# I'm a vegan...but human's okay? (TMI and Gross) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 14, 2002, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733 "2002-11-14T16:04:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![mkl12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@mkl12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkl12)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/41 "2002-11-14T21:03:56Z")
I find the thought of eating placenta really gross, but the only thing in this thread that made me really feel sick was fruitcacke. :eek: But maybe that’s because I have no idea what either cod or lye is. ---
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/42 "2002-11-14T21:18:06Z")
Typo, Thank you for the **visual** of you flailing about screaming “gross, gross, ewwwww!” It made me laugh and I would have done the same thing if I was watching that show. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/43 "2002-11-14T21:19:41Z")
cod=a kind of fish Lye aka caustic soda= the main ingredient in soap ---
**Author:** ![Typo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Typo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/44 "2002-11-14T21:23:10Z")
lye=really nasty stuff that can result in horrible burns if you don’t treat it with respect. My great-grandmother, or so I’ve been told, had terrible scars on her arms from when it accidentally splashed on her. Of course, I don’t know what concentration they use to make lutefisk, but still… ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/45 "2002-11-14T22:58:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Typo \* > **At this point, I am now doing the Dance of Agonized Repulsion.** I know that dance. I’ve refined it, though, to include a stab at the channel changer. _“But there are some things you just can’t look away from!”_ Used to be true for me. But not any more. And I’m happier for it. Of course, had you followed this suggestion, we wouldn’t have had this enlightening and enormously amusing thread, so admittedly there’s a double-edged sword there. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Typo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Typo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/46 "2002-11-14T23:18:00Z")
Ahhh, but **Cervaise,** perhaps you missed the part about the Lord of the Remote? Repeated pleas to his mercy and goodness failed to result in a change of the channel (an all-out attack doesn’t work, either. He’s bigger than I am). HE thought it was great, especially my reaction to it. Forget a league of my own, I want a remote of my own. I usually have reading material nearby to retreat into, but this was an unexpected assault that got past my defenses. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/47 "2002-11-15T00:03:12Z")
Ever eaten sultanas anyone? (or golden raisins, as some people call 'em?) - there’s something about them that I bet you didn’t know… Yes, they are actually small pieces of human placenta! [sub]OK, OK, they are dried grapes, bleached with **LYE** [/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Typo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Typo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/48 "2002-11-15T01:16:44Z")
:eek: I’ve never had them, as far as I know, but still… :eek: I’m sorry - caustic acid on food products just seems like a bad idea. I’ve never eaten hominy, either, for that very reason. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/49 "2002-11-15T01:38:39Z")
I wonder who the hell thought up the recipe for lutefisk? The first time I ever heard of it was on King of the Hill. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Magic8ball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Miss\_Magic8ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Magic8ball)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/50 "2002-11-15T02:46:14Z")
isn’t that like, illigel? i mean, thats cannabolism! thats fucking disgusting… ewww ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/51 "2002-11-15T11:58:14Z")
Disgusting? possibly. Cannibalism? No more than biting your nails. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/52 "2002-11-15T12:21:41Z")
Some notes on **lutfisk** (and I can’t stand the way Americans misspell it): [http://www.santesson.com/christ/lutfisk.htm](http://www.santesson.com/christ/lutfisk.htm) [http://www.surfminnesota.net/lutfisk.html](http://www.surfminnesota.net/lutfisk.html) [http://www.northerner.com/products/mat-lutfisk.html](http://www.northerner.com/products/mat-lutfisk.html) [http://www.btinternet.com/~robert.pfeifer/lutfisk.htm](http://www.btinternet.com/~robert.pfeifer/lutfisk.htm) ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/53 "2002-11-15T13:32:37Z")
i love hominy, it was soaked in lye. Big deal. Hubby is standing firm on not eating my placenta. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![Typo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Typo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/54 "2002-11-15T13:45:59Z")
What can I say - to each his own. Of course, maybe I shouldn’t say anything - I’ve been known to eat peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff sandwiches in my younger years. Chunky peanut butter, too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/55 "2002-11-15T17:28:26Z")
Warning: extremely petty nitpick ahead: > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Typo \* > \*\*I’m sorry - caustic acid on food products just seems like a bad idea. \*\* Actually, lye is a base - not an acid. Sorry, but I had to do that. People’s tendency to call everything that’s caustic “acid” is just a pet peeve of mine. Too much chemistry in college, I suppose. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/56 "2002-11-15T17:31:56Z")
Permit me to bring this discussion to a new, grosser level. I was at a St. Patrick’s Day party a few years ago which was hosted by a friend of mine and his girlfriend, both proud vegans. As I was settling in, I heard him explaining the reasons for and restrictions on his diet and that of his girlfriend. And before I could stop myself, I found myself asking, “So, does that extend to the spit or swallow issue?” I earned a smack in the head for my query, but the host replied, “swallow.” So it has been my experience that human products, given freely, are considered acceptable for the vegans I know. ---
**Author:** ![trishdish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d2c977/32.png) [@trishdish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trishdish)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/57 "2002-11-15T18:35:07Z")
Actually, instead of the egg comparision, eating human placenta would instead be more analogous to eating chicken liver or hearts; since the placenta is an organ. Doesn’t make it any less blechy, though. And as vegetarian, I think I would evoke my right of meat refusal if anyone offered me a big helping of placenta lasagna. If you’ve ever wondered about other things you can do with your placenta, besides planting it with a tree, there’s alway the lovely “lotus birth” where you keep the placenta attached to the baby even after birth. [http://www.waldorfdolls.com/mango/Mango%20Mama’s-%20Lotus%20Birth.htm](http://www.waldorfdolls.com/mango/Mango%20Mama's-%20Lotus%20Birth.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/58 "2002-11-15T19:14:52Z")
Somewhere in my maternity reading I came across the quote - now much loved by my girlfriends “The Placenta: The body’s only disposable organ!” (I’ve always thought the lotus birth thing would inhibit bonding a little for me. “What an adorable child I’ve given birth to, and what an attractive placenta!” Maybe I’m strange that way. Then again, breastfeeding did NOT enhance my bonding experience either, so to each her own) ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/59 "2002-11-15T19:39:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Typo \* > \*\* > I’m sorry - caustic acid on food products just seems like a bad idea. I’ve never eaten hominy, either, for that very reason. \*\* More learning for you today! Pretzels and bagels are both dipped in a lye solution before cooking. Also, check your toothpaste label – if it contains Sodium Hydroxide (and about 2/3rds of the brands on the market do) you already have lye in your mouth on a daily basis. Lye – our misunderstood friend. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2002, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733/60 "2002-11-15T19:59:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voguevixen \* > \*\* > Lye – our misunderstood friend. \*\* Bwa! I was informed, just after giving birth, that I had an unusually large placenta. I wonder how many vegans it would have served? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-vegan-but-humans-okay-tmi-and-gross/136733.md?page=4)