# I learned that salmon is dyed--disgusting--plus other fake food travesties that horrify you **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 25, 2012, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229 "2012-06-25T09:42:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/181 "2012-06-29T04:39:01Z")
> [@gwendee](#): > > My understanding of red velvet cake is that the red color was to mask the pallid greyness of a cake made with cocoa rather than chocolate. Actually, the red food coloring is added to imitate the natural redness that resulted from the use of pre-modern ingredients. Says Wikipedia; > [@](#): > > The reddish-brown color of the cake was originally from a reaction of the cocoa powder with an acidic ingredient such as buttermilk… Before more alkaline “Dutch Processed” cocoa was widely available, the red color would have been more pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/182 "2012-06-29T11:36:13Z")
Before the widespread use of additives (to prevent decay, taste changes, discoloration, etc.), food went bad under storage. Foods containing fats would go rancid, and spoilage could result in toxic compounds being formed. So, ca. 1800, unless you had access to fresh food, was stored food a major health issue? I recall reading that early attempts at canning food caused many deaths-it is suspected that many of the Franklin Expedition (first use of canned foods for an arctic expedition) caused the deaths of many of the crewmembers (botulism poisoning). ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/183 "2012-06-29T17:22:30Z")
> [@OtisCampbellWasRight](#): > > Very true, albeit…yuck. Although the grasshoppers from Mexico are delicious! > > I will never again be able to used canned mushrooms and not think of this. In much the same way as I will never be able to swim in the ocean and not think of Jaws. Thanks loads, Speilberg! Hmmm. Maggots, sharks. > **[Hákarl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A1karl)** > > Hákarl (short for kæstur hákarl \[ˈcʰaistʏr ˈhauːˌkʰa(r)tl̥\]), referred to as fermented shark in English, is a national dish of Iceland consisting of Greenland shark or other sleeper shark that has been cured with a particular fermentation process and hung to dry for four to five months. It has a strong ammonia-rich smell and fishy taste, making hákarl an acquired taste. > Fermented shark is readily available in Icelandic stores and may be eaten year-round, but is most often served as part of a Þ... ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/184 "2012-06-29T17:47:29Z")
> [@D-bear](#): > > Kenyucky Fried Chicken offers [“Honey Sauce”](http://www.thefoodbond.com/?p=31) for your biscuit instead of offering Honey. Yep flavored, High fructose corn syrup - artificial honey. Why?!? Corn syrup is subsidized by the U.S. government and is exceptionally cheap. Honey is expensive. That’s why. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/185 "2012-06-30T17:29:25Z")
More annoying than horrifying, but it’s really hard to just pop into a convenience store and get a good quality, normal drink (other than water). 99% of the stuff in the cooler is some ridiculous blend of corn syrup - caffeine - artificial flavors - neon colored paint. Even the “plain juice” is often no good when you look at it - it’s either fake, or a blend of several incongruous juices spiked with an ungodly amount of sweetener. I sympathize with the locavores out there; I’d prefer to just buy lemonade from some girl’s homemade stand instead of the crap in the store. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229.md?page=9)