, its in the Bible (I dont want to discuss wether he would have or did say such a thing).

I think it very likely that someone noticed a link between eating the pork of that day and certain illnesses. Many religions, extant and those lost, that sprung up in the middle east had precepts forgoing the consumption of pork. Wether it is more appropriate to trace the tradition to an older civilization or, ascribe the practice to a coincidence of many people being aware and bringing it into their particular religion, I wouldnt hazard a guess.

-- William in WI (thetoebes@webtv.net), August 15, 2000.

A rabbi told me that to claim people knew about any health hazards of pork thousands of years ago was just wishful thinking. He said that the dietary laws were there to remind people that they were Jews, to reinforce a sense of identity, much perhaps as Sikhs are required to never cut their hair or beards, etc. Also, pigs in most of the world are pretty nasty creatures, rooting about in all kinds of filth -- it doesn't take much effort to think with repugnance of eating them. Far distant cousins of "Babe".

-- snoozy (allen@oz.net), August 15, 2000.

My husband who was raised jewish says that the theory on trichinosis was right,you cant keep pork in the desert[ before fridges].

-- kathyh (saddlebronc@msn.com), August 16, 2000.

My reaction to this is a bit different. (Maybe this should be on a different thread, but I dont know how to start one.)

Millions of school children have been warned over the years not to eat undercooked pork. And now its okay.

Ah so. When I was in school, we were forced to take salt tablets in gym class (and now salt is verboten). Whole milk was good food (and now its bad for you---drink the fat free chalk water stuff.) And the experts have gone back and forth on everything from red wine to coffee.

This hit home just the other day when 3 grandchildren and I were walking from our homestead to the Countryside office, a half-mile away. Chris said I was walking on the wrong side of the road---the left side, facing traffic. When I disputed that, he said a policeman at school told him you should walk on the RIGHT side of the road, because walking on the left confused motorists. I never heard of such a thing, and as a motorist, I dont believe it. But the point is, when the rules change with every new survey or whatever, how are we to know what to believe? Thats one reason Im a homesteader. I know whats right, what works--- and Im willing to change if someone can prove Im wrong---but Im not going to get all flustered by every new official pronouncement. Because theyll probably change it tomorrow anyway. Cholesterol? Sunshine? Eggs? Hey, everybodys gotta die of SOMETHING. I intend to live life to the fullest until then.

-- Jd (belanger@tds.net), August 19, 2000.

Actually from what I understood about pork was because the hooves were cloven or some such representing devil's feet..one more animal also wasn't eaten..I forget what animal.

Ted

-- Ted Hart (tedhart71@hotmail.com), January 11, 2001.

The Jewish laws of kashrut prohibit any animal for food that does not have cloven hooves AND chew the cud. Pigs have cloven hooves, but no cud chewing- they're not ruminants. All ruminants are acceptable food under these laws, if they are butchered correctly(no hunting). Trichinosis has nothing to do with the law, if the parasite didn't exist, pork would still be forbidden. You can ask a Rabbi, and he will tell you that Jews who keep these laws keep them whether or not there seems to be a good reason to do so.

It is true that pork has not been as safe as 'clean' meats, because of the trichinosis, but it's also true that pigs eat s---, that they are omnivores and eat meat, including their own offspring and even humans, if they are so inclined and the opportunity presents itself. Pigs are closely related to us, so much so that we can catch many of their diseases and vice versa. Even if only one in 200 hogs had trichinosis, the disease could infect a lot of meat, since hundreds of hogs get ground up together for sausage, lunchmeat, and other processed meat products. It could be(and I suspect that it is), that trichinosis is underdiagnosed, but that doesn't mean it's not there. Some doctors suspect the parasite as a cause of brain cancer.

As for me, the fact that the Almighty said,'don't eat it' is enough for me. If you believe he created us, it's a simple enough matter to believe that he also knows what is and is not good for us. The bible is like an owner's manual. None of us would disregard the owner's manual if we had just bought a rototiller and it said to use only one kind of fuel, especially if your life was dependent on that one rototiller! Just my 2 cents worth.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), January 11, 2001.