# Why you should not eat swine meat. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 24, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266 "2003-05-24T19:25:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/41 "2003-05-24T21:55:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El\_Kabong \* > \*\*Nice attempt to stir things up, but nope. And you forgot muslims. > > Thing is, last I checked, neither of these groups have posted OPs to this forum stating that readers should stop eating pork. \*\* So, if a Jew or Muslim stated made an OP stating their religious reasons for not eating pork, they are open for ridicule? I’m not trying to “stir things up”, I’m just curious why the OP of this thread is fair game for his or her religious beliefs. Usually religions are treated with more respect around here. Not that I care, I’m an atheist who finds all supernatural belief a bit silly, and I have in the past ridiculed them (and likely will in the future). Is it because the religion wasn’t specifically mentioned in the OP that made it fair game? ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/42 "2003-05-24T22:00:47Z")
There is a difference between saying, “You shouldn’t eat pork! Nobody should eat it!” as opposed to, “I don’t eat it because of religious reasons, and look, here’s some apparent objective justification for those reasons.” A RATIONAL discussion of this would be fine, but the OP is anything but rational. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/43 "2003-05-24T22:03:26Z")
What I find ridiculous is the notion presented in the OP which is trying to support his religion with a _really_ stupid argument. Hey, if you don’t want to et pork, that’s fine by me. But don’t try to justify it with a _really_ stupid argument beacuse then you open yourself up to ridicule. ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/44 "2003-05-24T22:05:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sailor \* > \*\*Now, if the Scriptures would tell me how I can get my Win98SE computer to stop crashing then I would say that’s something. \*\* The Scriptures depict miracles, but this fact does not mean that you will ever see one. Reboot. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/45 "2003-05-24T22:14:32Z")
> [@](#): > > _Leviticus:_ > 11:7 > And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. > > 11:8 > Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you. Does this mean the Dallas cowboys have to play with gloves or incur the wrath of God for touching the football? ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/46 "2003-05-24T22:20:51Z")
On the other hand, pig parasites may help the immune system, [cite](http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/1999-08/NS-Afgp-040899.php). The immune system is a balance of two systems ([cite](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10973934&dopt=Abstract)) – without parasites, one type of immune response is not stimulated. Therefore, the other part of the immune system becomes overactive, causing autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s disease. So the theory goes. > [@](#): > > Regular doses of worms might rid people of inflammatory bowel disease, say researchers in Iowa. They believe this distressing condition, which is increasingly common in the developed world, is caused by the absence of intestinal parasites. “We’re living in sterile boxes, breathing sterile air and drinking sterile water,” says Joel Weinstock, who led the research. > > Weinstock noticed that the rise in inflammatory bowel disease was preceded by a decline in intestinal worm infections. Seventy years ago, he says, 40 per cent of American children had worms such as Ascaris lumbricoides, which grow up to 20 centimetres long. As recently as the 1940s, many were infected with smaller whipworms (Trichuris trichuria). “By the 1960s, kids no longer had it,” says Weinstock. > > “The worms living in the gastrointestinal tract have been with us for 3 million years or longer,” he says. “Our immune systems have grown used to their presence.” And without such parasites, Weinstock believes the immune system is more likely to produce powerful inflammatory agents such as gamma-interferon, which fire up the activity of white blood cells called macrophages. “As we’ve de-wormed, people have developed immune systems which are not damped,” he says. So, the well-intended elimination of all pork parasites from our food supply may have created the rise in allergies, Crohn’s disease, and a host (pun intended) of other auto-immune problems found in industrial countries since the 1960s. ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/47 "2003-05-24T22:26:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by D\_Odds \* > \*\ ***Iyyob** , your simplistic posts are amusing, if devoid of any rational thought. Just do us all a favor and don’t vote. \*\* And if you could just avoid breeding, that’d be _great_, umkay? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/48 "2003-05-24T22:29:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by frithrah \* > \*\*😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 > > You’ve been hanging around Ilya Prigogine too long! \*\* Ah, my first physics joke, I’m glad to see someone got it. ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/49 "2003-05-24T22:39:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SimonX \* > \*\ ***Iyyob** ,Are you planning on participating in this conversation? > \*\* His program teaches kids to: 1. Respect authority 2. Avoid conflict Respecting our differences and avoiding conflict with us just keeps him so _busy_ that I don’t think we’ll see his intestinally-pure presence again. ---
**Author:** ![japatlgt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@japatlgt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/japatlgt)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/50 "2003-05-24T22:45:03Z")
Had pulled pork BBQ for lunch today and have got enough leftover in the fridge for sandwiches!! I’m so ashamed. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/51 "2003-05-24T23:03:34Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m not trying to “stir things up”, I’m just curious why the OP of this thread is fair game for his or her religious beliefs. Usually religions are treated with more respect around here. Er, what **WhiteRabbit** and **Sailor** said. In any event, the OP only tangentially refers to religion; the main thrust of the OP is that eating pork is medically dangerous. The fact that enormous numbers of people eat pork for decades without apparent harm shows that the OP’s assertion is silly. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/52 "2003-05-24T23:14:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El\_Kabong \* > \*\*Er, what **WhiteRabbit** and **Sailor** said. In any event, the OP only tangentially refers to religion; the main thrust of the OP is that eating pork is medically dangerous. The fact that enormous numbers of people eat pork for decades without apparent harm shows that the OP’s assertion is silly. \*\* Only “decades”? Hmm. I thought that we’d been eating pigs for much longer than that. ---
**Author:** ![Severian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@Severian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Severian)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/53 "2003-05-24T23:21:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tuckerfan \* > \*\*Only “decades”? Hmm. I thought that we’d been eating pigs for much longer than that. \*\* I think he was referring to individuals, not society. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/54 "2003-05-24T23:48:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by istara \* > \*\*Is it only me who finds citing from a 1950 Reader’s Digest article rather sinister? > > Eat your turkey ham and beef bacon and soy “smokey rashers” if you will. I’ll stick to dead pig. \*\* Can you get dead pig in UAE? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/55 "2003-05-25T00:27:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Revtim \* > \*\*Just curious, all your folks ridiculing the OP, I guess you feel the same way about Jews? They use a source even older than Reader’s Digest… \*\* Not at all. Jews avoid pork because of the _mitzvah_. The OP urges us to avoid pork because of the danger of trichinella spiralis. The OP is open to ridicule, not because of his abjuration to avoid pork, but because of his reasoning. There is certainly ample basis to question whether or not G-d truly exists, and, if so, commanded his people to avoid pork. Bu there is also ample reasonable basis to accept those propositions. The OP’s reasons on the other hand, are without reasonable support. If I urged you to avoid smoking because it is through tobacco smoke that the CIA is able to implant nanotechnology in our bodies to control us, you can certainly ridicule that belief without endorsing smoking, or ridiculing those who oppose smoking for more supportable reasons. - Rick ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/56 "2003-05-25T04:57:50Z")
Far be it from me to argue with the medical world, but the phrase “regular doses of worms” conjures up some **really** ugly mental images. _S_ All the best. Testy ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/57 "2003-05-25T05:27:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by japatlgt \* > \*\*Had pulled pork BBQ for lunch today and have got enough leftover in the fridge for sandwiches!! I’m so ashamed. \*\* Pulled pork? I hope that doesn’t come from choking the hog! ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/58 "2003-05-25T07:45:50Z")
So what’s the consensus on cooking pork now? I ordered pork at a restaurant awhile back, and the waiter asked me how I wanted it cooked. I said, “Well done, of course”. I asked someone about that later, and they said that trichonosis isn’t a problem anymore. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/59 "2003-05-25T07:52:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Brutus \* > \*\*Can you get dead pig in UAE? \*\* Easily, yes. Depending on the supermarket, they may sort of create a separate areas by placement of aisles, and put up a sign “Pork products” or “non-Muslim products.” Or, in more expat areas, it will just be on a separate refrigeration shelf, easily viewable by all. I have no idea if Muslims are prevented from buying it (like they usually are alcohol at the Airport Duty Free), but they probably aren’t that interested in it, unless they’ve spent extensive time abroad and picked up a habit for bacon sarnies. In restaurants, cheaper restaurants nearly always have stuff like “turkey ham” or “beef bacon.” More expensive, western-style restaurants will have dishes containing pork, and they will use a little “P” code by that dish to alert people, similarly an “A” for dishes containing alcohol. I imagine other countries or areas with large Muslims or Jewish communities must do similar. Anyone know what the pork availability status is in America, in big Jewish/Muslim areas? Or in Israel? ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266/60 "2003-05-25T08:21:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by istara \* > Anyone know what the pork availability status is in America, in big Jewish/Muslim areas? You can get pork anywhere in the U.S. - Chain supermarkets are pretty much everywhere. Some might include more ethnic food than others, but I don’t think any _exclude_ pork. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-should-not-eat-swine-meat/177266.md?page=4)